CUPE anxiety is neither the beginning nor the end of Ford’s anti-worker bullying

Under the shadow of an imminent strike, the Ontario government and a union representing Ontario’s education workers reached a tentative agreement to begin a ratification vote on Thursday. Negotiations between the Council of Unions (CUPE OSBCU) and the Progressive Conservatives are tumultuous. Since CUPE OSBCU issued its notice of negotiations in June, negotiations have faced a slow start, set back by the introduction of Bill 28, which would add powerful armed union members to collective bargaining agreements.

Negotiations resumed after the repeal of Bill 28, but CUPE OSBCU immediately issued a five-day strike notice. Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the strike notice was “disappointing” but under previous anti-workers laws enacted by Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives, a difficult negotiation journey was inevitable. Maybe.

anti-worker attitude

“There are far fewer ways governments are less likely to use force and revitalize the movement as a whole, as happened with Bill 28,” said Alison Braley Rattay, an associate professor of labor studies at Brock University. I am writing an email to rabble.ca.

The government has used its power against workers for years before Bill 28. Ontario residents may remember when Doug Ford decided to postpone raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Originally he was due to be raised in 2019, but Ontario’s minimum wage hit $15 an hour in his January alone of this year.

Progressive conservatives also lifted mask mandates in schools in February, until organizations such as the Children’s Health Coalition have made a better assessment of the situation for the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Doug Ford is looking to cut costs for medical staff, according to a Press Progress report, amid a health workforce crisis.

Doug Ford also introduced Bill 124 in 2019. The bill limits wage increases for public sector workers to 1% per year. Even if the interim agreement with CUPE OSBCU is ratified, tensions and unrest could continue as Bill 124 binds other public sector unions during negotiations.

The union has momentum

Professor Larry Savage, also a professor of labor at Brock University, said the momentum gained while mobilizing against Bill 28 should continue.

“There is no doubt that the repeal of Bill 28 has given union members the confidence that they can rise up, fight back and win. It’s about turning it into a victory in 2018,” Savage said.

Achieving these victories at the negotiating table may be difficult given the government’s anti-worker stance.

“OSBCU’s experience at the negotiating table did not appear to be positive,” said Braley-Rattai. “Education ministers began with divisive rhetoric early in the negotiating process and did not strike a conciliatory tone until the announcement of a tentative agreement. , I don’t think we will be blamed even if we enter into negotiations with their support.”

The Ontario Federation of Elementary School Teachers (ETFO) issued notice of negotiations in June, and the agreement expired at the end of August.Similarly, the Ontario Nurses Association’s hospital central agreement is set to expire in March 2023, ETFO said. in a joint statement We share with other educational institutions that free and fair bargaining is essential to fair trade.

CUPE OSBCU president Laura Walton said at a press conference that she doesn’t like the interim deal. Disappointment with the interim agreement is evident from CUPE OSBCU and could spell disaster for other public sector unions preparing to negotiate.

“Negotiations are rarely easy and can always go crazy in all directions,” said Braley Rattay. “Whatever the reason, any attempt to shift blame and sow the seeds of division in the public, as Minister Lecce did, will have a negative impact on the negotiations.”

Braley-Rattai said it was difficult to predict whether broader hiring activity could be expected in the future. But it’s clear that Ford has shown there are limits to the power to push organized workers aside, she said.

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