Worry over the possibility of a strike at 24 community college campuses in Ontario has some mature students comparing the uncertain situation to job layoffs that many have endured.

Talks between Colleges Ontario and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, which represents 9,000 teachers, counsellors and librarians, broke down last Tuesday and the union has set a strike vote for Jan. 13.

"A lot of us, after getting laid off and going through all that uncertainty, looked to the education system as a place of safety," said Don DeSchutter, 44, who is in his final year of a human resources program at Fanshawe College in London, Ont.

"People who are getting ready to get into second careers may not be able to do that now, their life is in the balance," he added, painting the desperate situation some mature students are in.

Last year's strike at York University by teaching assistants, contract faculty and graduate assistants affected about 50,000 students and lasted 12 weeks. The faculty were legislated back to work by the province.

In 2006, OPSEU led a strike that shut down colleges for 21 days.

A strike this time around would be especially challenging to students relying on a college program to jump-start a new career after a tough recession.

Since 2008, Ontario's Second Career program, which offers skills, training and financial support to laid off-workers, approved over 21,000 people for the program.

'It's a lot of stress when you have 4 kids'

One of the people to take advantage of that opportunity was DeSchutter, who was laid off from a furniture warehouse job shortly after his wife had a baby. The father of four thought school would open more doors.

But financially, it's been challenging. He's raising a family of six on $27,000 a year while he completes his schooling, and talk of a strike has made him nervous.

"It's a lot of stress when you have four kids, and you're a father and you're wondering how you're going to provide for them and, if a strike goes on you don't know how that's going to affect your career, your financial aid," he said.

According to Tyler Charlebois of the College Student Alliance, the average age of the student population in most community colleges is above 24. Charlebois said he's been hearing from students that a strike would place an emotional toll on those who've returned to school after a job loss.

"They lost their job, they're trying to support their family, they have to apply for government assistance, build up the courage to go back to school, start classes and all of a sudden you're no longer in class because of a strike," said Charlebois as he described a potentially dismal situation.

If the union gets a strike mandate, job action could affect more than 200,000 students provincewide.

"York university was one university. This is across the province in communities already hardest hit. You're talking Cornwall and smaller northern communities," Charlebois said.

Josh Rotobilsky, 25, worked in the auto industry for several years as he struggled to deal with layoff after layoff.

A chance to go back to school was the opportunity Rotobilsky needed to transform his life, but a talk of a strike has scared the eager student.

"It's very frustrating after being laid off all the time, and then coming to school thinking I'm going to make a career for myself, I'm going to learn here," said Rotobilsky. He is in his first year of a woodworking program at Conestoga College in Kitchener, Ont., which has had one of the highest enrolments in the Second Career program.

"It's basically a layoff again," he said, pondering a worst-case-scenario of the bleak months ahead without classes and, maybe, without money.

Tussle over pay

The union says it is fighting for academic freedom and control of workload. After months of talking failed, Colleges Ontario presented a proposed contract that the union disagrees with.

The contract offers an eight per cent raise over four years, but the union wants 7.5 per cent over three years.

Greg Hamara, a spokesman for OPSEU, blames the colleges for breaking off talks and said the likelihood that negotiations will resume before Jan. 13 is "not great."

"We're moving ahead and mobilizing for our strike vote," said Hamara.

Hamara said the issue for the union is not one of "bread and butter, dollars and cents," rather it's to provide high-quality education.

Colleges Ontario has said it wants the union to come back to the table with "something reasonable."

"This is something for faculty to be thinking about," said Rob Savage, a spokesman for Colleges Ontario. "There is a good package in effect and there is no need for a strike."