Sudbury high school custodians still going to work on other side of the picketline
'To be very clear, we're very supportive of the teacher job actions that are being taken'
As English public high school teachers in the Sudbury area continue to strike, other unionized school board employees continue to go to work on the other side of the picketline.
Custodians and maintenance workers with the Rainbow District School Board in Sudbury, Manitoulin and Espanola are represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
Terri Preston is the provincial sector chair for school workers represented by CUPE, including about 170 cleaning staff in the Sudbury area.
She said her members are still going to work each day, but says it's hard for them to cross the picket line.
"They respect the picket line at their work locations. And to be very clear, we're very supportive of the teacher job actions that are being taken," she said.
"We have been in touch with [the teachers' union] and they certainly understand the situation and they have asked that we respect the picket line protocols and our members are doing that."
Preston said those protocols include custodians waiting five minutes before crossing the picket line to go into the school.
Preston said her own members have been without a contract since last August and said there are currently no ongoing negotiations to reach a new agreement.