The union representing education support workers at Regina Public Schools has filed for an impasse after bargaining for over two years on a new contract.
CUPE Local 3766, who represents the employees, said progress at the bargaining table has stalled.
“We presented a fair deal to our employer that reflected our beliefs. It is disappointing that our employer continues to refuse to remove their bargaining concessions,” Jackie Christianson, president of CUPE Local 3766, said Tuesday in a statement.
“It is our hope that a meeting with the mediator will happen, and we will be able to reach a fair deal with our bargaining efforts.”
CUPE Local 3766 said the Regina Public School Board is the only division “pushing harmful concessions due to cuts from the provincial government.”
In the last several years, the Regina Public School Board has cut specialized student programs, student access to school libraries and has charged parents for their children to eat lunch at school, the union said.
Additionally, the Regina Public School Division is pushing for a two-year wage freeze followed by increases.
“We continue to hold strong to our belief that no worker is worth a zero increase. We are not worth less than other CUPE education support workers in Saskatchewan and we are not worth less than our employers,” said Christianson.
“Our schools work because we do. It is time that the Regina School Board recognizes this at the bargaining table.”
Global News has reached out to the Regina Public School Board for comment. Neither the board nor the administration will be commenting at this time.
In July, support workers voted 95 per cent in favour of job action.