York Region education support workers back possible strike, other labour action

CUPE will be in legal strike position Sept. 23

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 11, 2019
Dina Al-Shibeeb

CUPE 1734, representing 3,200 education support workers for York Region District School Board, saw "record numbers and strong support" the evening of Sept. 9 for the union’s provincial mandate, which calls for labour action and would put the union in the legal position for a strike, its president said.

The local Canadian Union of Public Employees branch isn't sharing full details of the voting numbers, noting a news release will be issued once all strike votes have been completed by Ontario’s education support workers’ unions.

Todd Canning, president of CUPE 1734, said the local union has "followed suit" with the provincial mandate that asked for a strike vote.

Canning previously told Yorkregion.com that the government’s proposals for the union's members are "severe".

Earlier Sept. 9 at Queen’s Park, the president of CUPE, Fred Hahn, announced a provincewide campaign called Communities Not Cuts.

"This campaign will bring public sector workers from CUPE to work with others in communities together to fight back against the all-out attack on Ontario public services," Hahn said.

The union actions include petitions, pressing MPPs to back off some change, and funding other allied groups and strikes.

Laura Walton, president of CUPE’s school board council, said the 55,000 CUPE members will be in a legal strike position on Sept. 23.

The labour action could include anything from a work-to-rule, rotating strikes or a full strike.

Lecce 'disappointed’

The local voting took place after Ontario Minister of Education Stephen Lecce expressed his "disappointment" on Sep. 5 following CUPE asking for a no-board report, setting the stage for a countdown toward a legal strike or lockout.

However, Lecce said he was "pleased" that there was an agreement reached with CUPE and the school boards to appoint Bill Kaplan as a mediator. He described Kaplan as a "highly respected, senior labour mediator".

"I believe that with the assistance of Mr. Kaplan, we can resolve our differences at the bargaining table so that students can remain in class where they belong," Lecce said.