Toronto - October 16, 2020 — The support staff bargaining unit at the University of Ottawa (PSUO-SSUO) of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) has informed the employer that it has set a strike deadline of 12:01 a.m., Monday, October 19, after bargaining yesterday did not result in a tentative agreement.

“The members of PSUO-SSUO have stood strong against the employer’s effort to strip health benefits and other provisions, with 80% of the membership rejecting a final offer vote forced by the university in June. The bargaining team has no intention of bringing a tentative agreement to the membership that does not respect the contribution they make to this institution,” said Marcelle Desmornes, President of the District 35 OSSTF/FEESO PSUO-SSUO Bargaining Unit.

“In the midst of a pandemic, and in an environment of artificial wage constraint caused by the Ford government’s Bill 124, it’s extremely disappointing that this employer would seek to further erode the conditions under which these valuable workers are employed. We have over 60,000 members of OSSTF/FEESO standing behind them as they wage a fight for fairness,” added Harvey Bischof, Provincial President of OSSTF/FEESO.

Over 1,300 employees, members of the PSUO-SSUO Bargaining Unit, are set to engage in a full withdrawal of services on Monday if a tentative deal is not reached.

OSSTF/FEESO, founded in 1919, has over 60,000 members across Ontario. They include public high school teachers, occasional teachers, educational assistants, continuing education teachers and instructors, early childhood educators, psychologists, secretaries, speech-language pathologists, social workers, plant support personnel, university support staff, and many others in education.