News Labour Relations
Ontario education workers in legal strike position in 17 days

The Canadian Union of Public Employees says their 55,000 education worker members in Ontario, such as custodians, early childhood educators and administration staff, will be in a legal strike position as of Nov. 3

They say a conciliator has issued what’s known as a “no board report,” which the union requested on Oct. 7, saying the talks were at an impasse.

The report sets a 17-day countdown toward the union being in a legal strike position, though CUPE is still required to give five days’ notice of any job action.

CUPE has not indicated if education workers would engage in a full strike, start with a work-to-rule campaign, or take some other course of action at that point and there are still three more days of talks scheduled, between today and Wednesday.

CUPE is looking for annual salary increases of 11.7 per cent and the government in response has offered raises of two per cent a year for workers making less than $40,000 and 1.25 per cent for all other workers.

Education workers have made several other proposals, including overtime at two times the regular pay rate, 30 minutes of paid prep time per day for educational assistants and ECEs, an increase in benefits and professional development for all workers.