2 Ontario school boards say they will close schools if workers go on full strike

Two Ontario school boards said Friday they will close schools if education workers go on a full strike next month, warning parents that they are "very concerned" about the possibility of job action.

The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board and the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic School Board said the decision was made based on a number of considerations, including student supervision, medical supports, sanitation and overall school security.

"We appreciate that the potential of closing our schools is difficult news, and not a decision we make lightly," read the update posted to Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board's website.

"But the reality is that without CUPE education workers on-site, we could not ensure safe conditions for all our students."

The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents 55,000 workers such as educational assistants, custodians and early childhood educators, will be in a legal strike position as of Thursday, though it is still required to give five days' notice of any job action.

The union has not indicated if education workers would engage in a full or partial strike, start with a work-to-rule campaign, or take some other course of action at that point.

Negotiations between the union and the province are scheduled to resume on Tuesday after sessions with a mediator last week broke down after just two days with both sides still far apart on wages.

CUPE is looking for annual salary increases of 11.7 per cent and the government in response has offered raises of two per cent a year for workers making less than $40,000 and 1.25 per cent for all others.

Education workers have made several other proposals, including overtime at two times the regular pay rate, 30 minutes of paid prep time per day for educational assistants and ECEs, an increase in benefits and professional development for all workers.

CUPE 'trying to disrupt in-class learning,' Lecce says

Other than the proposal on wages, the government's offer seeks to keep all other areas the same as the previous deal except for a cut to sick leave pay.

The government wants to institute what it's calling a five-day "waiting period" for short-term disability during which a worker would receive 25 per cent of their normal pay and 90 per cent for the rest of the 120 days.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce has accused CUPE of "trying to disrupt in-class learning by refusing to compromise" on what he alls unreasonable demands.

Laura Walton, president of CUPE's Ontario School Boards Council of Unions, has said the union's proposals are about "student success and good jobs."

In 2019, CUPE and the government reached a last-minute deal the day before workers had been set to go on a full strike.

The two school boards combined operate over 100 schools attended by roughly 50,000 students in Peterborough, Bowmanville and the surrounding area.

Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic said students would transition to remote learning at home, while Kawartha Pine Ridge said it would share details on plans if they receive notice from CUPE about pending strike action.