Ontario education workers protest stalled contract talks at PC party meeting

Education workers frustrated over stalled contract talks rallied on Saturday, Oct. 22 as members of Premier Doug Ford’s party gathered at the Toronto Congress Centre as part of the Ontario PC party’s general meeting this weekend.

HAPPENING NOW: hundreds of education workers are rallying outside the PC Party general meeting in Etobicoke – as strike action looms in less than two weeks. @CityNewsTO pic.twitter.com/Sq15uFUQ43

— Leah Johansen (@leahjohansen) October 22, 2022

Talks between the province and CUPE’s Ontario School Boards Council of Unions (OSBCU), which represents approximately 55,000 custodians, early childhood educators and administration staff, remain stalled despite several days of mediated talks this past week. The two sides are set to return to the bargaining table on Nov. 1 – just two days before the union will be in a legal strike position.

CUPE is seeking annual wage increases of $3.25 per hour — or 11.7 per cent – over the course of a three-year agreement, while the Ford government is offering between 1.2 and 2 per cent for workers making less than $40,000 and 1.25 per cent for all other workers.

“We still have proposals on the table for student success and good jobs,” said OSBCU president Laura Walton. “Stephen Lecce and Doug Ford should accept our reasonable, affordable, and absolutely necessary proposals. They have the power and resources to do that today.”

Earlier this week, Walton said CUPE was still working to determine what kind of strike action they would take on Nov. 3, noting that work-to-rule campaigns have “not worked on this government” in the past.

“It was only when we went to a full withdrawal of services in 2019, when we were moving towards that, that we were actually able to get them to come and truly negotiate at the table,” said Walton. “I really hope it’s not going to take that amount of pressure.”

Education Minister Stephen Lecce would not say whether his government has prepared legislation to keep education workers on the job but Premier Doug Ford dropped a subtle hint that he might use back-to-work legislation should they walk out.

“Don’t force my hand,” Ford said earlier this month. “Continue negotiating … but do not go on strike.”

The province’s five major education unions are all looking for new deals with the government after they all expired on Aug. 31.