CUPE-OSBCU is urging the government to come to the bargaining table prepared to increase staffing levels in schools across the province, improve supports for students and make necessary investments in publicly funded and publicly delivered education in Ontario.
“There can be no ‘business as usual’ while education workers and students bear the brunt of chronic underfunding,” said Joe Tigani, President of the OSBCU. “Early bargaining is critical to stabilizing our schools and addressing the staffing crisis before it becomes even more severe.”
School boards are already warning CUPE locals that thousands of education workers could be laid off for September 2026 following the expiry of the current collective agreement in August. These potential cuts come at a time when schools are already struggling to meet students’ needs due to years of inadequate funding and chronic understaffing.
“We need to begin bargaining as soon as possible because the staffing crisis in our schools is already causing real harm,” said Lianne Barley, President of CUPE 997, representing education workers at the Trillium Lakelands District School Board. “There is a ‘Plan B’ in place so that when staff are absent, they are generally not replaced until the fourth day of absence. The lack of replacement workers means employees are coming to work sick, workloads are piling up and violence in the workplace is increasing because schools are simply understaffed.”
The OSBCU, CUPE 997 and CUPE 1453 say they are ready to go to the bargaining table at any time. “Early bargaining is essential to provide certainty for students, parents and education workers, and to prevent yet another school year marked by a crisis of underfunding and understaffing of public education,” said CUPE in a press release. “Minister Calandra can issue a regulation to allow bargaining to start up to 180 days before the expiry of the current agreement at the end of August and as early as the beginning of March.”
“CUPE 1453 is ready to get to the table immediately, and we fully support the OSBCU’s call for the Ontario government to begin bargaining as soon as possible,” said Nora Shaughnessy, President of CUPE 1453, representing education workers at PVNCCDSB. “Right now, our schools are extremely underfunded, and it’s our students who are paying the price. Many are not getting the supports they need, and our staffing levels simply aren’t enough to meet growing demands. The chronic shortage of Educational Assistants has led to escalating physical and mental health issues among staff, many of whom are working through breaks and lunches just to meet the needs of students. Violence in schools is on the rise, and workers are telling us it’s becoming increasingly difficult to maintain safe, effective learning environments.”
