Thousands of Ontario education workers have taken to picket lines despite newly passed provincial legislation aimed at blocking a strike.
While the PC government bill imposes a four-year collective agreement on the workers with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (roughly 55,000 education assistants, early childhood educators, librarians, custodians, and administrative staff) and levies fines of up to $4000 for each striking worker, CUPE still held a provincewide strike today, warning it plans to continue "until further notice", though Education Minister Stephen Lecce's asking the Ontario Labour Relations Board declare the strike and actions of union leaders illegal.
Education workers with the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) picketed in solidarity with the CUPE workers, while major private sector union Unifor pledged $100,000 to help cover fines levied against CUPE strikers.
Locally, there are about 100 CUPE members with the various school boards in Wawa, Chapleau, Dubreuilville, White River, and Hornepayne areas, and several were set up by Wawa Town Hall today.
CUPE Local 16 President Mike Gallipeau - a member of the CUPE Ontario School Boards Council of Unions bargaining team - says the main conflict is wages.
While the union initially sought an 11.7% or about $3.25 an hour increase (the government offered 2% up to $40,000 annually and 1.25% above, but the legislation increased that to 2.5% up to $43,000 and 1.5% above), Gallipeau says their counter-offer to the government bill cut that in half, though the government refused to even return to talks unless the union withdrew its strike threat.
Gallipeau also says it is about more than wages.
Gallipeau says CUPE's demand in this strike is a negotiated contract - with the legislation repealed - dismissing the possibility of binding arbitration because "the government has no interest".
The government has argued that the union's positions have been unreasonable, so they must impose a contract to deliver stability for parents and students, ensuring kids remain in classes after years of disruption by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The local Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board closed its schools today because of the strike, though it has not said what it plans to do if it continues into next week.
The Algoma District School Board, Conseil scolaire catholique Nouvelon, and Conseil scolaire publique du Grand Nord de l'Ontario kept their schools open today and have indicated plans to keep them open at least for the immediate future.