E24 - CAAT Tales: Fear, Fog, and the Fight to Hold the Line

Ontario’s college system hit a breaking point this past week. Conestoga College was placed under a single government‑appointed supervisor, the Fleming–St. Lawrence merger remains a fog of shifting language and zero answers, arbitration backlogs have doubled across the province, and (a bright spot) part‑time/sessionals have finally reached the bargaining table for the first time in history.In this episode, Julie White connects the dots across a sector under strain — and the workers trying to navigate it.00:00 — Opening: A System Under PressureJulie sets the stage: government intervention, mergers without transparency, layoffs, grievances, and a workload system buckling under the weight.00:27 — Conestoga TakeoverThe Ford government replaces Conestoga’s entire Board of Governors with a single supervisor. Union leaders call it a dangerous precedent in a system starved of funding and stripped of oversight.05:24 — Sector Voices: Fear, Fog, and FrustrationAcross Ontario, faculty describe the same themes: confusion, fear, and a lack of answers.05:51 — Interview: Mike Benedict (Fleming College)Mike breaks down the merger confusion, an 11‑minute no‑questions town hall, four years of layoffs, and the emotional lift of the April 30 Save Education Rally.11:48 — Interview: Gillian Axten on the Arbitration CrisisArbitrations have jumped from 300 to over 700. Layoffs, leftover strike grievances, and too few arbitrators have created a province‑wide bottleneck. Gillian explains why one bad decision can reshape jurisprudence for all 24 colleges — and why understanding your SWF and using WMG matters more than ever.25:45 — Interview: Greg Dickson on Historic Part‑Time/Sessional BargainingFor the first time, part‑time and sessional faculty are at the bargaining table. Greg walks us through a powerful opening day focused on precarity, disclosure, and unprecedented solidarity from all four CAAT divisions.