As CUPE and the four Ontario teachers’ unions announce their plans for strike votes in November, CUPE-OSBCU, the union representing 57,000 Educational Assistants, caretakers, office workers and others across the province’s school boards has made another strong statement this past week.
The Toronto Star reported that CUPE’s school boards bargaining unit sent an email on September 29 saying that its leaders decided to “proceed with a central strike vote…(and) to conduct an all-out strike on day one, rather than starting with work-to-rule if a strike becomes necessary. Leaders voted in favour of an all-out strike day one.”
Rejecting work-to-rule option
This announcement underscores the many ways that this round of bargaining feels different than the past. Often education unions will start their strike action with a period of work-to-rule, in which they don’t do anything outside of their collective agreement. Many like it because it demonstrates how much is expected of educators outside of their contracted work and how much the province relies on voluntary work. As well, some like it because educators can still get paid while not totally withdrawing their labour.
However, many have been critical of the strategy. When asked about it, former Ontario teacher and labour historian Andy Hanson said:
“Work-to-rule mobilizes and politicizes the membership and puts the employer on notice that something more is being planned to follow. [But] work-to-rule sanctions are very difficult to monitor for the local office and they often generate rancour within the membership: the music teacher wants to put on his concert, the coach wants to take her team to the district playoffs, the science teacher wants the kids at the science fair, etc. Work-to-rule sanctions should be the step before a full strike, and of short duration before getting there.”
The clarity of the strike
Joe Tigani, the president of the OSBCU, said in a recent interview that with so many job classifications, work-to-rule is ineffective. Citing examples in which union members were disciplined or laid off for engaging in work-to-rule, he emphasized that rather than confusing students, parents and colleagues with partial work withdrawal, the move would be an all-out strike on the first day. However, there are a lot of steps before that can happen, including meaningful bargaining, help from a conciliator and a no-board report which would begin a 17-day countdown to a strike.
Contracts for over 250,000 education workers expired in August and negotiations have stalled while the Ontario Labour Relations Board decides on which items will be bargained provincially versus locally. Meetings are planned for October and a ruling could get the parties bargaining again by mid-November.
Regardless of when bargaining resumes, the statement by CUPE-OSBCU sends a strong message and must be followed up by a big turnout in October 24 education rallies around the province and big strike mandates from the November strike votes.
Check out Spring Magazine’s education worker resource page and join a local rally on October 24.
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