The union representing faculty at Ontario's 24 community colleges has asked the Ministry of Labour to appoint a conciliator in its contract negotiations with the College Employer Council.
J-P Hornick of OP-SEU says the union was left with no choice after management's bargaining team would not discuss proposals that addressed the members' top concerns.
Either side can start the clock ticking towards a legal strike or lockout deadline if conciliation fails.
OP-SEU says it wants to improve academic quality while addressing fairness for faculty, including those it says are caught in precarious part-time and contract positions.
The collective agreement for the 12-thousand workers expires on September 30th.