Toronto Catholic School Board Warns Parents That Schools Will Close Friday If Workers Strike

If your children go to a Catholic school in Toronto, you may want to look into child care options for November 4.

Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) released a statement to parents and guardians on October 30 warning that if the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) workers go on strike Friday, November 4, all TCDSB schools will close for the duration of the strike.

"This strike action will affect all schools in Ontario and means CUPE members will not report to work," reads the statement.

TCDSB explained that CUPE workers are valuable members of their schools, including "Education Assistants, Student Supervisors, Caretakers and Maintenance staff, School Secretaries, Child and Youth Workers, International Language Instructors, Adult English as a Second Language Instructors, and Technical staff."

"We understand that this news is difficult and may be the source of stress among families and their children, particularly after the circumstances during the pandemic. However, please be aware that the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) does not control the decisions regarding the strike or its remedy as negotiations rest centrally at the provincial level."

If schools do close on November 4, this means night classes, Saturday classes and special events atTCDSB schools will also be cancelled.

TCDSB said they are working with child-care providers on a contingency plan but are encouraging parents to seek alternate arrangements for their children and keep an eye on Twitter and the board website for updates.

What's happening with the strike notice & negotiations?

OSBCU-CSCSO, which represents 55,000 CUPE education workers in Ontario, released a statement to Twitter on October 30 at 10:20 a.m. and said a five-day notice of full withdrawal of services on November 4 had been served.

"We view the next 3 days of mediation – November 1,2 and 3 — to be an opportunity for this government to come to the table to negotiate an agreement that recognizes Education Workers and the vital services that we provide for students, families, and our communities."

Several rounds of mediation between the OSBCU-CSCSO bargaining committee and the Ontario government have proved unfruitful as the union fights for $3.25 hourly wage increases every year as a part of the three-year collective agreement and an increase in staffing, according to a press release.

In a press release published on October 30, Laura Walton, an educational assistant and president of CUPE's Ontario School Boards Council of Unions (OSBCU), said, "We have been urging the Ford government to reach a deal with us for 150 days, but so far they keep saying 'no' even though they could easily afford to say 'yes' given their $2.1 billion surplus."

"With kids being sent home from school because there aren't enough staff available and so many education workers relying on foodbanks, it's sad that we're being told the pressure of a potential strike is needed to make the Ford government take our negotiations seriously."

Minister of Education Stephen Leece told Narcity they have asked CUPE to come back to the table today in light of the strike notice.

"For the sake of students and parents, we are not giving up on a deal that protects in-person learning for kids, after two years of disruption that led to learning loss and mental health adversity. We have asked CUPE to meet us back at the table today and hope that they budge from their demand for a nearly 50 per cent increase in compensation, which they have so far refused to do," said Leece.

"We are at the table with a fair offer that includes a pay raise and maintains the most generous pension and benefit package, but most importantly — it keeps kids in class. If CUPE moves ahead with strike action and disruption, we will act to keep students in class so they can continue to catch up."

OSBCU released a bargaining update on Twitter, confirming that representatives from the Ministry of Education reached out for a meeting this afternoon.

"We welcome any opportunity for fulsome discussion that will move these negotiations forward. We will continue our practice of transparency and will update you following our meeting," reads the statement.

If a deal cannot be struck and CUPE workers do strike, both Kawartha Pine Ridge District and Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Boards have announced in separate press releases that their schools will also close.