A tentative deal has been reached for a new central agreement, following talks between the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the provincial government and the Council of Trustees’ Associations (CTA).  According to CUPE, the agreement also ends current work-to-rule job action by CUPE education workers  – including custodians and caretakers, maintenance workers, and tradespeople – and averts a province-wide strike that might have begun on October 7, 2019.

“We have secured a settlement that invests in high-quality services for students in Ontario’s schools, now and for the future,” said Laura Walton, president of OSBCU, which bargains centrally on behalf of the union’s education workers in CUPE’S press release.

“At the same time, it ensures that our members have secure jobs, decent benefits, and paid leave when they’re sick or injured. It’s what our education workers deserve.”

The tentative agreement, which must still be ratified by CUPE members in 109 bargaining units, restores many of the cuts made to education services earlier this year.

The union will not disclose specific details of the tentative settlement until the education workers have had the opportunity to review its contents and vote on the agreement.