The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents staff including educational assistants, custodians and early childhood educators, says a strike could start as soon as Friday.
Negotiations were scheduled to resume on Tuesday, but were moved up after the Canadian Union of Public Employees gave the required five days' notice for a job action.
"We are at the table with a fair offer that includes a pay raise and maintains the most generous pension and benefit package, but most importantly — it keeps kids in class," Lecce said in a news release Sunday. CUPE is looking for annual salary increases of 11.7 per cent and the government in response has offered raises of two per cent a year for workers making less than $40,000 and 1.25 per cent for all others.
The government wants to institute what it's calling a five-day "waiting period" for short-term disability during which a worker would receive 25 per cent of their normal pay and 90 per cent for the rest of the 120 days.The Toronto Catholic District School Board sent a letter Sunday informing parents that its 195 schools, which serve more than 90,000 students, will close if CUPE moves forward with a full strike.
"With approximately 14,600 TDSB staff members represented by CUPE, maintaining a normal routine will be very difficult and as such, parents/guardians/caregivers and students should be prepared for all possibilities," the TDSB said in a statement.