A ‘Solidarity Saturday’ demonstration came to Barrie today, as Ontario education workers continued their protest.
A few dozen spent time waving flags and signs outside the closed constituency office of Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MPP Doug Downey on Bell Farm Road before marching to St. Vincent Street to the sounds of honking horns from supportive motorists.
“It’s just to keep the pressure on so the government understands that we’re not backing down,” said Jamie Cleroux, president of Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 3987, with the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board.
“We are present, still here and we want to make sure that they follow through on their commitment to repeal Bill 28,” he said of the Keeping Students in Class Act. “This (protest) needs to be done.”
Darren Cunliffe is with CUPE Local 1310, which represents custodians and maintenance staff with Simcoe County District School Board, and he echoed Cleroux’s sentiments.
“Buried, and never to be seen again,” he said of Bill 28. “We want to make sure that Mr. (Premier Doug) Ford knows that we are still strong and we are still united and continuing our fight to get a fair contract for all of our workers to receive a living wage.
“So many of our workers are not able to live how all Ontarians should be entitled to live, but for their wages.”
CUPE education workers walked off the job Nov. 4 after the Progressive Conservative government passed legislation — Bill 28 — that imposed a contract and banned a strike. This action shut hundreds of Ontario schools to in-person learning.
By Nov. 7, however, Ford was promising to rescind the legislation if the workers ended their job action, and CUPE employees were back at work the next day.
CUPE and the province returned to the bargaining table Tuesday and negotiations are continuing.
On Friday, the Ontario Labour Relations Board said the province had withdrawn its application to have a walkout by 55,000 education workers declared illegal.
A spokesperson for Ford has said new legislation to repeal the education-worker bill will be introduced Monday.
“I’m not 100 per cent sure where the negotiations are. That will probably be updated sometime next week,” Cleroux said. “I’d like to see it settled, honestly, before Christmas. That’s the best I can hope for right now. The standard for us is a three-year contract and that’s what we’re looking for.”
The last contract expired at the end of August.
“There’s always a possibility (of another walkout),” he said, “but it’s something we don’t want to do.”
Ford said Tuesday he would not get into details, but the government has presented a better offer to CUPE, particularly for lower-income workers.
But he also cautioned any agreement with the education workers will have an impact on the four major teachers’ contracts, also in bargaining, and increases for CUPE could lead to “tens of billions of dollars” for increases to the teachers.
The government had originally offered raises of two per cent a year for education workers making less than $40,000 and 1.25 per cent for all others. The four-year deal imposed by the soon-to-be-repealed law gave 2.5 per cent annual raises to workers making less than $43,000 and 1.5 per cent raises for all others.
CUPE had originally been seeking annual salary increases of 11.7 per cent, but said it tabled a counter offer that cut its wage proposal in half.
The workers affected include custodians, educational assistants and maintenance employees.
CUPE said these ‘Solidarity Saturday’ regional rallies are a reminder a salary of $39,000 is not enough for education workers and the Ford government must offer them a deal that accounts for current high levels of inflation and an 11 per cent legislated wage cut imposed on workers during the last decade.
The rallies were scheduled to be held at the constituency offices of Progressive Conservatives MPPs across Ontario, including Toronto, York, Hamilton, London, Niagara, North Bay, Napanee, Ottawa, Sarnia and Pembroke.
— With files from the Canadian Press
