TORONTO — The Canadian Union of Public Employees will resume bargaining with the Ontario government this month armed with a strong strike mandate from the education workers it represents.
CUPE announced Monday that almost 97 per cent of librarians, custodians, trades workers and school administration staff who participated in a recent vote approved going on strike if necessary.
The president of the union's Ontario School Board Council of Unions, Laura Walton, said their negotiators can return to the bargaining table with a clear indication of support for CUPE's proposals.
The two sides are far apart with respect to wages.
The government has offered two per cent a year for workers earning less than $40,000, and 1.25 per cent for all others.
CUPE is demanding annual pay hikes of 11.7 per cent.
Contracts expired on Aug. 31.
Talks are scheduled for later this week.
At a news conference announcing the results of the strike vote, Walton said “No one wants to strike…but education workers have said very clearly, if this government will not budge, we are willing to strike for a contract that is good for students, for families and for workers.”
Education Minister Stephen Lecce responded, saying the results of the vote are not surprising, "given that education unions have voted to hold strikes...for nearly five decades."
But he added that he was disappointed.
"CUPE is charging ahead with a strike while demanding nearly 50 per cent in increased compensation after two difficult years of pandemic disruptions for students," Lecce said.
He described the government's offer as reasonable, noting that it also protects "the most generous benefits and pension plan in the country."
But a union representative in Thunder Bay said the government needs to improve its wage offer.
Rodney McGee, president of CUPE local 246 and first vice-president of the Ontario School Board Council of Unions, said pay rates are so low for his members that one area board hasn't been able to hire an electrician for the past three years because the private sector pays so much better.
"It's important that we get a fair and reasonable wage so we can actually recruit and retain workers," he said, adding that job security and maintaining the sick leave plan are also "super-important to us."
McGee said CUPE represents about 500 employees of the Lakehead District School Board and several other boards in the Northwest.
Note: A previous version of this story has been updated to include information provided by Rodney McGee of CUPE.
