A strike by Ontario's college instructors would impact laid-off workers studying toward a second career, according to the head of Ontario College Student Alliance, an advocacy and leadership organization for student bodies across the province.

Justin Fox, head of the Ontario College Student Alliance, says a strike by college instructors could have serious consequences for second-career students. (Ontario College Student Alliance)"This year's a critical year," Justin Fox, also the president of the Student Representative Council at St.Clair College, said Wednesday.

"The Second Career program that was implemented this year, St.Clair itself has over a thousand laid off workers going back into that Second Career program at the college currently," Fox said, referring to a program designed to prepare workers on layoff for re-entry into the workforce. "With the loss of this semester, if we do go into a strike, that could be detrimental to them. "

Fox puts the likelihood of a strike by the province's 9,000 college instructors at "about 50-50." Those odds were not far off, after the Ontario Public Service Employees Union received 57 per cent support for strike action from its members Wednesday.

It wasn't the great news we wanted to hear, but it wasn't the worst," Fox told CBC News.

The students and their union are not lobbying faculty or contemplating walk outs, said Fox.

"The only side we're taking right now is the students'," he said, adding that both the colleges and OPSEU should keep in mind who would be most impacted by a strike.

Colleges cannot function without students, Fox said, acknowledging the students have no bargaining power in the labour dispute.

"We're optimistic that both of them will go back to the table," he said.

‘We don’t want to strike’

Paul Ramey, treasurer of OPSEU Local 138 representing St. Clair College faculty in Windsor, Ont., said the strike vote 'accomplished what we wanted to do.' (St. Clair College)A strike would impact more than 9,000 St.Clair College students and 3,200 Lambton College students.

"The union has promised not to go on strike before mid-February, and must give five days notice before walking off the job.

"We don't want a strike," said Paul Ramey, an electronics engineering technology instructor and the treasurer of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union Local 138, which represents St. Clair faculty.

"What we wanted to do is at least get back to a dialogue that will hopefully come to an agreement so we can both get on with educating our students," Ramey said.

The 9,000 instructors, members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, voted 57 per cent in favour of strike action Wednesday.

Ramey said he was disappointed by the instructors' lukewarm support for a strike.

"But it accomplished what we wanted to do," he said, adding that the goal was to get back to the bargaining table after talks between the union and the colleges broke off on Dec.15.

About 200,000 people study at Ontario's 24 community colleges.

Workload key issue for instructors

The union's key issues are workload, academic freedom and a management's decision to impose its offer on the teachers without a vote, said Ramey.

The colleges have said their offer increases salaries by eight per cent over four years and raises the maximum salary to $103,975. The union is looking for a 2.5 per cent pay increase each year for three years.

The instructors have been without a contract since August, but argue money is not what they're fighting for.

"It's workload," said Ramey.

"It's an ongoing battle we've had for 27 years I've been involved with the college, and I hope something gets resolved with it, finally."

Workload was also the top issue when college teachers went on strike for three weeks in 2006.