Union to respond after Ford offers to repeal strike bill if Ontario education workers end walkout

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Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Monday that his government is willing to repeal legislation that imposed a contract on education workers and took away their right to strike if the Canadian Union Public Employees (CUPE) ends its ongoing walkout.

Ford made the announcement at a morning news conference alongside Education Minister Stephen Lecce.

Some 55,000 CUPE education workers walked off the job on Friday after contract negotiations fell apart, forcing schools across the province to close to in-person learning.

The union has framed the action as a political protest against Bill 28, which also included the notwithstanding clause to circumvent any constitutional challenge to the legislation. The clause allows legislatures to override parts of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms for a five-year term.

Students need stability. They should be in the classroom with their teachers, Ford said, adding that he has no regrets about passing Bill 28 and that his government was left with no choice.

Ford said that after two years of pandemic-related disruptions to learning, CUPE’s threat to strike required unprecedented solutions.

But he said he would like the union to come back to the bargaining table.

I feel we can strike a deal. But [CUPE] are the only ones who have the ability to have kids back in the classroom.

Ford called his offer to revisit the legislation a massive olive branch and appealed to CUPE members to return to work.

I desperately hope that CUPE shows the same willingness to compromise as we are today. I hope they hear my plea to keep students in class, but that’s not something I can guarantee you.

CUPE leaders are scheduled to hold their own news conference at 11 a.m. ET in Toronto. You can watch it live in this story

The union’s national president will be joined by national and provincial labour leaders including representatives from the Canadian Labour Congress and the Ontario Federation of Labour.

You can watch both news conferences live in this story.

Ford’s announcement comes as CUPE, the government and families await a decision by the Ontario Labour Relations Board on the legality of the strike.

CUPE says its education-worker members will remain off the job regardless of the labour board’s decision.

CUPE members and supporters rally outside Queen’s Park in Toronto on Friday. If you predict inflation will stay high, expect more labour disputes as wage-earners struggle to catch up.

Photo: (Carlos Osorio/CBC)

The government is seeking a ruling that their walkout is illegal, while CUPE contends the job action is a form of legitimate political protest.

Board Chair Brian O’Byrne heard arguments over the course of 16 hours on Saturday and another eight hours on Sunday, before promising to come to a decision as quickly as possible.

The government originally offered raises of two per cent a year for workers making less than $40,000 and 1.25 per cent for all others, but four-year deal imposed by Bill 28 would give 2.5 per cent annual raises to workers making less than $43,000 and 1.5 per cent raises for all others.

CUPE has said that framing is not accurate because the raises actually depend on hourly wages and pay scales, so the majority of workers who earn less than $43,000 in a year wouldn’t get 2.5 per cent.

CUPE has said its workers, who make on average $39,000 a year, are generally the lowest paid in schools and had been seeking annual salary increases of 11.7 per cent.

The union said it cut its wage proposal by more than half in a counter-offer it gave the government last week and made substantial moves in other areas as well.

Ford put the blame for negotiations breaking down squarely on CUPE and accused the union of walking away from the bargaining table.

We put forward a fair and reasonable offer, he said Monday.

In fact, a mediator ended the talks after the sides reached an impasse last week.

More to come.

Lucas Powers  (new window) · CBC News ·