TVDSB to Close Schools if CUPE Strikes

Tuesday, 1 November 2022 at 05:52

By Marcie Culbert

All TVDSB schools will close on Friday if Ontario's education workers walk off the job.

OXFORD/LONDON - The Thames Valley District School Board will switch to independent remote learning if Ontario's education workers walk off the job later this week.

The school board says all before and after school programs will be canceled and all Thames Valley child care centres and EarlyON Family Centres will also be closed if members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees hit the picket lines this Friday.

The union represents about 2,500 full-time employees and about 1,000 casual positions within the TVDSB. Province-wide, the union represents about 55,000 education workers including custodians, early childhood educators, and administration staff.

The London District Catholic School Board has yet to announce its plan for Friday. The school board stated on Sunday that a decision will be made later this week and it encouraged parents and guardians to make childcare arrangements just in case. About 1,300 of the LDSCB's 3,500 employees are represented by CUPE.

Ontario's legislature is in session this morning, so MPPs can debate a bill that would impose a contract on the education workers and ban them from going on strike on Friday. The Ford Government announced the Keeping Students in Class Act yesterday. This deal includes a 2.5 percent salary increase for workers making less than $43,000 annually and a 1.5 percent salary increase for everyone else. The union has been calling for annual pay raises of 11.7 percent to keep up with inflation.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees says its workers will still walk off the job on Friday, despite the legislation.

If a full withdrawal of CUPE services occurs, all Thames Valley in-person students will move to independent/remote learning activities on Friday, November 4. Schools will not be open to students. Visit our website for more information: https://t.co/kPj6UWWHTi pic.twitter.com/8UeQNORo9O
— Thames Valley DSB (@TVDSB) October 31, 2022