TORONTO — Contract negotiations are ongoing between the provincial government and the union representing Ontario’s education workers as a midnight strike deadline edges closer.
The 55,000 school workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees have said they’ll strike if no deal is reached by 12:01 a.m. on Monday.
A strike would see hundreds of schools close their doors, because at least two dozen school boards — including the three largest — have said they can’t operate without the workers.
The Toronto District School Board says nearly half of its 38,000 staff members are represented by CUPE, making it logistically impossible to stay open during a strike.
There was a media blackout during the weekend bargaining session, but the province and school boards have previously said that high rates of worker absenteeism remained unresolved in talks.
The union, on the other hand, has said it’s demanding that the Progressive Conservative government’s education cuts be rolled back.
A group of parents rallied Sunday in front of Toronto City Hall and outside the Sheraton Centre, where talks are taking place, supporting the CUPE workers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 6, 2019.
The Canadian Press
The Canadian Press
