TORONTO — Ontario’s education minister is planning to introduce legislation today to avert a looming strike by support staff and impose a contract on them, which the union says it intends to fight.
Stephen Lecce says the legislation is in response to the refusal by the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents about 55,000 education workers, to withdraw their intent to strike.
Lecce’s announcement Sunday came hours after CUPE announced it was giving the required five-day notice to start a full strike on Friday — they will be in a legal strike position on Thursday.
The government had been offering raises of 2% a year for workers making less than $40,000 and 1.25% for all others.
Lecce says the new deal would give 2.5% annual raises to workers making less than $43,000 and 1.5% raises for all others.
CUPE has been seeking several changes, including annual salary increases of 11.7%, overtime at twice the regular pay rate and 30 minutes of paid prep time per day for educational assistants and ECEs.
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