Local education workers ready for work-to-rule Monday

Education workers with the Waterloo Catholicand Wellington Catholic district school boards are scheduled to be on a work-to-rule campaign as of Monday if no deal is reached in a weekend negotiation between the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the province.

The 1,000 members with the CUPE local 2512 in Waterloo and and maintenance staff and caretakers with the CUPE local 256 in Wellingtonwill stop working overtime and performing any extra duties.

The job action would not impact schools in the Waterloo Region District School Board or the Upper Grand District School Board.

Joanne Delaney-Fraser, the president of CUPE local 2512 represents workers including education assistants, child and youth care workers and early childhood educators.

She says the CUPE members would stop performing what she called "bonus things we do during the day that are not part of our job."

"It could be anything from running programs after school, running programs during our lunch," Delaney-Fraser said.

"All the extra little bit of jobs that [educational assistants] do or [youth care workers] do or the admin assistants do with field trips and coaching and extracurriculars thatmight be done."

CUPE 2512 represents a number of different staff groups at the Waterloo Catholic District School Board:

• Education assistants.
• Personal support workers.
• Child and youth care workers.
• Early childhood educators.
• Lunch hour supervisors.
• Administrative assistants.
• Payroll and accounting associates.
• Computer technicians.
• Library technicians.

CUPE 256 with the Wellington Catholic District School Board represents caretakers and maintenance staff.

'Services decimated'

Laura Walton, the president of CUPE's Ontario School Board Council of Unions, said in a release her union is trying to protect its workersand the services students receive.

"This year we've seen those services decimated: school libraries closed over students' lunch breaks because there aren't enough library workers; school cleaning cut to the point that custodians are told they can only vacuum kindergarten classrooms once a week;" Walton said.

"Eight or nine students with special needs now supported by a single education assistant; communications with parents affected because some schools have lost their school secretaries. If it takes job action to restore these services, then so be it."

Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce has repeatedly said the government is committed to reaching a deal that provides stability for workers, parents and students alike.

CUPEis negotiating for job security, benefits and wages. The union has issued a required five days' notice to put it in a legal strike position as of Monday.

Contracts for Ontario's public school teachers and education workers expired Aug. 31, and the major unions are in various stages of bargaining.