Newmarket parents should begin making childcare arrangements as Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) education support workers gear up for full strike action Monday, Oct. 7 if a new deal isn’t reached by then.
In York Region alone, that means more than 5,000 education workers could walk off the job.
“This strike action may result in school closures,” York Region District School Board officials warn parents today. “More information will soon be available as we consider the effect of the full strike.”
Similarly, York’s Catholic board notified parents on its website that “strike action may result in school closures which will mean students cannot go to school”.
The provincial body charged with negotiating a new central deal for its 55,000 members gave notice today that it will escalate its work-to-rule campaign to a full-fledged walkout on Oct. 7.
That means all services performed by clerical staff, educational assistants, early childhood educators, library and information technology workers, maintenance workers, child and youth workers, food service staff, student supervisors, and others will be withdrawn.
“I’ll be frank: We had hoped work-to-rule would force the parties to get together and agree to a deal. But that hasn’t happened, and now we’re hearing stories that cause us great concern,” CUPE’s Ontario School Board Council of Unions president Laura Walton said in an Oct. 2 statement.
The Ontario School Board Council of Unions negotiates centrally on behalf of the union’s school board employees.
“Without any justification whatsoever, some school boards are closing programs and sending workers home. Some boards are paying parents to do the work of CUPE members,” she said. “Some are asking older students to collect younger students from the school bus. Across the province, boards are cutting services and putting students at risk.”
Community use of schools permits have been cancelled at the York public and Catholic board. As well, some learning and continuing education classes have been cancelled by both boards.
CUPE issued an invitation to the province and the Council of Trustees’ Associations (CTA), urging them to bargain with the union around the clock beginning Friday, Oct. 4, and work throughout the weekend in order to avoid the disruption that a full strike would bring to students, families and schools, the union said today in a statement.
Walton emphasized that she was inviting the parties back to the table for “some hard, joint work”, and assured members of the public that “if there is a deal to be had, CUPE will find it”.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce said a Queen’s Park media conference this afternoon that “deadline bargaining is part of the process, and is not unique”.
“We were close, and I believe we can get this deal done soon for the best outcome for our students,” Lecce said. “I call on CUPE today to accept the dates, to lock it in and let’s move forward and get back to the table this week to resolve this regrettable situation and unnecessary disruption for our students”.
