If you go to the College Employer Council website, this is what you'll read:
The colleges requested that the union allow its members to vote on the offer. The union declined to do that and started the clock ticking towards a strike date.
We're into week 3 of a strike now, and that ticking clock should be used as a symbol of how long the College Employer Council has been hiding in the dark behind closed doors. They're unwilling to come out and talk about an agreement that could put students back in class.
Meanwhile, they're saying it's the union keeping students out of class because OPSEU won't allow a vote on an offer tabled weeks ago. They are keenly aware they have the ability to bring about a vote. It's in the legislation - the power is theirs.
Here's an excerpt of the relevant legislation allowing the College Employer Council to act.
Can the employer request a vote of employees on the employer's last offer?
Any time before or after the commencement of a strike or lock-out, the employer may request that the Ontario Minister of Labour direct a vote of the employees in the affected bargaining unit to accept or reject the employer's last offer on all matters remaining in dispute. Upon receiving this request, the minister is obligated to direct such a vote (except in the construction industry where the minister's authority to direct a vote is discretionary). Neither the request to the minister nor the holding of the vote affect the time periods set out in the act. (See Section 42 of the Labour Relations Act, 1995).