CUPE education support workers serve work-to-rule notice to Ontario government, school boards

CUPE Local 1734 ‘cautiously hopeful’ as talks set for weekend

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 26, 2019
Dina Al-Shibeeb

The provincial government and 63 school boards in Ontario were officially served work-to-rule notice by CUPE education support workers Sept. 25.

About 55,000 union members will stop doing overtime and any extra duties they currently perform.

Both sides have scheduled two more days of bargaining this weekend in hopes of skirting any job action starting next week, but the union is committed to work-to-rule if no deal is reached.

"We are ready to follow direction from the provincial president," Todd Canning, president of CUPE 1734, representing 3,200 custodians, clerical workers and early childhood educators for York Region District School Board, said.

"We are cautiously hopeful that the talks at the provincial table bring results.

"Thank you to all students, parents, and community partners for their continuous support as we advocate for their children’s education," he said.

Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce urged CUPE Sept. 25 to "come back to the table" after the decision of the union to break off contract talks and give notice of intended job action.

"Our government remains available at any time to restart talks with CUPE and keep students in school," Lecce said. "Kids and parents deserve no less."

In mid-September, Ontario education support workers voted 93 per cent in favour of job action, including a possible strike.