The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents 55,000 workers, including kindergarten teachers, school staff, bus drivers and custodians, shared a summary of its bargaining proposals Tuesday as negotiations continue ahead of existing contracts expiring at the end of this month. The union argued that workers’ wages have been constrained over the past decade and inflation is expected to rise further. Public sector workers’ wages have been capped at one per cent a year in recent years due to a controversial government bill. CUPE said the average wage for permanent employees is currently $27.87, and the president of the Ontario Council of School Boards Unions said moves to cut education funding from the government and school boards have “put many teachers on the brink of poverty”. “Students and workers deserve better than the crumbs this government throws our way, so my colleagues and I are willing to fight for what students need in the classroom and what we need to do our jobs even better Laura Walton said in a written statement. statement. Other education unions in the process of negotiating new contracts with the provincial government have also said they plan to argue for bigger raises to keep up with the rising cost of living. Statistics Canada said the annual inflation rate in June was 8.1 per cent, the biggest increase since 1983. The president of the Ontario Federation of Secondary Teachers told The Canadian Press last month that her union is seeking a pay increase that will keep pace with inflation and not be limited by legislation.
Ford has promised a raise for teachers of more than 1%
Premier Doug Ford has said teachers will get a raise of more than one per cent in their new contracts, but has not set an exact amount. Other bargaining proposals from CUPE include issues of minimum weekly working hours for full-time staff and minimum standards for holidays and leaves of absence, as well as funding to extend benefits to more workers. A spokeswoman for Education Minister Steven Lecce would not comment on the proposed CUPE pay rise, but said the government was “intent” on reaching a deal that would ensure students would be in class when school is scheduled to start, with extracurriculars. “Students deserve stability, and that’s what we’re focusing on — not just so they can catch up after two years of pandemic disruption, but so they can learn the skills they need to succeed both inside and outside the classroom,” said Grace Lee in the written statement. Lecce and Ford have stressed in recent weeks that they don’t want work disruptions to affect extracurriculars like sports and clubs, which happened during the last round of negotiations three years ago, when teachers took job-to-rule action. Teachers’ unions noted, in response, that extracurriculars are voluntary for teachers to provide.
