After last week’s meeting between unions and government, CUPE members “more determined than ever” to fight for a fair collective agreement, say leaders
TORONTO, ON – Education workers in nine school boards are responding to last week’s ultimatum from Premier Kathleen Wynne about their work-to-rule action by holding Rallies for Respect in their communities.
The rallies taking place this evening in St. Catharines, London, Mississauga, Aurora and Welland are a show of support for union representatives from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), who are in negotiations tomorrow with the province and the Council of Trustees Association (CTA).
Education workers are determined to protect the supports and services they provide to students in the Niagara school system. “Our collective agreement is the best line of defence against cuts to the programs, services and assistance that students in our schools need to succeed,” said Moira Bell, President of CUPE Local 4186. “Our rally will show that we are ready to defend those services and that we won’t cave in to the province’s or the school board’s threats to jeopardize them.”
“CUPE members are determined to negotiate a fair collective agreement that respect the critical work they do,” said Terri Preston, chair of CUPE’s Ontario School Board Coordinating Committee. “That’s what this rally is about and that’s what our work-to-rule job action is about.”
“CUPE education workers have been subjected to an appalling lack of respect from this Liberal government,” said Fred Hahn, president of CUPE Ontario. “Our members have been without a fair collective agreement for well over a year. At this rally, we will call on the government to work to resolve this labour dispute, not to issue ultimatums.”
| School board workers from | Location | Time |
| District School Board of Niagara | 191 Carlton St., St. Catharines |
6:00 p.m. |
| Thames Valley District School Board, London District Catholic School Board, Huron Perth Catholic District School Board and Waterloo Catholic District School Board | 1250 Dundas St., London | 4:00 p.m. |
| Peel District School Board and Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board | 5650 Hurontario St., Mississauga | |
| York Catholic District School Board | 320 Bloomington Rd. W., Aurora | 6:00 p.m. |
| Niagara Catholic District School Board | 427 Rice Rd., Welland | 6:00 p.m. |
CUPE’s 55,000 education workers are represented in schools and board offices across Ontario, in all four school systems. CUPE members work as educational assistants, custodians, office administrators, early childhood educators, trades people, instructors, library technicians, speech pathologists, IT specialists and other positions in Ontario schools.
