Dear OCADFA Members,

As of today (12 June 2026), the cleaning workers employed by Dexterra and represented by LiUNA Local 183 are on strike. Workers are expected to establish picket lines on the public sidewalks surrounding OCAD University.

As trade unionists, OCADFA supports workers’ right to collective bargaining and to withdraw their labour in pursuit of fair wages, fair treatment, and dignity at work. The cleaners at OCAD U are our co-workers. Many have worked on this campus for years. They clean our classrooms, studios, offices, washrooms, galleries, and common spaces every day. Without their labour, the university cannot function.

Although these workers are employed by Dexterra rather than OCAD U, they work in our community every day. Many have worked at this university for over a decade. OCAD U is not the direct employer, but it is the client that contracts this work and can play a role in seeing the dispute resolved quickly and fairly. We encourage the administration to use whatever influence it has to support a fair resolution.

If you encounter a picket line,  we encourage OCADFA members to approach it respectfully, speak with the workers, and take direction from them regarding how they would like their line honoured. Members should anticipate delays in accessing campus and plan accordingly.

There are many ways to express solidarity. We encourage members to support the workers in whatever way they feel is appropriate and to stand with the people whose labour sustains this university community.

OCAD University runs on the labour of many. We teach in classrooms others clean. We work in spaces others maintain. When one group of workers is in struggle, none of our work stands alone.

In solidarity,

Min Sook Lee
President, OCADFA