TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Sept. 11, 2012) - CUPE Local 4400, representing over 12,000 employees of the Toronto District School Board has condemned the legislation passed today by the McGuinty government with the support of the Hudak Conservatives.
"To claim that this legislation is just a temporary wage freeze is a gross distortion," said Local 4400 President, John Weatherup.
Weatherup continued, "Premier McGuinty claims that he is merely pressing the pause button. Not true. The Premier is hitting the rewind button. He is eliminating important benefits that education workers have won over many decades. And he is violating our democratic right to freely negotiate with our employers. Local 4400 will continue to challenge this injustice."
Negotiations between Local 4400 and the TDSB commence on September 15.
"Local 4400 will put forward reasonable proposals that will benefit our schools, programs and communities, as well as our members," said John Weatherup. "We are very concerned about the impact that the premier's bully tactics may have on local negotiations. Local 4400 will challenge any attempt by the TDSB to take advantage of the Provincial Government's anti-worker campaign."
"School secretaries, caretakers, educational assistants, adult educators, International Languages instructors, lunchroom supervisors, and hundreds of other Local 4400 members have earned the respect of parents, students and community members. Sometimes people gang up in support of bullies. In the Kitchener-Waterloo by-election, the opposite happened," added Weatherup.
"With hundreds of layoffs of school office staff and educational assistants, and more school closures looming, students and parents are facing real problems in our schools. The bogus crisis created by McGuinty and Hudak just makes things worse," said Weatherup.
Contact Information:
John Weatherup
416-902-9266