Aug 15, 2022
By Christine Ross
The Ford government is offering lowest-paid school staff a 2 % wage hike.
For those earning less than $40,000, the province is offering a 2 % increase each year over four years. And anyone earning more than that will get 1.25 %.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce calls the offer fair and sustainable. “The cumulative increase is up to 8.24% over the course of the contract,” Lecce told reporters. “In addition to maintaining a very generous level of pensions, benefits, where nothing changes at all, we’ve got some of the best benefit and pension programs in the country.”
The offer to the union during current bargaining also includes some changes to short-term disability coverage, while maintaining 11 fully-paid sick days.
It’s in response to CUPE’s offer that included a $3.35 cent wage increase for all members — or about 11.7 % as well as proposals to remove wage grids and put all workers at the top rate of pay.
Its members are typically the lowest-paid staff though some positions are part-time.
The government document says that in total, CUPE’s proposals would cost more than $4 billion over three years.
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