Ontario tables legislation to keep education workers from striking, CUPE to stage protest

The Ontario government has tabled legislation that will impose a contract on education workers and not allow them to legally walk off the job.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), who represent about 55,000 Ontario education workers, gave five days’ notice of a potential province wide strike on Sunday morning if a new deal isn’t reached with the government by Friday.

Despite the legislation, CUPE said education workers still stage a province wide protest and walk off the job this Friday, Nov. 4. 

Laura Walton, president of CUPE’s Ontario School Board Council of Unions, says whether workers continue to protest after Friday “will be left up to what happens.”

The government had been offering raises of two per cent a year for workers making less than $40,000 and 1.25 per cent for all others, and Lecce says the new deal would give 2.5 per cent annual raises to workers making less than $43,000 and 1.5 per cent raises for all others.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce is expected to hold a press conference at 2 p.m. He said kids faced disruption in schools with teacher job action three years ago, which was then followed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and Lecce says nothing should stand in the way of a kid’s right to learn.

The union says it will be looking at every avenue to fight the legislation. A release from the province says to protect against legal challenges, they will be using the notwithstanding clause to avoid constitutional challenges.

The clause allows the legislature to override portions of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms for a five-year term.

Fred Hahn, president of CUPE Ontario, tells CityNews the legislation is a “monstrous overreach” and said they are using a “nuclear option.”

CUPE has been seeking annual salary increases of 11.7 per cent as well as overtime at twice the regular pay rate, 30 minutes of paid prep time per day for educational assistants and ECEs, an increase in benefits and professional development for all workers.

Negotiations were expected to continue with a mediator on Nov. 1.

Some school boards have already released plans for students should education workers walk off the job on Friday with some saying they would be forced to cancel all classes should a strike happen.

In a statement, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board said it  “has no CUPE employees, so the CUPE strike does not impact them. In the OCDSB, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF) union represents their support staff.” 

The Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB) said CUPE represents over 1300 full-time/term OCSB employees and 700 casual positions, and will legally be able to strike as of Nov. 4. 

“All OCSB in-person students will move to remote learning on Friday, Nov. 4,” a statement said. “We will do this because operating in-person learning without CUPE staff is unsafe. We will do our best to provide continuity of learning for all our students should there be labour disruptions.

Chandra Pasma, member of provincial parliament (MPP) for Ottawa West-Nepean, told The Sam Laprade Show on Oct. 31 that the news “is incredibly disappointing.”

“CUPE has been coming to the table and asking for a fair deal,” she said. “They (CUPE) have been incredibly clear about how their backs are against the wall because of the low wages. They have workers using food banks and working two or three jobs to make ends meet.”

Listen to the full interview with MPP Chandra Pasma below:

With files from Meredith Bond, Michael Ranger and Anil Jhalli.