OSBCU 2022 Bargaining Update #6
While the scope of central bargaining has been decided, with only one day of negotiations having taken place in July and just a month and a half until September 1, OSBCU education workers continue to urge the government to get a fair deal done before school starts.
On Monday, July 18, your CUPE-Ontario School Boards Council of Unions (OSBCU) central bargaining committee met, in person in Toronto, with representatives of the Council of Trustees’ Associations (CTA) and the Ministry of Education. This second meeting happened 31 days after the first meeting on Friday, June 17 because the other side wasn’t willing to meet again until today.
What was discussed
Over a period of about nine hours on Monday, your coworkers focused on trying to get an agreement with your bosses’ representatives about the same two things as last time: ground rules for this round of negotiations and the scope of central bargaining.
Ground rules
We’re pleased to report that the ground rules for this round of bargaining have been signed. Consistent with your union’s commitment to open and transparent bargaining, there is no “media blackout”.
Just like the hundreds of trustees and managers of the 63 local school boards expect to see the proposals their representatives will bring to the negotiating table, you deserve to see the proposals your bargaining team puts forward and the responses that the other side provides.
The less secretive that negotiations are, the harder it is for those across the table from your coworkers to say one thing to your elected bargaining team while a government spokesperson goes on TV to say something very different before we even have time to update you.
Scope of central bargaining
As explained in Bargaining Update #1, each school board collective agreement has two components: one, central, that applies to everyone (all school boards and CUPE education workers) and another, local, that applies just to your bargaining unit and school board. The law requires the central parties to meet and determine which matters are negotiated centrally. Monetary issues are usually bargained centrally.
We were able to reach an agreement on central scope with the trustees’ and government’s representatives today. This means that, according to provincial law, local bargaining can start now.
A Zoom meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 20 for local bargaining teams with a written joint communication to follow as soon as it has been translated.
What’s next?
While we wanted to meet again as soon as possible, negotiators for trustees and the government have so far only agreed to meet on August 2. We have offered an additional 10 dates in the next three weeks and are eagerly awaiting their response.
Together, we are ready to get a fair deal done that makes the education experience better for kids starting this September and turns education jobs into work that people can afford to do now.
Stability looks like not losing your job. Stability looks like students having the services they need instead of cuts.
If you want to get updates from OSBCU head over to their site and sign up!