It has been two weeks since full-time support staff walked off the job, but morale at Lambton College is "keeping up" as mediation talks are expected to start on Friday.
About 10,000 members represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) at 24 public colleges went on strike on September 11.
Local 124 Vice President Jonathan Lawrence said they continue to receive honks as vehicles cross the picket line at Lambton College's two main entrances off of London Road and Wellington Street in Sarnia.
"At the end of the day, we all want to get along, and it feels nice to have that interaction with people," Lawrence said.
Of those interactions, most have had questions.
"A lot of folks actually don't know too much about who support staff are, what it is that we do. Oftentimes, we're in the background," Lawrence said. "For instance, I work in IT, I work at the front desk so people see me a lot but we help keep the lights on. We've got folks from Co-op so if you're looking for a Co-op... we help facilitate that. Folks in the registrar's office help get schedules and navigate those tricky periods through your college experience. We just basically help remove barriers."
Aside from discussing who they are, Lawrence said they're also sharing their concerns, mainly surrounding the language used during the bargaining process regarding layoffs. Earlier this year, the union said roughly 10,000 faculty and staff had been laid off across the province as hundreds of programs were cut.
"To get a little bit more specific, some of the language that we're looking to put in includes not contracting out entire departments, for example. We've seen that in some colleges across Ontario," Lawrence said.
OPSEU announced late Wednesday afternoon that talks would resume with the College Employer Council (CEC) on September 26 with the assistance of a ministry-appointed mediator.
“Colleges have consistently bargained in good faith and have put forward more than $145 million in improved wages, benefits, and job security, and advised OPSEU of issues it cannot accept," said CEC CEO Graham Lloyd in a media release. "We hope, with the assistance of a government mediator, we will be able to secure a fair deal that balances the needs of employees, students, and the long-term sustainability of the college system."
Previously, the CEC said there were four demands standing in the way of a deal: no campus or college mergers or closures for three years, no staff reductions for any reason for three years, a ban on contracting out services, and new restrictions on support staff work.
