SIMCOE COUNTY -  College faculty will go to the polls Feb. 10 to vote on management’s final offer – despite OPSEU’s disapproval of the terms, according to Georgian College’s union rep. “Our bargaining team is going to push very hard for a rejection vote,” says president Dave Duncan of OPSEU Local 350, who represents 539 professors, librarians and counselors across the Georgian’s seven campuses. “There are a serious number of takeaways in it.” Approval of the contract offer would also hamper the ability of the union to protect members, said Duncan, adding he wouldn’t be surprised if that happened. “It has a pretty good chance of being accepted,” he admits, citing the economy and the complicated issues as factors that could sway the vote. “But it would be a bit of a slap in the face of the union.” The union’s strike vote in mid-January brought back a weak 57 per cent overall walkout mandate from the 74.76 per cent of eligible faculty who had their say. Georgian College’s academic staff rejected the option, with only 47.34 per cent backing the strategy. “Our members know that the improvements we are seeking will ultimately provide a better education for the 200,000 students in our college system,” says OPSEU president Warren Thomas, who adds the employer’s offer does not address workload and academic freedom issues. The colleges’ bargaining unit has maintained its resources are tapped out and contends there is no room for further concessions. “There’d be a strike,” if the vote is rejected, says Cheryl Simpson, vice president of Student and Organizational Success, who has been the Georgian College spokesperson throughout the contract negotiations. She said the final offer is both “fair and reasonable” and faculty should have to opportunity to decide on it.” The move to take the offer directly to faculty followed the union’s rejection of both the offer itself and the suggestion by management to present it to their membership regardless of its support for the document’s contents. Instead, the union asked for an agreement to pursue binding arbitration and set the strike deadline of Feb. 11. Refusing that option, the colleges have elected to exercise its one-time right to take the offer to their employees directly. Tuesday, the college council asked the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB), who oversees the process, to begin preparations for a final offer vote at all 24 colleges, requesting it be expedited to occur prior to the strike deadline. The process of setting up such a vote can take up to three weeks, however Wednesday’s announcement of the vote date suggests the college request was taken into consideration. In light of this development, the union has deferred the strike deadline pending the outcome of the vote. “We’re planning on a rejection of that offer which would mean back to the table or arbitration,” explains Duncan, who says the union will allow a window of opportunity for settlement prior to striking. “A new (strike deadline) date would be set right after the vote if it’s rejected, at most a week later.” If the offer were accepted, the offer would become the collective agreement. The Feb. 10 vote will be held at the Barrie, Orillia, Owen Sound and Midland campuses. “It’s a chess game right now,” says Duncan. “It could go either way.”