Ford asks school unions not to strike
Support staff, trying to negotiate for annual salary raises, say they won’t budge on issue
Premier Doug Ford is pleading with school support staff not to hit the picket lines — and while he said he’s confident a deal can be reached, he also warned education unions not to force his hand by going on strike.
“I’m begging you — don’t go on strike. It’s as simple as that,” Ford said in Hamilton during a questionand-answer session with reporters following an announcement about GO Train expansion there.
“We’re going to continue to negotiate, and it goes back and forth with any negotiations … (and) they are going to come up with a final number that they’re hopefully happy, we’re happy. As long as they stay in school and there’s no disruptions, that’s all we’re asking.”
CUPE’s Ontario School Boards Council of Unions is set to negotiate with the province and school boards on Thursday and Friday this week — days president Laura Walton has called crucial.
Education workers recently voted 96.5 per cent in favour of a strike should no deal be reached.
No job action is currently in the works for their union or any other education union, and CUPE would only be in a legal position to do so in about three weeks’ time as certain steps are required before workers can walk off the job.
In a statement, Walton — who is an educational assistant — said “we have proposals to settle on the table that are reasonable, necessary and affordable. Doug Ford has the power and resources to accept our proposals today … If he does that, the lowest paid education workers who are paid on average of only $39,000 a year won’t have to strike to make ends meet and to defend services for students from Ford’s cuts.”
The union is seeking raises equal to about 11 per cent annually, while the province has offered two per cent a year over four years for those making less than $40,000 and 1.25 per cent for those earning more than that.
The average salary for CUPE members — there are 55,000 of them in many, but not all, boards across the province — is $39,000, but that figure includes part-time workers.
Their salary increases were set at one per cent a year in the last contract following provincial wage-cap legislation.
Since negotiations began, Education Minister Stephen Lecce has said the government will do everything to keep kids in class this year, especially in light of two years of disrupted learning because of the pandemic, as well as job action prior to the first shutdown in March of 2020.
Lecce has not ruled out using back-to-work legislation should strikes be called.
On Thursday, Ford said, “there’s one thing that we’ve said right from the beginning. We don’t want any disruptions in the school. We want to make sure that the students have a good experience, along with the certainty for the parents. So I’m asking the unions, the teachers’ unions, please don’t go on strike, don’t force my hand … just please continue negotiating because I’m a strong believer in negotiating. But do not, do not go on strike.”
Ford said the government is “focusing on is making sure that the students are in the classrooms, giving reassurance to parents — especially with what everyone’s gone through over the last two years” with learning disruptions because of COVID.
“But we aren’t going to budge on the fact that we want the kids in the classroom without disruption. I know Minister Lecce has been doing a great job. Our officials are at the table every single day to make sure they have a fair deal for the teachers and a fair deal for the people of Ontario. And we’re confident we’re going to get it done.”
He said the province has “a very good deal on the table, and we just want to work with them. We don’t want to go through (what) we did for the last two years, and kids not being in class.”
CUPE was the first education union to serve notice to bargain — the day after the June 2 provincial election — and is well ahead of all others in talks, having exchanged offers with the province.
No education union is currently in a strike position, or close to it.
CUPE represents educational assistants, early childhood educators, custodians and office staff.
Walton has said the union won’t budge on its salary demands, saying “workers cannot afford for us to come down” and also said they are not interested in the province’s two-tier salary offer.
In order for any job action to take place, the union would have to request a no-board report, followed by a 17-day waiting period and then provide five days’ notice of any impending job action.