Notice of Consultation

On August 30 the Ontario government announced its intention to extend collective bargaining rights to part-time college workers.

In preparation for this task, I have been appointed to conduct a review of the Colleges Collective Bargaining Act (CCBA). The Terms of Reference for this review are available at www.ontario.ca/ccba

The review will examine the extent to which the CCBA provides access to collective bargaining and enables Ontario’s colleges to meet their mandate.  A final report will be provided to the government with recommendations for legislative reform.

A number of studies and reviews have dealt with similar issues – most importantly the Gandz report of 1988.The Gandz Report is available at http://thecouncil.on.ca/files/pdfs/GandzReport.pdf

I wish to invite written submissions which address the following questions:

1. What is the appropriate collective bargaining model (central, local, two-tier)?

2. What are the appropriate bargaining unit descriptions?

3. Who should represent the Colleges in bargaining?

4. Should any categories of employees be excluded from collective bargaining?

5. What is the appropriate bargaining agent certification process?

6. Should any items or issues be excluded from collective bargaining?

7. What should the role of the College Relations Commission be?

8. Are there possible amendments to CCBA that would enhance the collective bargaining process and permit the Colleges to achieve their goals and mandate?

Responses and proposals should be explained with supporting justification, research and reference to current data, costing estimates and financial impacts.

I invite you to send your submissions via e-mail to Mike Uhlmann, Senior Project Consultant at michael.uhlmann99@ontario.ca, or by mail to 505 University Ave., 11th Floor, Toronto ON, M5G 2P1, no later than Friday, November 16, 2007. Please feel free to e-mail Mike or call (416) 326-7510 with any questions related to this document.

I will also be holding a series of 4 regional public hearings in Ottawa (November 20), London (November 27), Toronto (November 28) and Sudbury (November 30). If you are interested in being considered for participation in one of these, identify your interest in your submission.

I thank you in advance for participating in this important consultation phase of the project. 

Kevin Whitaker                                                                                       

Advisor