Durham Region Police Officer Richard Fantinato poses with a number of local children in Jacmel, Haiti days before the earthquake hit.

By Lindsey Cole
The Oshawa Express

The final offer presented to faculty of Durham College last week resulted in almost a split vote, with the majority voting in favour of settling, but all the numbers aren’t in just yet.
And that means a strike can’t be ruled out until the final tally, says Ken Robb, the vice-president of human resources for Durham College.
Of the 24 colleges across the province, 51 per cent voted for the offer, with 53 per cent of Durham College’s faculty following suit.

“At this point it appears positive we will avoid a strike,” he explains.
But Robb says they will know in about week which way the majority of votes came in as mail-in votes could mean the difference between settlement and a strike.
“It’s dependent on a small number of mail-ins. We’re happy that the majority of faculty voted in favour,” he adds.
“It looks good. It already is a narrow majority. We’re hoping that we can avoid a strike.”
The offer presented to teachers stems from disputes, which erupted in January after college faculty took to the voting tables to decide whether or not they would strike if talks between management and their union, the Ontario Public Employees Union (OPSEU), broke down.
The majority of faculty did vote in favour of a strike but the union wanted to avoid it at all costs, says Ted Montgomery, chair of the OPSEU bargaining team. Such is the reason for the latest vote, as the Ontario Labour Relations Board ruled teachers across the province should have the right to vote on management’s final offer.
The offer presented to faculty by management was a 5.9 per cent salary increase over three years, says Robb, and also included some decreases in workload.
In a previous interview with The Oshawa Express, Montgomery said the final offer wasn’t enough and it wasn’t about the money, it was about faculty being able to teach how they wanted to.

According to Montgomery, the margin for the latest vote was so close there were only 210 votes between the two sides. Another 300 ballots, which are mail-in votes, could change everything.

Those results may not be known for up to 10 days or more, the OPSEU website states. The projected date for the final tally is Feb. 24, OPSEU says on its website.
“Right now we do not have a clear and final majority either way,” Montgomery says. “Until we know for sure whether our members have accepted or rejected the employer offer, we cannot move forward.”
Montgomery says if the offer is rejected, the union will determine a new strike date and call on the colleges to return to the bargaining table to negotiate an agreement. The previous strike deadline had been set for Feb. 17.
“If rejected, we will ask the employer to immediately resume negotiations,” Montgomery explains.
“And, failing a negotiated contract, we will again urge the colleges to submit all outstanding issues to binding arbitration.”
But Robb has said arbitration is not an option at this point. He remains optimistic the whole issue will be resolved once the remaining votes come in.
“This news is great for our students, that’s the number one thing,” Robb says.