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cent Continued from page 3 An education support worker is anyone employed by a school bo: te and manage! ‘ich covers a wide range oF positions. Over 1,700 OSBCU-CUPE lone are impacted by the ongoing Oakville Beaver | Thursday, September 8, 2022 Li Es HU support worker earns $39,000 annually, with the proposal offering an increase of 33 cents to 53 cents per hour, according to a CUPE news release. The previous contract introduced in 2019 — sub- ject to legislation known as Bill 124 — offered an in- crease of 1 per cent a year at the end of Augu: Whil inflation from. 2012 to 2021 has totalled 19.5 per cent, there has only een an 8.8 per cent in- crease in wage settlements over the decade, said Laura Walton, resident of of (OSB- CU) for the Union of Public moyen (CUP! E). Added. atten, already taken a cent wage cut ota. we will not take a wage cut again.” For Blankstein — a 32- year-old financial clerk at the HCDSB's Burlington ice who earns approxi- mately $50,000 a year —an increase 1.25 per cent would amount to a little over $600 annually. That's a little less than a tank of gas per month. Pointing to restricted workers' wages over the past decade and how infla- tion is expected to keep ris- ing, OSBCU, which repre- sents 55,000 CUPE educa- tion workers, is seeking an annual wage increases of “We've 0.7 per AT DELMANOR GLEN ABBEY IN OAKVILLE, ON Dining Room Manager Dining Room Servers Cooks Dishwashers To apply, please send your resume at hr@delmanor.com insidehalton.com “I've gone to college and I'm going to university to get a higher paying job. But these higher paying jobs aren't paying enough.” - Danielle Blankstein 1.7 per cent — or $3.25 per our. At Queen's Park, Onta- rio Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the union is seeking the equivalent of a 52 per cent raise, "which is the equiv- alent of the entire minis- Glen Abbey Inspired Retirement Living™ 1459 NOTTINGHILL GATE, OAKVILLE try of colleges and univer- sities budget — it is the en- tire budget of the province of Saskatchewan. This i isa massive increase." Blankstein, a_ single mother for the past six irs who's now expecting her second child with her fiancé, said, "Housing should cost 30 per cent of your income. Where on a wage scale that I'm making, could J even find a one-bed- room apartment for 30 per cent of my wage?" She add- ed, "I" 've gone to college and jing to university to geta higher: paying job. But these higher paying jobs aying enough." t Di ft OSBCU is calling for a trike vote as a 'd able, necessary, and af- fordable proposals for im- proving working and learning conditions in On- tario schools," states the ‘CONTRACT TALKS REPORTEDLY ‘FRUITFUL’: LECCE CUPE website. Lecce recently told the Toronto Star that families “all borne a massive Cae ocatenee of this pan- demic, and the one obliga- tion we have is to stay at the table and work together to get a deal." He added he was surprised at the move, given all sides have reported that talks to date "are actually quite fruitful .. and yet they're now on a potential path to strike in early Sep- tember, when we know chil- dren should be in school." Lecce asked union lead- ers to “rescind this action" immediately. Blankstein said she has always worked two jobs to support her family. She is currently looking into ad- ditional employment in case the union implements astrike. "I don't want a strike, but I can't afford not to,” she said. sXe [ULer-} Ke) mucoler-\\A We are hiring Apply to join our team. Positions are available in Peel and Halton, including Mississauga, Milton, Georgetown, Acton and Limehouse. ymcagta.org/bethespark While working in the clerical department has al- lowed Blanksten some ad- vancements in her career, she said eeectanant wes increases are often the on. ly increment employees re- ly on. Adopting OSBCUs pro- posal w: Ip solve the school a ¥ roblem of ruiting and retaining employees, as well as in- reasing services and funding for children and their education, said Wat- son. Strike votes for OSBCU members across are ongoing from Sept. 23 to Oct. 2. — With files from the Toronto Star STORY BEHIND THE STORY: With contract negotiations ongoing be- tween the provincial gov- ernment and the Ontario School Boards Council of Unions over education workers' wages, we wanted to gauge local reaction to the proposed increase.