School support workers in strike position Sept. 30, more bargaining scheduled

The union representing 55,000 support staff in Ontario schools says its members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action if their leaders deem it necessary.

In a provincewide vote, 93 per cent of members approved a strike mandate, said CUPE in a statement. The union did not report how many members voted, or break down results by local. Votes were held over the last few weeks.

“Families, students, and workers have all been hurt by the Ford government’s cuts to education,” said Laura Walton, president of CUPE’s Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU), in a statement.

“Our plan for job action is about standing up for students and protecting the services that CUPE education workers deliver across the province.”

CUPE will be in a legal strike position on Sept. 30. CUPE leadership has already voted in favour of strike action.

A positive strike vote is used as pressure in negotiations, and does not necessarily mean workers will strike or stage a work-to-rule. Two days of bargaining are scheduled for this week.

Ontario’s major education unions are all negotiating new contracts, but CUPE is furthest along in the process.

The unions have vowed to fight changes made by Ontario’s Conservative government, including larger class sizes and cuts to per-pupil funding.

CUPE represents support staff, including educational assistants, early childhood educators in kindergartens, office staff and custodians, in both French and English language, public and Catholic school boards. That includes employees at the Ottawa Catholic School Board and Ottawa’s public and Catholic French boards. However, CUPE does not represent any employees at Ottawa’s largest board, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.

Walton said CUPE would “do everything we can to avoid a labour disruption,” but members would stand up for the services that students depend upon, and are seeking the “support and understanding ” of families, who Walton said share the same goals.

“Just like us, they want more education assistants to support children with special needs,” said her statement. “They want enough custodians to keep schools clean and healthy. They don’t want long wait lists for vulnerable children to get the help they need from school boards’ psychologists, child and youth workers, or social workers.

“They want more early childhood educators so that young children get the most from their early learning years. They want music, language and arts instructors who can enrich their children’s learning experience.” jmiller@postmedia.com twitter.com/JacquieAMiller