More than 50,000 education workers in Ontario will be in a legal strike position in less than three weeks.
The education workers, which include custodians, early childhood educators and administration staff among others at schools across the province, could be on the picket lines as early as November 3 as bargaining remains stalled between the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the provincial government.
A mediator was brought in to assist with negotiations between the two sides last week, however, that conciliator has since issued a “no board report,” saying talks are at an impasse.
Earlier this month, union members voted 96.5 per cent in favour of giving CUPE the ability to call a strike if necessary. However, the union is required to give five days’ notice before taking any job action.
CUPE has yet to indicate whether its members will begin with a work-to-rule campaign or engage in a full strike.
Wages remain a sticking point between the union and the province, with CUPE looking for salary increases of 11.7 per cent annually. The Ontario government has offered raises of 2 per cent a year for workers making less than $40,000 and 1.25 per cent for all other workers.