Union federation calls on St. Lawrence to drop Birch appeal amid cuts
Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
editor@qctonline.com
The union federation which represents thousands of CEGEP teachers in the province is calling on CEGEP Champlain-St. Lawrence to drop its contestation of a labour tribunal ruling, amid wider provincial cuts to CEGEP funding.
The Fédération nationale des enseignantes et des enseignants du Québec (FNEEQ-CSN) is “dismayed by the misuse of public funds by Champlain Regional College St. Lawrence Campus,” FNEEQ-CSN vice president for CEGEPs Yves De Repentigny said in a statement. “Although arbitrator Julie Blouin delivered a strong and unequivocal decision against the college on May 1, 2024, finding that teacher Lisa Birch had been subjected to psychological harassment, the administration continues to pursue costly proceedings instead of taking the necessary corrective action.”
Blouin, a Tribunal d’arbitration du travail (TAT) arbitrator, ruled last year that the college had failed to ensure a safe workplace for Birch, a long- time teacher and former union representative. The ruling stated that in January 2022, Birch was told she was being investigated for psychological harassment. In response, supported by the faculty union, she filed three grievances alleging psychological harassment and failure to ensure a safe workplace. She alleged that the college never made clear what she was accused of, and subjected her to a drawn-out investigation including no-contact protocols that isolated her from colleagues. She was also led to believe multiple people had filed complaints against her when only one person – director of studies Edward Berryman – had. “The investigation should never have happened,” Blouin ruled.
The college mandated lawyers to appeal the decision in June 2024. The college is also separately contesting a decision by the province’s workplace health and safety board (CNESST) on Birch’s disability claim be- fore the TAT, according to the FNEEQ-CSN, of which the St. Lawrence faculty union is a member.
The Champlain Regional Col- lege (CRC) board, which oversees operations at St. Lawrence and the two other CEGEPs in the CRC system, in Saint-Lambert and Lennoxville, decided at the time to “acknowledge [its] shortcomings,” commission a workplace climate survey for St. Lawrence and explore alterna- tive conflict resolution methods. The survey, obtained by the QCT, raised concerns about teachers’ schedules and workloads and teacher-management relations; it is unclear what has been done in regards to conflict resolution methods.
“It has been a year since [the initial ruling], and we see that not only has [St. Lawrence] not put corrective measures in place, but it’s contesting the TAT decision and the disability [claim] granted by the CNESST,” De Repentigny said. “We don’t understand this insistence. It makes no sense that in a period where we’re imposing budget cuts and hiring freezes, they are wasting taxpayer money to pile onto a teacher who has been a victim of harassment.”
Last month, the Fédération des Cégeps said CEGEPs would have to cut more than $151 million in spending as a result of government cutbacks, an “unprecedented” amount. De Repentigny said St. Lawrence would have to absorb an estimated $325,000 in cuts, although the QCT could not independently confirm that number.
“For 12 months, instead of admitting its faults … [St. Lawrence] has poured its efforts into contesting the arbitration decision, hiring investigators and lawyers, throwing tens of thousands of dollars after the hundreds of thousands it has already spent on this saga. This is money that won’t be spent on serving its students,” De Repentigny said.
CRC corporate affairs administrative agent Nathalie Couderc said the college would not comment on eventual budget cuts. The CRC administration had not responded to a separate request for comment on the Birch appeal by press time.