Bargaining

Tentative agreement documents

Important Member Update The OSBCU Bargaining Team will be bringing a tentative agreement to the membership. There will be no job action tomorrow. Our members will be reporting to schools to continue supporting the students that we are proud to work with. Members should watch for more information regarding webinars and ratification vote details shortly. This fight has always been focused on the workers and it is important that workers have a voice on what has been presented.

Education workers serve five days’ strike notice as government refuses to fund vital services for students Toronto, ON – After getting an imposed contract that would have further harmed Ontario schools off their backs with the repeal of Bill 28, Ontario’s lowest-paid education workers have given five days’ notice of a potential province-wide strike. CUPE’s Ontario School Boards Council of Unions (OSBCU) central bargaining committee, negotiating for 55,000 frontline education workers, was able to reach a middle ground with the Ford government and the Council of Trustees’ Associations (CTA) on wages.

5 day notice served November 16 2022 Despite many late hour attempts to achieve a freely negotiated settlement talks have again broke down and the difficult decision was made to serve the 5 day notice of strike to the Council of Trustees Association & Government. The OSBCU remains focused on not only achieving a deal that provides workers with a livable wage but ensures that the services that students need are improved and protected.

Important Bargaining Update November 15 2022 The bargaining team has concluded negotiations for the evening. A link for an all members meeting at 11am & 6pm has been sent to presidents. We are trying to secure translation. An additional meeting may be added if numbers warrant. We encourage all members to participate in the meeting to hear full details of the ongoing negotiations. Please connect with your local president to receive the link.

Bill Repealed but Still No Deal November 14 2022 The bargaining team has remained at the table since the government announced that Bill 28 would be repealed - today Bill 28 was repealed. The government’s position has minimally changed since last week. Our commitment remains to achieve a freely negotiated agreement that respects workers, students and families. At the request of the mediator we will not be providing a full update until tomorrow.

​November 14, 2022 With Bill 28 repealed, education workers need a significant wage increase and funding for services that would demonstrate government’s commitment to student success TORONTO, ON – The following is a statement from Laura Walton, educational assistant and president of CUPE’s Ontario School Boards Council of Unions: “This afternoon, Ontario’s education workers have their rights back. With the shadow of Bill 28 lifted, education workers can now focus on achieving a fairly negotiated collective agreement that meets the needs of students, families, and workers.

The CUPE-OSBCU central bargaining committee, made up of frontline education workers from across Ontario, is currently in mediation with the singular focus of negotiating a collective agreement that meets the needs of students, parents, and workers. We will be limiting our comments to the media while in mediation to better direct our efforts to reaching a freely negotiated agreement. We respectfully call on the Ford government to make the same commitment, refrain from making comments that distract from negotiations, and spend the time working to get a deal done for student success and good jobs.

Update on OLRB Proceedings November 9 2022 Many of you have inquired about the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) proceedings that occurred last weekend. We have received confirmation today that the Unlawful Strike Application filed by the Minister of Education has been withdrawn. No further actions or steps will be taken in the matter. No decision will be rendered.

November 8 2022 Thanks to your display of worker power, your bargaining team is back at the table and Bill 28 will be repealed. The media is now reporting that an offer of 3.5% and 2% was passed. There are multiple issues with this: this is not an offer that we have received we will not accept a 2 tiered wage increase such an offer would fall short of what you as workers need to ratify a deal We have been clear, a deal will be made which is a substantial flat rate increase, increases to funding to improve services that CUPE provides and improvements on working conditions.