OPSEU left out of College Merger Talks

The veil of secrecy surrounding the planned merger of Fleming College and St. Lawrence College has led the Ontario Public Service Employees Union of faculty and support staff at both colleges to file six grievances for failing to keep all parties informed, a local union president said recently.In April, a press release announced the merger to form a much larger post-secondary institution saying it would allow quote "greater capacity to serve our regions over the long term, while maintaining the local college experience," end quote.Increased financial and operational challenges arising from the capping of international students in 2024 led to massive program and staff cuts at a number of Ontario colleges, including Xavier Massie, Dean of Fleming College in Haliburton in February.Marcia Steeves, President of OPSEU Local 351, sat down with CanoeFM recently to discuss the frustration union members are feeling for being excluded from meetings regarding the merger by college leadership. She says the union is just as much in the dark as the communities the colleges operate in.