Lecce calls tentative deal with education workers a 'win-win-win'

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Education Minister Stephen Lecce called a tentative deal struck with education workers a “win-win-win” Monday, but CUPE Ontario told its members the agreement provides far less than they deserve.

Lecce said the most important aspect of the deal is that it prevented a strike Monday that would have kept kids out of class, but he also described it as good for the workers.

“We’re going to respect the ratification process, but I will note that for the lowest paid worker — and will use their average of $39,000 (a year) — this deal would represent a 4.2% increase annually every single year,” he said. “I think it is a win-win-win.”

CUPE-OSBCU president Laura Walton was criticizing the tentative deal shortly after it was signed because it did not address the union’s demand for more educational assistants and early childhood educators in classrooms.

“The tentative agreement includes a flat-rate wage increase instead of a percentage,” Laura Walton said in her statement to members. “This tentative agreement is nowhere near everything education workers and kids deserve; however, it’s all this government is willing to give.”

CUPE Ontario’s 55,000 members — including office staff, educational assistants and maintenance workers — will hold a vote on ratifying the deal.

The tentative agreement reached averted a full strike by members Monday, which would have closed most schools to in-person learning.

Lecce said he would not speculate on what would happen if the workers reject the deal.

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The Ontario government and school boards are still in negotiations with teacher unions, whose contracts also ended at the beginning of the school year.

“I would submit that they’re in a good place,” Lecce said. “We continue to work in good faith with the aim of providing a deal that keeps kids in the classroom, that respects our educators.”

As for his government’s aborted attempt to use the notwithstanding clause to override Canadian Charter rights to collective bargaining, Lecce said what matters is the outcome.

aartuso@postmedia.com