NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD ASSOCIATION
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Statement from the Minister of Education follows.
Toronto, April 4, 2020 – The Ontario Public School Boards' Association (OPSBA) is pleased to announce that the Council of Trustees' Associations (CTA) and the provincial government have successfully negotiated a tentative settlement on central terms of a collective agreement with the Ontario Council of Education Workers (OCEW).
"Despite the challenges caused by the current COVID-19 situation, all of the parties continued to work towards reaching a deal that will help to bring some stability to our system during what is obviously an unprecedented and rapidly evolving situation," said OPSBA President Cathy Abraham. "Education workers play an important role in our schools, and this agreement is a recognition that we value the contribution they make to the educational experience of our students every day."
The details of the agreement remain confidential until ratified by all parties. OCEW is composed of:
- COPE Ontario
- Educational Resource Facilitators of Peel
- Essex and Kent Counties Skilled Trades Council
- Labourers’ International Union of North America
- Maintenance and Construction Skilled Trades Council
- Ontario Public Service Employees Union
- Unifor
OPSBA continues to negotiate with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation with the best interests of students in mind.
For this negotiation, the CTA is a partnership between the Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association and the Ontario Public School Boards' Association.
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Village media has also received the following statement from Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education on the tentative agreement with Ontario Council of Education Workers (OCEW)
TORONTO — Today, Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, issued the following statement after reaching a tentative agreement with Ontario Council of Educational Workers (OCEW):
"Our Government is pleased to announce a tentative agreement has been reached between the Crown, the Council of Trustees' Associations, and OCEW.
This tentative agreement shows our Government's commitment to providing stability to parents, students, and education workers.
The time is now to get the two remaining deals done, for the benefit of our students."
Quick facts- This is the fifth tentative agreement reached by the government with teachers’ and education workers’ unions – preceded by OECTA, ETFO, ETFO EW, and AEFO, and two ratified agreements with CUPE and EWAO – which provides stability and certainty to more Ontario students and families.
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