The bargaining process is ongoing between the College Employer Council and the OPSEU union representing Full-Time Support Staff at all publicly-assisted colleges in Ontario in the hopes of reaching a new collective agreement.
While there is no strike at this time, labour action such as strikes are a possibility during any labour negotiation, and we are preparing for all possibilities.
Frequently Asked Questions
At the colleges, strikes are peaceful forms of labour action.
Picket lines are formed by striking employees and people could be delayed from entering the campus.
A strike may take different forms. In general, it is an action designed to slow down, disrupt, or stop college operations.
In the event of any type of strike, Lambton College will continue to operate.
Work to Rule: Bargaining union employees perform only the duties that have been assigned, adhering to policy and contract obligations.
Partial Walk-Out Strike: Bargaining union employees do not perform some of their assigned duties.
Rotating Strike: Bargaining union employees walk out for short periods of time at different institutions.
Full Walk-Out Strike: Bargaining union employees withdraw all services from all colleges across the sector.
A Full-Time Support Staff strike will not result in the widespread cancellation of classes, though there may be changes to your course delivery.
Check all official Lambton College communications channels for updates: your College email, Teams, D2L, lambtoncollege.ca, and Lambton College social media channels.
If you are coming to campus, allow extra time for travelling to the College as picket lines may be set up at both entrances and traffic flow could be limited.
If there is a full walk-out strike and you take transit to campus, be aware that transit buses will drop students off outside of the campus to respect picket lines.
Yes, the campus will remain open, and our goal is to ensure minimal disruption to the academic year.
When picket lines occur, picketers cannot prevent access to those looking to enter the campus. However, entry could be delayed for up to 10 minutes.
In the event of a full walk-out strike, which includes picket lines, we will communicate with students on how to safely access the campus.
No. A Full-Time Support Staff strike will not result in the widespread cancellation of classes.
However, there may be changes to course delivery. Please stay up to date on your classes by checking your College email and D2L and paying attention to announcements from your instructors.
Support staff provide a wide range of student services, and there will be impacts to service delivery.
In a strike mandate vote, a union’s membership decides if they will give their bargaining team the authority to strike.
A strike vote of College Employees is supervised by the Ontario Labour Relations Board.
While a vote in favour of a strike mandate authorizes union leadership to give strike notice, it does not mean the union will automatically be going on strike.
Though a vote in favour of a strike mandate does not necessarily guarantee that a full walk-out strike will take place, labour action such as strikes are a possibility during any labour negotiation.
At Lambton College, our main concern is your education and student experience, and we are preparing for all possibilities.
Requesting a No Board Report is a step in the negotiation process. A No Board Report recognizes that the parties are at an impasse and a conciliator could not help.
16 days after a No Board Report is issued, the previous collective agreement is no longer binding, which puts the Full-Time Support Staff OPSEU union in a position where they could give notice of labour action and engage in a strike.
Previous Updates
The OPSEU union bargaining team has requested and received a No Board Report from the Ministry of Labour. This is notable because it is legal for strike/labour action to commence on the 17th day after the issuance of the No Board Report, putting the union in a legal strike position beginning September 11, 2025.
Recently, members of the OPSEU union representing Full-Time Support Staff were given the opportunity to engage in a strike mandate vote, which took place August 13-15. This process resulted in an 80% voter turnout, and a 77.3% vote in favour of a strike mandate, granting the union's bargaining team the authority to authorize a strike.
The OPSEU union representing Full-Time Support Staff has announced its intent to hold a strike mandate vote. The vote will take place on August 13, 14, and 15. The OPSEU union has also filed for Conciliation, which is scheduled for August 20.