UPDATED Aug. 17 at 1:35 p.m.
The dean of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) said the school is doing all it can to ensure classes will continue, despite a strike by the institution's clerical, technical and administrative staff.
One hundred fifty two members of OPSEU Local 677 went on strike Aug. 16.
The union members work at NOSM's campuses at both Laurentian University in Sudbury and Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, and picket lines have been set up at both universities.
“We have an obligation to the residents, students and all the learners...to ensure that they continue their studies and progress to meet the requirements, in terms of their education,” Dr. Roger Strasser said.
He said some of the strikers are normally in charge of “organizing” NOSM's education programs.
“Management and other staff who are not in the bargaining unit are going to do the organizing to ensure that the programs continue,” he said.
When contacted by Northern Life, Zac Veitch, president of NOSM's student society, said the students have no comment on the strike.
NOSM's clerical, technical and administrative staff unionized about a year and a half ago. NOSM and OPSEU have been attempting to negotiate the workers' first collective agreement since October 2009.
The workers voted 97 per cent in favour of giving OPSEU a strike mandate at membership meetings July 29 and Aug. 3.
Mediated talks between the two parties began Aug. 11 in Thunder Bay, but ended early Aug. 16 without a settlement. Strasser said it was the union's side which withdrew from negotiations Aug. 16.
But despite the bargaining breakdown, he thinks the two parties are close to a settlement.
“We believe that although there is a list of items yet to be finalized, we are relatively close to resolution, and we ought to be able to conclude this collective agreement sooner rather than later.”
Strasser said NOSM and OPSEU's chief negotiators are in regular contact, and NOSM is ready to start bargaining again at any time.
Part of the problem is the two parties are trying to negotiate the workers' first collective agreement, Strasser said.
“The thing about a first collective agreement is that every word counts,” he said. “There has to be careful consideration of the words, and developing a common understanding of those words.”
NOSM currently has a collective agreement in effect covering its faculty, librarians and professional staff, which was negotiated in 2006 and renewed in 2008.
Tyler England, chair of OPSEU Local 677's bargaining team, said he hopes the strike doesn't have a negative effect on students.
“We're all here for the students,” he said. “That's important. That's one of the reasons we work here, is for the students. We're hoping that management will bring us back to the table before classes start again.”
England said the two parties met with a mediator for about 90 hours during recent bargaining sessions.
“They were totally, absolutely marathon sessions,” he said. “We were there to negotiate an agreement. Management wasn't.”
Outstanding issues include overtime, workloads, job classification and sick leaves. England said the union isn't looking for anything new in this contract, but wants to negotiate “collective agreement language, rather than employer policies that can be changed at will.”
Despite an Aug. 16 press release from the union, which said people should expect delays when entering Laurentian's campus, England said the union's intent isn't to impede traffic.
Picketers only stop cars long enough to hand out information, he said.
“Public awareness is important,” England said. “People who are going to the campus...we want them to understand what we're out here for and the reason we withdrew our services.”
Three Laurentian University-bound bus routes have changed to avoid the NOSM workers' pickets.
The University via Paris route 500, Regent/University route 501, and Regent/University/Four Corners route 502 have made changes.
Route 500 will remain on South Bay Road to the turnaround, then return in the same direction. Routes 501 and 502 will stay on Ramsey Lake Road to the Algoma Hospital and return the same way, servicing the South Bay Road turnaround.
For more information about these changes or for City Transit questions, phone 675-3333.
