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Adam D.K. King wrote, “According to (CUPE report) ‘Education workers’ wages In Ontario: The Impact of Ten Years of Cuts,’ over the past decade education workers’ wages have gone up by only 8.8 per cent while inflation has risen by at least 19 per cent. This amounts to at least a 10.2 per cent real wage cut.”
Now Premier Ford is forcing through a further wage cut (after inflation) for another five years. The Progressive Conservative government is bullying, beating and stealing from the poorest of the education workers. Your government never negotiated in good faith and, I suspect, planned to provoke a confrontation with one of the weakest of the public-sector unions. This was done to warn off all of the public-sector unions against trying to catch up on the lost wages from the last 10 years’ cuts.
Your Keeping Students in Class Act takes away the workers’ constitutional right to negotiate and their right to strike. Ford’s use of the notwithstanding clause to enforce the legislation proves that he knows his actions are not legal. The Progressive Conservative party no longer accepts the “rule of law” and now resorts to dictatorial measures to deal with its employees. Such an abuse of power will surely become addictive and does not bode well for freedom and democracy in Ontario.
Please reconsider your use of the notwithstanding clause and go back and negotiate with the support staff union — but this time offer a raise that recognizes the effects of the last 10 years of wage cuts (due to inflation).
David Howell
Orillia
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