Dear PSAC555 Members

•  Ontario Tech U is profiting during this pandemic while their employees starve.
•  OTU has received 4.8 million $ from govt and has 5 million $ as surplus revenue. TOTAL = 9.8 mil $
•   The amount of financial assistance received by the employees to WFH = 0 $ (ZERO DOLLARS)
•  Violation of Article 10.7 states the university is responsible to support all its employees with tools and facilities.
•  PSAC 555 had requested support from the university a lot of times but has been REJECTED each time.
•   PSAC 555 without anyone’s support has given out 90,000 $ as community funds to our members since March 2020.
•   WHEN A LOCAL UNION CAN SUPPORT ITS MEMBERS, WHY CAN’T THE UNIVERSITY?

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Information in detail.

Since March 13th, 2020 we have heard over and over how appreciative Ontario Tech U is of their workers during these difficult times. They are appreciative of our efforts in transferring from in-person learning to online learning. While we appreciate their appreciation, these efforts have cost us. Time and money from our pockets to afford our home offices, internet, and other supports to make sure we could still deliver quality education to Ontario Tech U (OTU) students.

Delivering quality education to our students is our business, a business that was very profitable for the University in 2020.  Without all the overhead, and expenses of having in-person classes, Ontario Tech U reported to their stakeholders almost 5 million dollars in surplus revenues. 

Then in 2021, the Ontario Government gave the University an additional 4.8 million dollar in Covid 19 relief funding, to help with the transition to online learning.

Yet, we as the employee appreciate so much and have received zero dollars in transitioning funding.

We have informed OTU that other Universities are recognizing that workers need financial support for their part in the transferring programs to online learning. As per our CA, we have reminded the University that as per article 10.7 they have a responsibility to ensure we have all the tools and supplies to do our jobs. As per the CA, we have reminded them the decision to not support us, may be their right, but it is not fair and violates 4.2 of our CAs.

Yet the University still refuses to supply any Covid 19 relief funding to their workers.  The University refuses to compensate its employees, for the work they have done transitioning to online classes and maintaining the delivery of quality education to the Ontario Tech U students.

On the other hand, PSAC555 since March 2020 has been helping our members with groceries, phone bills, internet bills, and their rent, so that they could continue to deliver quality education to the students at Ontario Tech U. PSAC555 budgeted and spent $90,000.00 in community funds to help the PSAC555 employees of Ontario Tech U. 

The Union has had to cut back on the administration of the Union and delivery of our services to make sure the employees could continue to deliver quality education and Ontario Tech U can continue to make a profit. The employees & the Union have been covering the cost of transitioning work to online learning, while the University is making a profit.

It’s time for the employer Ontario Tech U to step up and acknowledge that since they are profiting from the delivery of quality education they should pay their employees for delivering it!

Please visit our PSAC555 website to read anonymous employee testimonials and pictures of how this Pandemic has affected employees of Ontario Tech U.  And please submit a brief paragraph or a photo of how this pandemic has affected you as an employee of Ontario Tech U.

Also, please sign our change.org petition, demanding that Ontario Tech U pay for (not just profit from) the delivery of quality education to the students of Ontario Tech U.

In solidarity,

PSAC555