October 22 Ontario Education Workers’ Rally

Etobicoke

Saturday, October 22 — 11:30 am-2:00 pm
Toronto Congress Centre, 650 Dixon Rd

Education workers are calling on everyone to join them in a lunch-time demonstration at the Ontario Progressive Conservative’s Annual Convention to “send a clear message that CUPE education workers are ready to fight for our students, schools, community, and ourselves!”

The 55,000 education support workers, members of CUPE 4400, are custodians, maintenance and library workers, secretaries, early childhood educators, educational assistants, and IT professionals. They are in contract negotiations with the Ontario provincial government which has refused to meet their legitimate demands and instead is offering wage increases so low that they amount to wage cuts.

Education workers have voted 96 per cent in favour of a strike if needed, and are in a legal strike position as early as November 3. Their demands include, in addition to significant wage increases for the lowest paid frontline workers, proposals for increases in funding and staffing which would improve the quality of education for students.