Ontario education support workers have voted to accept a new deal with the provincial government, ending a long and contentious negotiation process.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents about 55,000 workers, announced the ratification of the contract Monday morning.
According to the negotiating committee, about 73 percent of members voted in favor of the tentative agreement.
“For the first time in a decade, education workers have reached a collective agreement that did not impose conditions through legislation,” the union said in a statement.
The union said 41,559 people participated in the ratification vote, about 76 percent of its membership.
“We have seen unprecedented commitment from members,” the union said.
Under the new agreement, all workers will receive a fixed wage increase of $1 an hour, or about 3.59 percent annually. The government has said this would result in a “significant increase in pay” for the union’s lowest-ranking members.
The bargaining committee also secured reimbursement for the two days workers participated in a political protest over Bill 28, legislation that forced workers into a minimum contract and made the strike illegal.
Only a tentative deal was reached when education workers agreed to end their province-wide strike in exchange for the government overturning the legislation.
“This is a particularly appropriate achievement, recognizing that you should not have had to do this just to maintain the Charter bargaining rights you have always had,” union president Mark Hancock wrote in a letter to members in november
Although the deal was supported by the negotiating committee, there were people within the CUPE leadership who were not thrilled with the proposal.
Laura Walton, president of CUPE’s Ontario School Boards Union Council, previously said that while the wage offer was higher than the government had previously mandated, there is still no new money to plus services or staff.
Walton said that while he feels the agreement fell short, it was time to bring the contract to the membership for a vote. Members had until December 4 to choose whether to accept or reject the deal.
This is breaking news. More to come.