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Support staff local gives Food Locker a generous boost

The Georgian College Students’ Association thanked Local 349 for our ongoing support of the Food Locker, Georgian’s on-campus emergency food bank for students. 

We presented a cheque for $1,550 in December and $1,500 in February.

Two males standing in a room with shelves of food. One They're smiling and holding a cheque
Local 349 President Craig MacKenzie (right) presents cheque to GCSA President – Barrie Ishaan Sachdeva
A smiling male and female holding a cheque while standing in a room with shelves of food
Local 349 Treasurer Leanne Power (right) presents cheque to GCSA President – Barrie Ishaan Sachdeva

Support staff from Ontario’s colleges ratify three-year contract

Toronto – Full-time support staff at Ontario’s 24 public community colleges ratified a new three-year contract today, which includes gains in health benefits and job security.

While the Ford government’s Bill 124 unlawfully capped wage increases to one per cent for three years, preventing the union from negotiating wage increases commensurate with inflation, the bargaining team achieved improvements in other areas of their contract.

Read the full story.

BOG update from our support staff rep Jake Chevrier

Make sure to read Jake’s first update as our support staff representative on Georgian’s Board of Governors.

New Local 349 Executive elected

Local 349 held a General Membership Meeting and elections on Wednesday, Feb. 16. The following were elected as the new executive:

  • President: Craig MacKenzie
  • Vice President (full-time): Angela Foster
  • Vice President (part-time): Lisa Lavigne
  • Treasurer: Leanne Power
  • Secretary: Anita Giffen 

Congratulations to the new executive!

Here’s the full list of executive members, unit stewards and stewards.

OPSEU Part-time Support Staff Bargaining Team reach tentative agreement

The bargaining team for OPSEU/SEFPO employees in the CAAT-S PT Division is eager to begin the ratification process on the tentative agreement reached with the College Employer Council (CEC) on June 25. The date for a ratification vote will be announced soon. Read more . . .

Georgian’s Lisa Lavigne elected Chair of the Part-time Support Staff Bargaining Team

Head shot of a young smiling female with long brown hairCongratulations to Georgian’s Lisa Lavigne who was elected Chair of the Part-time Support Staff Bargaining Team.

Part-time college support workers from across the province met virtually Nov. 6 to 7 to set the stage for negotiating their collective agreement by looking at issues, sharing stories and electing a new bargaining team.

Lisa is an Academic Program Assistant for several programs at the Owen Sound Campus including Community Integration through Co-operative Education (CICE), Office Administration, Law Clerk, Police Foundations, and Skilled Trades. She’s also a proud graduate of Georgian!

Here’s the full news release from OPSEU.

OPSEU urges Ford government to abandon destructive college funding plan

OPSEU/SEFPO President Warren (Smokey) Thomas says the government’s plan to change the way colleges are funded will lead to lower-quality education, job cuts, and the outright disappearance of essential programs throughout the province. 

“Just like Walmart decimated the main streets of so many Ontario communities and the livelihoods of so many workers, this plan will destroy Ontario’s beloved college system,” says Smokey. “The Minister is forcing the colleges to focus on fighting each other instead of providing the best education to as many students as possible.  READ MORE . . .

Historic tentative agreement reached

After a long and difficult round of negotiations, your bargaining team has achieved a tentative agreement for College Support Part-time workers. This historic moment is a game-changer for all of us, and everyone who follows in our footsteps at Ontario Colleges. Read more . . .

THE RIGHT THING FOR STUDENTS WORKING PART-TIME IN COLLEGE SUPPORT

Duncan McFarlane is a student working part-time in college support. He understands what it means to be a student worker and shares some of the details of the survey that student workers in the Colleges recently told us that they wanted in their first collective agreement.

GEORGIAN STUDENT WINS $1,200 CAAT SUPPORT STAFF DIVISION SCHOLARSHIP

A man presenting a cheque to a studentCongratulations to Luke Bonsi, a first-year Electrical Engineering Technology student at Georgian’s Barrie Campus, who won a $1,200 scholarship this year from the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology (CAAT) Scholarship Fund.

The CAAT support staff division offers annual scholarships to full-time students at any of the 24 colleges. This year, five $1,200 scholarships were given out.

Students have to submit an essay based on topics ranging from the importance of unions to bullying and harassment.

Local 349 President Craig MacKenzie presented Luke with his cheque on June 21.

This is the second time a Georgian student has won one of the scholarships. Last year, Alessandro Simonetti, a student from the Owen Sound Campus, won a scholarship. Local 349 steward, Kailey Hawkins, presented Alessandro with his cheque.

woman presents a male student with a cheque

Congratulations Luke and Alessandro!

UNIONS ARE GREAT!

You may have already seen this fun video that aired during the opening ceremonies of the recent Winter Olympics. If not, enjoy!

And if you love the video, you can also buy the t-shirt!