Strike averted: CUPE and government reach agreement

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By Mike Renzella

The Haldimand Press

HALDIMAND—Last minute negotiations between the provincial government and CUPE reached a mutually agreeable conclusion Sunday, November 20, 2022, averting a threatened strike which was set to shut down schools in Ontario for the second time this month.

While full details of the deal were not yet available ahead of publication, President of CUPE’s Ontario School Board Council of Unions Laura Walton called the agreement “disappointing” in a press conference following the announcement.

She said that while the government has agreed to an annual dollar-an-hour raise over the next four years, “We’ve been told by this government that they are not willing to budge any further.”

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The agreement came after CUPE members issued a Sunday 5 p.m. strike deadline, with the announcement coming shortly after that deadline had passed.

“I understand why this is the deal that’s on the table. I think it falls short and I think it’s terrible that we live in a world that doesn’t see the need to provide services to kids that they need,” said Walton.

In addition to the wage increase, CUPE was seeking $100 million toward the hiring of additional educational assistants, librarians, custodians, and secretaries, in addition to the placement of an Early Childhood Educator in every kindergarten classroom in the province. Walton stated that the Province “did not provide any new money for new services.”

The deal will be brought forth to CUPE’s 55,000 members to vote on whether to ratify it. If the deal is voted down by members, both sides will need to return to the negotiating table once again.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce painted a more positive picture of the deal, referring to it as a “positive outcome for all parties.”

He called the win “incremental” for both parties and said students are the “biggest beneficiary of this deal,” adding, “Kids deserve to be in class and I’m proud to confirm they will be.”

“For the lowest paid worker … this deal would represent a 4.2% increase annually every single year,” continued Lecce. “It’s a significant increase from where we started and it’s what we set out to do, to help the lowest paid workers, but all workers do benefit from this deal and frankly all families and taxpayers benefit by having stability for children.”

However, Lecce knows that until the ratification process is complete, the deal could still fall through: “Our aim obviously is to respect the ratification process, let the union leadership speak with their members and have those discussions internally.… This has been a tough journey but at the end of day negotiating is always tough. I just think the casualty of our negotiation shouldn’t be our kids and I’m very pleased that we were able to do the right thing, come together and put kids first.”

The deal follows 171 days of negotiations between CUPE and the Province and comes after a controversial bill aimed at penalizing striking education workers was met with widespread criticism and the threat of other worker’s unions across the province walking off the job in support of CUPE earlier this month. The Province walked back that bill, bringing CUPE back to the table and avoiding wide-reaching strikes in a variety of sectors.

Haldimand Norfolk MPP Bobbi Ann Brady shared her thoughts on the deal: “I’m very pleased that a strike has been averted. I have stood in the House and asked adults to be adults and negotiate in good faith while always advocating for what is fair for workers, students, and their families.”