CUPE 4222 issues strike vote date, conciliator called in education worker contract talks

A provincial conciliator has been called in to try and bridge the gap in contentious contract talks involving the province’s education workers.

In addition, the union local representing support staff at London’s public school board says a “save the date” has been issued for a strike vote in September on the issue.

Members of CUPE 4222, which represents some 1,500 support staff at the Thames Valley District School Board, including custodians, secretaries, library workers, IT staff and others, will vote Sept. 9 on whether to strike. The date falls less than a week after students are scheduled to return to class.

It comes as negotiations for a new central agreement stall between CUPE’s Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU), the Council of Trustees’ Associations (CTA) and the province.

Talks have been underway since May and the current agreement ends Aug. 31, according to OSBCU, the provincially-designated bargaining agent for tens of thousands of CUPE education workers in Ontario’s public, Catholic, English and French school boards.

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In an internal bargaining update issued to union members, OSBCU says recent bargaining sessions have included deep concessions from the CTA, which represents Ontario school boards and employers, when it comes to wages, benefits, sick leave and job security.

“Layoffs among education workers in Ontario schools were first announced toward the end of the school year and have continued to roll out through the summer, signaling deep cuts in services for students come September,” union officials said in a statement.

Earlier this year, the Progressive Conservative government announced 2019-20 school board funding. Overall funding to school boards will be up slightly, but higher enrollment means boards will get a slightly lower average amount per student. Educational advocates say it will mean fewer services and supports for kids.

“These are the issues that we want to address in bargaining, but there’s no sign from those across the table that they are prepared to tackle these issues,” OSBCU president Laura Walton said in a statement.

As a result, the group says the province’s labour relations board is being asked to send a conciliator to assist in contract talks, with bargaining members set to meet again in mid-August.

In an email to 980 CFPL, CUPE 4222 president Victoria Toulouse referred all questions about the negotiations to OSBCU’s president, but noted that the local remained optimistic a strike could be avoided.

Last week, the union representing Ontario’s high school teachers said contract talks with the province and its public school boards had stalled.

Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation president Harvey Bischof said the parties disagreed over what to negotiate at both central and local tables.

The dispute will head to the provincial labour board on Aug. 22. Bischof said a ruling on the dispute could come in September.