Union representing Ontario school support staff to hold strike vote
Posted August 22, 2022 11:14 am.
Last Updated August 22, 2022 12:20 pm.
CUPE, the union representing 55,000 Ontario school support staff, says its delegates voted to set a strike vote date over the weekend, meaning a strike could be possible as early as the second week of school in most boards.
The strike vote will take place from September 23 to October 2.
“Delegates unanimously endorsed the OSBCU bargaining team’s recommendation to call for a strike vote as a demonstration of workers’ resolve to achieve their reasonable, necessary, and affordable proposals for improving working and learning conditions in Ontario’s schools in the face of high inflation and a callously disrespectful offer from the Ford government,” read a statement from CUPE.
Last week, the Ford government offered education workers who make less than $40,000 raises of two per cent a year, and 1.25 per cent for everyone else in a proposed four-year deal.
“Given the inflation as it is, this is actually a pay cut to these education workers,” said Ontario CUPE president Fred Hahn.
RELATED: Ontario secondary teachers union rules out strike action to start school year
The union said its trying to send a message to the government by setting this strike vote date.
“A strike vote, while not a guarantee that education workers will withdraw their labour, should be signal to the provincial government and school boards that the status quo and concessions are not what students, Ontario families, or workers deserve.”
In a statement to CityNews, a spokesperson for Education Minister Stepehe Lecce said
“While CUPE seeks a mandate from their members to strike, our government just received one from the people of Ontario: to keep kids in class,” said Lecce. “As well as defend the interests of hard-working taxpayers who are on the hook for their $21 billion demand. We have put forward a deal that is fair and reasonable, providing an over 8 per cent increase over 4 years, while protecting their generous pension, benefits, and sick leave entitlements.”
The education minister has refused to provide a direct answer in recent weeks if the government would legislate back on the job school workers should they strike, but he said last week, “I have not met a parent in this province who has not been clear in their expectations for a clean, disruption-free start to the school year.”
The school year is set to begin on September 7.
