Education workers gather in support of jobs, services, and a fair bargaining process

MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Oct. 27, 2015) - Education workers with Peel District School Board and Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board are responding to last week's ultimatum from Premier Kathleen Wynne about their work-to-rule action by holding an information picket in their community.

The event is a show of support for union representatives from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), who are in negotiations tomorrow with the province and the Council of Trustees Association (CTA).

"Our information picket will show that we are ready to defend services to students; we won't cave in to the province's or the school board's threats to jeopardize them," said Linda Racicot, President CUPE Local 1628.

Education workers are determined to protect the supports and services they provide to students in the area's school system. "Our collective agreement is the best line of defence against cuts to the programs, services and assistance that students in our schools need to succeed," said Dan Bouchard, President of CUPE Local 2544.

"CUPE members are determined to negotiate a fair collective agreement that respect the critical work they do," said Terri Preston, chair of CUPE's Ontario School Board Coordinating Committee. "That's what this event is about and that's what our work-to-rule job action is about."

"CUPE education workers have been subjected to an appalling lack of respect from this Liberal government," said Fred Hahn, president of CUPE Ontario. "Our members have been without a fair collective agreement for well over a year. At this rally, we will call on the government to work to resolve this labour dispute, not to issue ultimatums."

CUPE's 55,000 education workers are represented in schools and board offices across Ontario, in all four school systems. CUPE members work as educational assistants, custodians, office administrators, early childhood educators, trades people, instructors, library technicians, speech pathologists, IT specialists and other positions in Ontario schools.