In a statement Wednesday morning, Stephen Lecce said that since talks resumed a few days ago, the province has submitted multiple offers that would add “hundreds of millions of dollars across the industry, especially for lower-income workers,” but CUPE has so far rejected them. “I think it’s completely unfair to the kids. It’s unnecessary,” Lecce said, speaking to reporters at Queen’s Park. “We should be having these discussions at the table to get a deal for both our members and our children. And I think we’re all disappointed that this is the path the union has taken. “But this administration will remain determined and remain focused at the table to reach a deal, especially knowing that we’ve offered a better option with more money — a significant increase, hundreds of millions of dollars more for low-wage workers.” In a statement issued Wednesday morning, CUPE said education workers have given notice of a possible province-wide strike – which could begin in five days. The statement says CUPE’s central bargaining committee of the Ontario Council of School Boards (OSBCU) was able to reach a compromise with the province on wages, but claims the government has “refused to invest in the services that students and parents expect, accelerating this escalation.” In the statement, Laura Walton, president of CUPE’s Ontario School Board Union Council, said the union is focused on both improving jobs for education workers and improving services for students. At a news conference later Wednesday, Walton told reporters the province offered workers a $1/hour raise for each year of a collective agreement, which would amount to a 3.95 percent increase. “Let me be clear, this is a victory for workers. But it is not enough,” he said. The sticking point in the talks, Walton said, is that the province refuses to allocate money to new student services — citing things like having early childhood teachers in every kindergarten classroom and teaching assistants having enough time to properly support students with disabilities. special needs as examples. “We have five days before this strike notice period expires. That’s five days for this government to recognize the opportunity it has to make a difference in the lives of two million Ontario students,” Walton told reporters. “Five days — and then educators, parents and every ally who cares about youth and public education in this province will make their voices heard once again. “Come forward with a deal that really helps students catch up.” The province previously passed legislation called Bill 28 on November 3 in an attempt to prevent 55,000 CUPE workers from going on strike. But thousands of workers, including teaching assistants, librarians and custodians, walked off the job anyway, closing many schools across the province for in-person learning for two days. Last week, Premier Doug Ford offered to withdraw the legislation if CUPE members returned to work, which they did. The law was then repealed on Monday.
