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Ontario Tables Back-to-Work Legislation for Education Workers

Monday, 31 October 2022 13:58

By Linda Morgan

Education Minister Stephen Lecce introduces "Keeping Students in Class Act."

The province's education minister has introduced a bill looking to block a planned strike by school support workers. 

This afternoon, Stephen Lecce announced the "Keeping Students in Class Act." 

The proposed legislation looks to "terminate any on-going strike or lock-out by, or in respect of, employees of school boards who are represented by CUPE."

If passed, it will also impose a four-year contract for workers. 

The deal would include an annual 2.5 percent wage bump for employees earning less than $43,000, and 1.5 percent for workers earning more than that amount. 

"Today the Ford government introduced legislation to force the lowest paid education workers further into poverty," Laura Walton, the president of CUPE's Ontario School Board Council of Unions, said during a press conference at Queen’s Park immediately after the legislation was tabled. "Doug Ford and Stephen Lecce’s bill will mean that workers will have to make a decision between putting gas in their car or buying their child a snow suit, between buying groceries or paying the hydro bill."

CUPE, the union representing 55,000 school support staff, including custodians, education and administrative staff, is pushing for an annual wage increase of 11.7 percent. 

It's also pushing for early childhood educators in every kindergarten class, an increase in overtime pay and 30 minutes of paid daily preparation time. 

The union says workers will engage in a provincewide protest on Friday, but whether or not workers protest after that "will be left up to what happens.''

The legislation is expected to be passed by Thursday. 

The union will be in a legal strike position on Friday if a deal is not reached by that point. 

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