Algonquin faculty members renew bid to oust college president

OPSEU Local cites 'quality of education' and 'appalling lack of leadership' by Robert Gillett

Ottawa (14 May 2006) - Faculty members represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE) at Algonquin College are continuing a campaign to oust college president Robert Gillett.

Despite a vote by the college board of governors to support Gillett (at a meeting where faculty members were excluded), Doug Brandy, president of the OPSEU Local 415, says the fight is far from over.

Ironically, the college cited the contract ending a month-long strike by faculty members this spring (at Algonquin and at other community colleges across Ontario) as one of the reasons for not taking any action against Gillett. The agreement prohibits any reprisals resulting from the job action.

"President Gillett has always made students his top priority and has consistently acted in the best interest of the college," board president David Wallace wrote in a letter to the union.

Issues pre-date faculty strike

However, Brandy said the complaints by faculty members pre-date the strike and extend to issues far broader than those surrounding the work stoppage.

"I think the board is sadly mistaken in identifying our action as a reprisal," Brandy said.

"The board is using a technical argument to avoid facing the actual issue, which is that more than 200 faculty members have called for the president's resignation."

He accused Gillett of "an appalling lack of leadership" for failing to make the link between declining student interest in Algonquin and declining quality of education at the institution. The union has called for a study to find out why the situation is occurring and the drop out rate has increased.

"Management's own reports list factors such as increasing class sizes, decreasing numbers of full-time faculty, less contact between students and full-time faculty and reliance on part-time faculty," Brandy said.

In the fall semester, Algonquin had 435 full-time lecturers and 739 part-time instructors, an imbalance that is at the root of many problems at the institution, the union argues.

Brandy said Algonquin is attempting to save money through excessive use of part-timers, who earn lower salaries, have fewer benefits and can be hired and fired on two weeks' notice. NUPGE