TORONTO – Although non-teaching staff at Ontario schools have returned to work and negotiations have just resumed, the agreement between the government and CUPE remains a mirage. The parties seem to be still far apart on some key issues. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which has more than 50,000 members among the education support staff, says it will not accept a “two-tier offer” from the province: an uneven wage increase has been reported as part of the latest offer from the Ford government “We have been clear, an agreement will be made with a substantial lump sum increase – reads a statement released yesterday by the bargaining committee – such an offer would not be up to what you workers need to ratify an agreement.”
