TORONTO — Full-time support staff at community colleges across Ontario have negotiated a 9.5 per cent pay increase over three years.
The deal between the Ontario Public Service Employees Union and the College Employer Council followed a December 2022 Superior Court of Ontario decision that overturned the Ford government's Bill 124, which had limited public sector workers to pay hikes of one per cent annually.
Retroactively to Sept. 1, 2022, about 9,000 workers will receive increases of 3.0 per cent, 3.0 per cent, and 3.5 per cent per year respectively, inclusive of the one per cent they were previously granted.
The people covered by the deal include administrative assistants, clerical staff, admissions and registration workers, program coordinators and others.
OPSEU said over 25 per cent of them earn less than $60,000 a year on average, and that 82 per cent of them are women.
"We have members who struggle to afford food, rent, mortgages, bills and schooling for their children," said bargaining team chair Christine Kelsey. "Others are unable to retire because they struggle to save enough. This settlement is a step toward bridging the gap between what college support workers earn and the high cost of living, but we still have a long road ahead."
According to the College Employer Council, the new contract also provides for the extended health plan paramedical coverage coinsurance to be increased from 85 per cent to 90 per cent, up to a combined maximum of $4,750 per person per calendar year.
"Support staff are the backbone of the college sector. Their hard work allows Ontario colleges to continue providing the world-class education they are known for, " said council CEO Graham Lloyd.
