Holly McKenzie-Sutter , The Canadian Press Published Tuesday, August 2, 2022 4:26 PM EDT Last Updated Tuesday, August 2, 2022 6:39 PM EDT
TORONTO – A union representing Ontario education workers has asked the province for an annual wage increase of 11.7 per cent – or $3.25 an hour – while the two sides prepare a new collective bargaining agreement.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees — which represents 55,000 workers, including early childhood educators, school administrators, bus drivers and custodians — shared a summary of the bargaining proposals it presented Tuesday as negotiations continue ahead of existing contracts expiring in the end of this month.
The union says workers’ wages have been constrained over the past decade and inflation is expected to rise further. In recent years, public sector workers have had pay rises capped at one per cent a year due to a controversial government bill.
CUPE said the average wage for permanent employees is currently $27.87, and the president of the Ontario Council of School Boards Unions said actions limiting education funding by the government and school boards have “put many educators on the edge of poverty’.
“Both students and workers deserve more than the crumbs this government is throwing at us, so my colleagues and I are prepared to fight for what students need in the classroom and what we need to do our jobs even better,” Laura Walton said in a written statement.
Other education unions in the process of negotiating new contracts with the provincial government have also said they intend to fight for bigger raises to deal with skyrocketing living costs.
Statistics Canada said annual inflation in June was 8.1 per cent, the biggest increase since 1983.
The president of the Ontario Federation of Secondary School Teachers told The Canadian Press last month that her union is seeking a pay increase that keeps up with inflation and isn’t limited by legislation.
Premier Doug Ford said teachers would receive a raise of more than one percent in their new contracts, but did not specify an exact amount.
Other bargaining proposals from CUPE include demands for minimum weekly hours of work for full-time staff and minimum vacation and leave standards, as well as funding to extend benefits to more workers.
A spokeswoman for Education Minister Stephen Lecce would not comment on CUPE’s proposed pay rise, but said the government was “intent” on reaching a deal that ensures students are in class when school is scheduled to start, including after-school hours.
“Students deserve stability, and that’s what we’re focusing on — not just so they can catch up after two years of pandemic disruption, but so they can learn the skills they need to succeed both in the classroom and and beyond,” Grace Lee said in a written statement.
Both Lecce and Ford have stressed in recent weeks that they don’t want the work stoppages to affect extracurricular activities like sports and clubs, something that happened during the last phase of bargaining three years ago when teachers took action from work to the rule.
Teachers’ unions responded by noting that extracurricular activities are voluntary for teachers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 2, 2022.
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