Education workers set clock for strike
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CUPE Ontario workers moved closer to a strike Friday after complaining the Doug Ford government hadn’t budged in two months of negotiating.
The union announced late Friday afternoon that it would request a no-board report, which once issued starts a 17-day countdown to legal job action.
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“We came back to the table yesterday expecting that they would have a real response, we came back to the table this morning expecting that they would have a response focused on getting a deal done,” Laura Walton, president of CUPE’s Ontario School Boards Council of Unions (OSBCU), said. “They came with nothing. They did not make a single move.”
The union had been asking the government to improve on its original offer, which included a 2% annual raise for workers making less than $40,000 a year and a 1.25% annual raise for the rest, she said.
“If they continue to disrespect, I don’t see how workers are going to be willing to be doing anything but strike,” she said.
CUPE Ontario has asked for an 11.7% annual pay increase and has a 96.5% strike vote from its members to back it up.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce said in a statement released shortly after CUPE Ontario’s announcement Friday that nothing matters more to the government than kids staying in class.
“After being back in school for a month, catching up on their learning, I can’t imagine parents and kids are sitting down this weekend giving thanks to education unions’ relentless pursuit of classroom disruption,” Lecce said. “For our part, we will remain at the negotiating table ready to a reach a fair deal that recognizes education workers already have the most generous pension and benefits plan, including 131 paid sick days.”
“For their part, CUPE is today preparing to strike and disrupt student learning if they do not get the nearly 50% compensation increase they’re demanding,” he added.
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Walton said its members — CUPE Ontario represents 55,000 education workers including maintenance and office staff — are being offered “peanuts” given inflation and their current salaries.
The strong strike mandate should have sent a message to the Ford government that education cuts are unacceptable, more frontline school staff is urgently needed and the time has come for a significant pay raise, Walton said.
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