Colleges fire back and say union proposals too costly

Management representing Ontario’s Colleges say contract demands by the union are unacceptable.  The chair of the colleges bargaining team says the union demands will increase costs by $400-million annually and eliminate 4,280 contract positions.  The union claims the colleges exploit the contract workers by underpaying them.  However management says part-time contract workers and seasonal instructors make about $60 an hour and if you’re a contract member with a partial load, the hourly rate is about $104.  Management is also taking exception to comments made by Smokey Thomas, the OPSEU union president who represents the workers.  Thomas says money is not the issue but the colleges say the union proposal increases wages by more than 10 percent over three years.  The colleges say they want to negotiate an agreement that is both fair to the faculty but also affordable.