A union that represents 55,000 Ontario education workers has reached a tentative agreement with the provincial government, as such, a strike that had been scheduled for today has been called off.
While talking about the agreement, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), said it was no different than what Ontario offered last week before CUPE issued a five-day strike notice. That walkout, which would have happened two weeks after another one, was plotted because the union was trying to secure staffing level guarantees.
The president of CUPE’s Ontario School Board Council of Unions, Laura Walton, said there was ultimately no movement on that front while talks were on during the weekend.
She said: “What we have been told by this government is that they are not willing to budge any further. We are bringing it to our members to have the vote.”
The education workers like early childhood educators, custodians and administrative staff will vote on ratification starting from Thursday.
The four-year agreement comes with a $1-per-hour increase every year, or about 3.59 percent every year.
Not too long ago, Walton announced that the two sides had reached an agreement on wages, but revealed CUPE was also trying to get $100 million in guarantees of higher staffing levels for educational assistants, librarians, custodians, secretaries and early childhood educators in every kindergarten classroom.
Watson said without those guarantees, the deal “falls short.”
She said: “I think it’s terrible that we live in a world that doesn’t see the need to provide services to kids that they need.
“We heard very loudly from the members – they want to have their voice heard. We are sending this, in the most democratic fashion, for the workers to use their voice.”
In his reaction, Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the biggest beneficiaries of the tentative agreement are Ontario students, who will not miss class due to a strike.
“All parties…leave this tentative agreement with positive outcomes for what we were trying to advance. I think all parties have been able to receive some incremental wins.”
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