CUPE: Canadian Union of Public Employees awaits Ontario’s response to its counter-offer as strike looms

A union representing 55,000 education workers on strike expects to hear from the government on a counter-offer today.

Workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), such as early childhood educators, educational assistants, and custodians, plan to strike on Friday, despite looming legislation that would make it illegal.

Several school boards, including the Toronto District School Board, have stated that they will be forced to close schools because they cannot operate safely without CUPE-represented staff.

The Ontario government has proposed legislation to impose a contract on educators and prohibit them from striking under the threat of severe penalties.

It hopes to see the bill passed this week, with Premier Doug Ford saying he will do everything he can to make sure kids stay in class — CUPE has not said whether its strike would extend beyond Friday, Toronto.

CUPE negotiators presented a counter-offer late Tuesday night in response to the imposed contract terms in the legislation and the government is to review it.

The union did not elaborate on what it was proposing. The government has stated that it will return to the bargaining table if the mediator requests it, and they wanted to hear if CUPE’s new offer was “reasonable.”

The government initially proposed 2% annual raises for workers earning less than $40,000 and 1.5% for all others, but Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the new, imposed four-year deal would provide 2.5% annual raises to workers earning less than $43,000 and 1.5% raises to all others.

CUPE has stated that its members, who earn an average of $39,000 per year, are among the lowest paid in schools and have requested annual salary increases of 11.7%.

The union’s original proposal also included overtime at two times the regular pay rate, 30 minutes of paid prep time per day for educational assistants and ECEs, an increase in benefits and professional development for all workers.

Several other unions, including the teachers’ unions currently in bargaining with the government, have expressed solidarity with CUPE. The Labourers’ International Union of North America — LiUNA — is the most notable example, having endorsed Ford’s Progressive Conservatives in the spring election.

The federal justice and labour ministers, as well as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have criticized the Ontario government for including the Constitution’s notwithstanding clause in the legislation ahead of time, saying it should not be used to suspend workers’ rights.

For a five-year period, the clause allows the legislature to override portions of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.