OVTU supports CUPE Education workers

Nov. 20, 2022

The Ontario government recently passed a law that could have prevented the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), from negotiating a new employment contract for Ontario's 55,000 education workers. The law has received criticism for being passed before any negotiation was able to take place. It was pushed through with the Notwithstanding Clause, which allows the Ontario government to make decisions that override the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The Ford government wanted to force the 55,000 workers, who are asking for a small raise of $3.35/hour, to return to work without the right to negotiate. An illegal strike could have resulted in  thousands of fines for each worker.

Despite this, CUPE members decided to strike against these measures, and we at OVTU support them! A second strike was looming for education workers Monday after the demands of education workers weren’t met. But a better deal was negotiated and the workers agreed to end the strike. 

The lowest paid education workers are making $39,000/year. In Toronto, the average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment is over $17’000/year. This doesn’t leave much for food, insurance, utilities, student debts, or childcare. Labour organizing and tenant organizing have tremendous overlap. Workers strike for better working conditions and pay, and as tenants, we can organize for better living conditions and more affordable rent. 

The result is the same - better conditions for people, and more money in our pocket. The extreme rise in housing costs has put huge upward pressure on workers to demand more. As a result, we support CUPE members in their efforts.