OPSEU-SEFPO Local 241 - Mohawk College Support Staff

Home2024-03-08T12:06:57-05:00

Part-Time Bargaining Demand Vote & Workshops

Part-time collective agreement negotiations start this fall! We need part-timers to tell us their priorities and vote on them for the bargaining team. The time to take action is now. 

Register to attend the online vote meeting on Wednesday, September 13, at 6 pm.

Submit your bargaining demands online and register for an online workshop. Learn about collective bargaining and discuss what’s important to you.

Evening online workshop – Tuesday, September 5, 6 pm to 7 pm. 
Lunch-hour online workshop – Thursday, September 7, noon to 1 pm.

Decorative - College Support Staff logo

2023 August 23|Part-Time Members|

Bargaining Team Bill 124 negotiations

The Bargaining Team has agreed to go back to the table with the CEC to negotiate our Bill 124 remedy this Friday, August 25. Now is the time for local’s to really push College Presidents about the CEC coming to the table to negotiate a fair deal for Support Staff. The Bargaining Team is asking Full-Time members to wear Blue on Thursday and Friday this week to show their support for the Team. Watch your emails this coming weekend for details of what happened.


Pictures of your members wearing blue can be sent to: caatsftbargaining@opseu.org
If you want to use hashtags for social media we suggest: #BlueForCAATS #OPSEUSEFPO

2023 August 23|Bargaining|

Stop by every Wednesday in August!

We will be setting up a table near the Tim Hortons on Fennell Campus, starting August 2. Come by and meet your union Representatives!

Do you have a question that you have always wanted to ask? Discover the basics about union functions. Learn about the Part-time Collective Agreement bargaining and demand setting, and share your feedback. We want to hear from you!

When: Every Wednesday in August, 11 am – 1:30 pm
Where: Near Tim Hortons, C wing, Lower Level, Fennell Campus

Want to get in touch with us virtually? Submit a request to our Member Help Centre using your personal address, and we will be happy to answer you. 

We hope to see you there!

decorrative. OPSEU College support logo
2023 July 30|All Members|

Part-time members, join us for coffee and a chat!

Stop by Wednesday, July 19, for a casual chat and meet your union representatives and other members. We’ll be talking about the upcoming Part-Time Collective Agreement bargaining and demand setting and answer any questions that you may have.

When: July 17, 11 am – 1 pm
Where: Fennell Campus, Room i102
What: Coffee and Snacks

Please RSVP to the event so that we can be sure to have enough coffee on hand.

Feel free to share this message with your Part-Time Support coworkers. We’d love to see you there! 

Decorative - College Support Staff logo
2023 July 17|Part-Time Members|

Wear blue on Tuesday July 11

We have some important updates to share regarding our ongoing negotiations with the College Employer Council (CEC). 

As you may know, Bill 124, which capped our wages at 1%, was struck down as unconstitutional in November 2022. This development means that our re-opener clause is now in effect.

The CEC and our College of Applied Arts and Technology Support Full-Time (CAAT-S FT) Bargaining Team are scheduled to return to the bargaining table on July 11, 2023, along with our mediator, William Kaplan. Our team has been diligently preparing to negotiate a fairer agreement for all our members.

We are all deeply concerned about the rising cost of living and how it is becoming increasingly difficult to afford basic necessities. We understand that a 1% wage increase is not sufficient given the escalating costs of food and other basics like rent. 

We also acknowledge that there is a need for better provisions for mental health support and the ability to step in and provide care for our families.

We have been loud and clear on the importance of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and the necessity to actively engage in Reconciliation with our Indigenous communities, and we are committed to addressing these issues in our negotiations.

So, how can we help our team negotiate a better wage re-opener deal?

Here are a few ways:

  • Wear Blue on Tuesday July 11 to show support on campus, working from home, or on vacation.
  • Send pictures of you and your co-workers to this email: caatsftbargaining@opseu.org
  • Share pictures with your local president, and on social media with the hashtags #BlueForCAATS #OPSEUSEFPO
  • Send a letter to your College President letting them know that you expect the Colleges to come to the table ready to negotiate a fair deal

Learn more

Blue t-shirt with text overlay: CAAT-S FT Wear blue July 11. #BlueForCaats
2023 July 10|Bargaining, Full-Time Members|

Be part of an inclusive Hamilton

Hamilton for All is a public education campaign that aims at stimulating dialogue and opening minds by encouraging Hamiltonians to stand up against prejudice, exclusion and discrimination based on ethnicity, race, religion, country of origin, disability, sexual orientation and other differences.

Hamilton for All celebrates diversity and encourages residents to be part of Hamilton’s vision to be a Hamilton For All.

Hamilton for All envisions an inclusive Hamilton by starting conversations among residents and paving the way to unlearning assumptions about people who are different and at the same time promoting community-wide changes.

Learn more: https://hamiltonforall.ca/

Apply now for OPSEU/SEFPO scholarships

OPSEU/SEFPO is now inviting applications for annual scholarships.

  • The Fred Upshaw scholarship will be awarded to a dependent of a racialized OPSEU/SEFPO member in good standing who is pursuing studies in labour relations and/or social justice and human rights and is studying at a publicly-funded, publicly-run post-secondary institution in Ontario.
  • The Karen Millar Memorial Scholarship is open to dependents of OPSEU/SEFPO members in good standing who are enrolled in a Social Services program at a Canadian college or university in the 2023-2024 school year.
  • The Amy Stiles Scholarship is open to the dependents of any contract faculty who is an OPSEU/SEFPO member in good standing, and who is confirmed as having worked on a contract at one of Ontario’s public colleges within the six months prior to the application deadline
  • The Larry Cripps Scholarship is open to dependents of OPSEU/SEFPO members in good standing who are confirmed as enrolled in either a Police Foundations Course or a Law and Security/Corrections course at a publicly-funded, recognized Canadian university or college in the 2022-2023 school year.
  • OPSEU/SEFPO offers ten Global Solidarity scholarships annually to support our goals of social justice and global solidarity. These scholarships are open to dependents of OPSEU/SEFPO members in good standing who are studying at a publicly funded, recognized Canadian university or college in the 2023-2024 school year.

Please be sure to apply before the July 30, 2023 deadline. Learn more

Graphic of a hand holding a pencil. OPSEU logo. text Education and Organizing. url opseu.org/education
2023 June 29|Education|

June 3 Rally and March

Members of Mohawk’s Local 241 and 240 joined the rally and march in Hamilton on the province-wide day of action June 3. From wages that aren’t keeping up, to sky-high housing costs, to longer and longer hospital wait times, communities across the province came together on Saturday to say “Enough is Enough.”

pictures of people in a collage taken at the rally
2023 June 8|Political Action|

May Town Hall follow up

Thank you so much to those that attended the Local 241 Town Hall on May 17. 

There were many great questions that were raised and if you were unable to attend, please check out the Q&A summary.

We also shared a new support resource for FT Position Description Forms (PDFs). The PDF is a standardized document detailing the job’s aspects and duties.
 
We want to hear your feedback! Let us know what you would like to see for your local by filling out a quick survey.

2023 May 28|All Members|

About Local 241

OPSEU/SEFPO Local 241 proudly represents all Support Staff at Mohawk College.

Local Stewards and elected Officers are volunteers. We help our members navigate the unionized workplace and understand, exercise, and enforce our rights under the collective agreement.

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