Thousands of Ontario education workers and their supporters created picket lines outside politcians’ offices and high traffic community spots across Hamilton and Niagara region on Friday.
They waved flags and chanted “stand up, fight back,” on the first day of an indefinite strike that shut down a number of schools across the province.
The outings come a day after the Progressive Conservative government enacted a law imposing a contract on the 55,000 education workers, represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), pre-emptively using the notwithstanding clause to guard against constitutional challenges.
Over 100 people picketed outside Limeridge Mall in Hamilton Friday morning, ignoring the Ford government legislation, expressing shock negotiations have broken down.
“Nobody wanted it to get to this point today,” Lori Woodbyrne, a child and youth worker, told Global News.
“If actions are not met, our needs and wants are not met, then we’re not going to be able to be supporting students in schools because we’re not going to have the bodies.”
Lynn Fleming, an education assistant, says colleagues telling her they’ve resorted to food banks in recent times due to low pay provides the perspective demonstrators are trying to convey with their walk out.
“The pay is not there,” said Fleming.
“I myself (have) worked seven days a week. I have another job I have to do in order to make ends meet.”
Rose Allain, executive director of CUPE 3396, says she and the union are “incredibly grateful” for the support thay have seen across the city and province, but admitted risk in taking a stand against the Ford government.
“That’s the biggest thing. We’re out here fighting collectively for the rights of workers,” Alain said.
“Our collective bargaining team is ready to go back to the table, but the government needs to be there, too.”
The office of Niagara West’s Sam Oosteroff in Beamsville was one of many Progressive Conservative constituencies that saw a picket line on Friday.
Hundreds of education workers were joined by parents and members of other unions, demonstrating outside the MPP’s makeshift storefront.
Striking education workers were also picketing out front of Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff’s constituent office on Nov. 4, 2022.
Brenda Baughman, an early childhood educator (ECE) with the District School Board of Niagara (DSBN), says she’s “heartbroken” to not be in the classroom with her kindergarten students.
She says the difficult part is seeing some students having to “self-regulate” in learning environments due to a lack of workers she suggests are the result of low wages for ECEs.
“Unfortunately, there are a lot of unfilled jobs, which leaves the children at risk,” Baughman explained.
“I find that incredibly frustrating, knowing that when ECEs are off legitimately sick, and there is no one to fill the job, nobody wants to do our job for what we get paid.”
Jennifer McArthur, president of a Niagara unit of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, showed up in solidarity, noting that schools can’t function in “a safe and successful manner” without CUPE workers.
“We felt it’s important to be out here. This legislation from the Ford government has trampled our rights of bargaining,” McArthur said.
“The notwithstanding clause, to put that in, instead of staying at the bargaining table, rolling up the sleeves, making some tough decisions … I think it’s atrocious. I think it’s outrageous.”
CUPE has said its workers, who make on average $39,000 a year, are generally the lowest paid in schools and says what’s being offered with the imposed contract from the Ontario PCs is still not enough for many to live on.
The Ford government originally offered raises of two per cent a year for workers making less than $40,000 and 1.25 per cent for all others, but Lecce said the new, imposed four-year deal would give 2.5 per cent annual raises to workers making less than $43,000 and 1.5 per cent raises for all others.
CUPE has said that framing is not accurate because the raises actually depend on hourly wages and pay scales, so the majority of workers who earn less than $43,000 in a year wouldn’t get 2.5 per cent.
CUPE had been seeking annual salary increases of 11.7 per cent.
The government is taking CUPE to the Ontario Labour Relations Board, seeking to have the strike declared illegal and the actions by union leaders to encourage the job action declared unlawful.
The law sets out fines for violating a prohibition on strikes for the life of the agreement of up to $4,000 per employee per day — which could amount to $220 million for all 55,000 workers — while there are fines of up to $500,000 per day for the union.
CUPE plans to fight the fines, but has also said that it will pay the penalties if it has to.
Hamilton’s Catholic school board (HWCDSB) closed facilities Friday amid the strike citing “the health and safety and well-being” of students and staff as the reason.
Chair Pat Daly told 900 CHML’s Good Morning Hamilton that about 1,100 of their educational workers were not available Friday, forcing closures.
He said the board is looking at contingencies to reopen after the weekend, but could not assure parents of that.
“Clearly, if we’re not, we would move to asynchronous learning, as was the case later on in the pandemic,” Daly said.
“We’re hopeful … that the schools will be open, but those kind of discussions will take place today and tomorrow and we’ll communicate with parents as quickly as possible.”
The Ministry of Education has urged school boards to “implement contingency plans, where every effort is made to keep schools open for as many children as possible” and otherwise “must support students in a speedy transition to remote learning.”
— with files from the Canadian Press