CUPE Labour Update

CUPE Labour Update

November 17, 2022

With the news yesterday that CUPE has given 5-day notice of a strike starting Monday, November 21, 2022, families will receive information from us later today about expectations for next week. The news is reporting that negotiations are continuing and everyone is hoping for a settlement as soon as possible.


UPDATE November 7, 2022

We have received confirmation that CUPE education workers will return to work tomorrow, Tuesday, November 8, following the Ontario government's offer to repeal legislation if CUPE agrees to return to negotiations. With that in place, it means schools will be open to students and busing will be running, as usual, on Tuesday, November 8, 2022 and until further notice.

 

All other aspects of learning and school/board operations will return to normal, including the following: Before/after school and EarlyON programs will resume operations. High school students may return to their co-op placements. Community use of schools permits will resume. This is welcome news for everyone involved—CUPE workers, students, families and the provincial negotiating teams who have committed to return to collective bargaining.

Families who were assigned technology for students to use for asynchronous remote learning are asked to return it to the school so it can be used in the classroom setting.

 

We’re all looking forward to welcoming students and staff back to school tomorrow. Thank you for your patience and support of your child’s school during the labour uncertainty.


November 7, 2022

There was no change to the CUPE job action situation over the weekend.

Buses are not running and schools are closed to students until further notice. Asynchronous remote learning is in place. Please contact your child’s teacher if your child requires any specific supports for learning. 

This situation is very fluid and we are collectively dealing with evolving circumstances. 

We will communicate updates through emails to families, notices to the local media, and updates on this page and @HPEschools social media.

Thank you for your patience, kindness and support of our schools.


November 4, 2022

We are continuing to monitor the CUPE job action that is affecting most school boards in Ontario.

If the situation does not change over the weekend, schools will be closed to students on Monday, November 7, 2022 and into next week, with students learning from home.

With schools closed to students, asynchronous remote learning will be in place for all students. Please contact your child’s teacher if your child requires any specific support at this time.

REMINDERS

  • Before/after school and EarlyON programs hosted at HPEDSB schools, and community use of schools permits are on pause during the job action.

  • If your child attends daycare hosted in one of our schools, please contact the daycare provider directly.

  • High school students who are doing co-op education placements can continue going to their workplaces if it is not at a school or board/administrative office. If it is at one of those sites, the placement is on hold and alternative learning will be provided by the teacher.

This situation is very fluid and we are collectively dealing with evolving circumstances. If anything changes over the weekend and it turns out that schools can be open, we will communicate through email to families, notices to the local media, and updates on this page and @HPEschools social media.

Thank you for your patience, kindness and support of our schools.
Read more in the letter from Katherine MacIver, Director of Education.


November 3, 2022

Schools will be closed for in-person learning on Friday, November 4, 2022. Read more in the letter from Director Katherine MacIver


November 1, 2022

HPEDSB is planning for the possibility of transitioning to asynchronous online learning on Friday, November 4. Read more in the letter from Director Katherine MacIver


October 27, 2022

Across Ontario, school districts are engaged in collective bargaining with employee groups. During these negotiations, all Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board (HPEDSB) schools are currently open with no loss of service taking place. Any significant updates that may affect schools will be shared with families as soon as possible.

Support staff represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) are currently in mediated contract negotiations with the Ontario Government, and the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA), which represents public school boards at the provincial table. The mediator has scheduled another bargaining date on November 1.

CUPE members of HPEDSB, and across the province, participated in strike votes earlier this fall and will be in a legal strike position on November 3, 2022. Strike votes and conciliation are part of the bargaining process. While these are necessary preconditions for strike action, this does not mean that strike action is imminent. Should unions decide to take strike action, school boards would receive five days notice.

Contingency plans regarding any potential labour disruptions, and how they may impact learning, will be made based on circumstances as they evolve. Student and staff safety, health, and well-being are top considerations and will guide all decisions.

HPEDSB values the work of all employees and their commitment to student learning, safety and well-being. CUPE employees provide critical services in our schools and the withdrawal of those services, partially or fully, would create challenges.

We respect the collective bargaining process and are hopeful for a fair, mutually agreeable resolution as quickly as possible. Emerging from the disruptions caused by the pandemic, we are also very aware of the need for stability and continuity of learning.

Further, we know that timely communication is important and we commit to providing school communities with additional details on any job action as soon as possible. Updates will be provided via regular communication channels (websites, social media, and communications to staff and families).