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School board workers have reached an historic agreement with representatives from all Ontario school boards, thanks to an enormous effort by bargaining units, staff reps, Provincial Discussion Table (PDT) specialists and union leadership.
Through a coordinated bargaining effort, over 50,000 CUPE school board workers will see a wage increase of 3.0% every year for the next four years. Gains have also been made with regards to benefit plans, working hours and staffing levels.
The fact that one hundred and five bargaining units were able to ratify a new collective agreement by the November 30th deadline is a testament to the hard work that so many people put into completing this bargaining process, said Terri Preston, Chair of the CUPE Ontario School Board Coordinating Committee (OSBCC). It’s a proud occasion and an important achievement, particularly given the state of the current economy.
Preston paid tribute to all the leaders of the locals, their servicing staff and area reps on the OSBCC, as well as with the special “flying squad” of PDT specialists who pulled out all stops to complete the bargaining process.
CUPE Ontario President Sid Ryan said that the win is a result of years of political action directed at the Minister of Education and School Boards by CUPE Ontario locals and members.
From campaigns like the Need to Succeed to the Fair Funding Formula for Schools, school board workers have consistently made the point that support workers are a key contributor to the quality of education and safe clean schools for our kids, said Ryan. All of those efforts led to the creation of the Provincial Discussion Table.
This is a prime example of what we can achieve when an entire sector and the leaders and staff who serve them come together with coordinated action, added Ryan. This is a model that we hope to emulate to make similar gains in other sectors.
There are so many people to thank for all their contributions in making this happen. This victory goes back to the days of when Charlotte Menardo was OSBCC chair and Karen McNama was coordinator. Those roles got carried on by Frank Ventresca and Betty Somers respectively and up through to day with Terri Preston and Brian Blakeley, added Ryan. Overall, it’s an amazing achievement for the school board sector and our union.
Click for information on Provincial School Board Negotiations
