Workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) walked off the job last Friday after the government passed legislation that imposed a contract and banned the strike. On Monday, Premier Doug Ford promised to scrap the legislation if workers walk off the job, and CUPE said workers would return to work the next day. The strike had closed hundreds of schools for in-person learning. The Ontario Labor Relations Board says government lawyers told the board Wednesday they were withdrawing the province’s application and CUPE’s legal counsel agreed to the withdrawal. CUPE and the government returned to the bargaining table on Tuesday and negotiations are continuing. The labor council had heard the case during a marathon session over the weekend. Government lawyers had asked the board to declare the CUPE strike “illegal” and the union leaders’ actions “illegal”, while CUPE lawyers had argued the industrial action was “legitimate political protest”. The administration’s law, which used the absentee clause to protect itself from constitutional challenges, had set fines for violating the law at a maximum of $4,000 per worker per day and up to $500,000 per day for the union. A spokeswoman for Ford said new legislation to repeal the education worker bill would be introduced on Monday.
title: “Ontario Drops Labor Board Case Seeking To Declare Cupe Walkout Illegal " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-03” author: “Michael Tobin”
Workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees walked off the job last Friday after the government passed legislation that imposed a contract and banned the strike.
On Monday, Premier Doug Ford promised to scrap the legislation if workers walk off the job, and CUPE said workers would return to work the next day.
The strike had closed hundreds of schools for in-person learning.
The Ontario Labor Relations Board says government lawyers told the board Wednesday they were withdrawing the province’s application and CUPE’s legal counsel agreed to the withdrawal.
CUPE and the government returned to the bargaining table on Tuesday and negotiations are continuing.
The labor council had heard the case during a marathon session over the weekend.
Government lawyers had asked the board to declare the CUPE strike “illegal” and the union leaders’ actions “illegal”, while CUPE lawyers had argued the industrial action was “legitimate political protest”.
The administration’s law, which used the absentee clause to protect itself from constitutional challenges, had set fines for violating the law at a maximum of $4,000 per worker per day and up to $500,000 per day for the union.
A spokeswoman for Ford said new legislation to repeal the education worker bill would be introduced on Monday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on November 11, 2022.
