Negotiations between the Province of Ontario and the union that represents education workers will be helped by a mediator.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) announced Friday that mediator William Kaplan will assist the two sides as they try to reach an agreement and avoid a potential strike. Kaplan helped the two sides reach a new contract in 2019.
“We want to reach a negotiated agreement that will guarantee service improvements for students, help solve school boards’ problems hiring and keeping qualified employees, and secure a significant wage increase for the lowest-paid frontline education workers that’s long overdue,” said Laura Walton, president of CUPE’s Ontario School Boards Council of Unions.
CUPE represents about 55,000 Ontario education workers, including educational assistants, custodians, librarians, and other staff.
“We still have proposals on the table that are reasonable, necessary, and affordable,” said Walton. “As premier, Doug Ford has the power and resources to accept our proposals for student success and good jobs any time.”
Members of the union recently voted 96.5 per cent in favour of a strike mandate.
The government has offered pay raises of two per cent a year for workers who make less than $40,000 and 1.25 per cent for all other workers. CUPE has asked for raises of 11.7 per cent across the board.
“My coworkers across Ontario are expecting to see an offer that shows this government understands we’ve taken forced pay cuts for the last decade and now our wages are being eroded even more by high inflation,” Walton said.
The two sides will return to the bargaining table, with the mediator, on October 17, 18, and 19.