Ontario education workers vote in favour of strike mandate
Posted October 2, 2022 4:55 pm.
Last Updated October 3, 2022 7:07 pm.
Ontario education workers, including librarians, custodians, and administration staff, voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike mandate on Monday morning.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) says more than 80 per cent of its 55,000 worker members voted, with 96.5 per cent of them supporting the demands made by the bargaining team to the provincial government.
The union has asked for annual wage increases of $3.25 per hour — or 11.7 per cent – to help address the increase in inflation, as well as minimum staffing requirements, a designated Early Childhood Educator for every kindergarten class, and $100 million to create between 1,500 and 1,700 new jobs.
Laura Walton, the president of CUPE’s Ontario School Board Council of Unions, says the team can now go back to the table with a clear indication of the level of support members have for CUPE’s proposals.
The union still contends it does not want a strike. CUPE has bargaining dates scheduled with the government on Thursday, Friday, and Oct. 17 and 18.
RELATED: Education union calling for strong strike mandate after ‘disappointing’ talks with province
Education Minister Stephen Lecce criticized the union’s move as premature, saying CUPE began planning for the votes before the government’s first offer was tabled.
“They’ve all but confirmed they will strike. And I want families to know that we will stand up for you, for your children, and for the staff who want to be in the classroom,” Lecce said last month.
The Ford government has offered to give 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.
“This vote is about education workers throughout Ontario showing the government we stand behind our excellent proposals, and we will continue to stand behind them,” said Laura Walton, the president of CUPE’s OSBCU.
“It’s time for the Ford government to stop playing games, rescind their out-of-touch offer, and accept our reasonable, necessary and affordable proposals.”
Walton has previously said that a strike vote doesn’t necessarily mean workers will withdraw services but said that people should worry about the state of schools right now.
She said there are not enough educational assistants to provide adequate support and not enough custodians to clean schools regularly.
The province’s five major education unions are all in the midst of contract talks with the government after their deals all expired on Aug. 31.
With files from The Canadian Press
