CUPE serves notice at three Okanagan school districts

OKANAGAN — Labour trouble is brewing at three Okanagan school districts.

CUPE says 72 hour strike notice has been served in School District 53  (Okanagan Similkameen), School District 67 (Okanagan Skaha), and School District 83 (North Okanagan Shuswap).

The union says it’s bargaining on behalf of the three districts and that a concession to claw back long term disability savings for approximately 1150 members,  is the main stumbling block.

“I find it incredibly disrespectful for these employers to deny workers the opportunity to improve their outdated benefit plans,” says CUPE rep, Rob Hewitt.  “What has brought us to a strike position is the fact this employer is nickel and diming workers needing benefit improvements in school districts running substantial surpluses.”

CUPE says the three school districts in question are running surpluses and that the workers deserve a fair deal.

The union doesn’t say when it might launch strike action.