A union representing 55,000 Ontario education employees – reminiscent of custodians, librarians and early childhood educators – stated Friday it has requested what’s generally known as a “no board” report, which might put them in a authorized strike place in beneath three weeks.
Two days of talks between the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the federal government adopted the union’s membership returning a 96.5 per cent strike mandate in a current vote. CUPE had hoped that might transfer the needle on the desk, however the union stated Friday that it was at an deadlock.
“We’ve been at the table for two more days waiting for the government and school boards to come back with a reasonable offer, but they refused,” stated Laura Walton, president of CUPE’s Ontario School Boards Council of Unions.
“They did not make a single move on key issues. As a result, we have been pushed into a position where we need to request a no board report and up the pressure to reach a negotiated settlement.”
If the conciliator points a “no board” report, a call that normally takes a few days, it units a 17-day countdown to the union being in a authorized strike place.
Walton has not indicated if education employees would interact in a full strike, begin with a work-to-rule marketing campaign, or take another plan of action at that time.
CUPE is searching for annual will increase of 11.7 per cent and the federal government in response has supplied raises of two per cent a 12 months for employees making lower than $40,000 and 1.25 per cent for all different employees.
There are two extra days of talks scheduled this month – Oct. 17 and 18.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce stated the federal government is on the desk prepared to succeed in a good deal, and he has known as CUPE’s calls for unreasonable.
“After being back in school for a month, catching up on their learning, I can’t imagine parents and kids are sitting down this weekend giving thanks to education unions’ relentless pursuit of classroom disruptions,” he wrote in a press release.
Lecce additionally wrote that the federal government “will ensure children remain in class. Period.” That echoes a line-in-the-sand sentiment from Ontario Premier Doug Ford earlier this week. When requested about the usage of back-to-work laws within the occasion of a CUPE strike, Ford informed education employees: “Don’t force my hand.”
The 4 main lecturers’ unions are at varied levels of bargaining with the federal government, after their contracts expired Aug. 31.
This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Oct. 7, 2022.