The Ontario School Board Council of Unions Annual Convention took place on the 25 / 26 March 2021 by Zoom.
Click on the insert below for Day 1 and 2 highlights.
Capsule Day 1 OSBCU Convention 25March21
Capsule Day 2 OSBCU Convention 26March21
“We won’t pay for the mistakes of OMERS executives”: CUPE Ontario
TORONTO, ON – CUPE Ontario is calling for increased scrutiny of today’s announcement by the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) that the pension fund lost more than $3 billion last year. This represents a shortfall of more than $10 billion compared to their own benchmark returns for 2020.
EWBT Members Newsletter – February 2021
Wishing you a New Year of good health and wellbeing
With the month of January already behind us, time seems to be moving as quickly as ever!
Our first newsletter of the year is focused on sharing new information, and important reminders, to help you get the most out of your benefits program.
LIGHT IT UP FOR PAID SICK DAYS!
Join the Ontario Federation of Labour’s call to pass NDP MPP Peggy Sattler’s Bill 239, the ‘Stay Home If You Are Sick Act’ for 7 permanent paid sick days, plus 14 additional days during a pandemic.
The Ontario Legislature is set to return on February 16. Let’s make it clear they need to pass Bill 239 as soon as they are back to work!
Monday, February 15 – Family Day
Paid sick days are crucial for the well-being of all families. What better way to mark the holiday than shining a spotlight on the urgency of legislated paid sick days? This family day weekend, the Ontario Federation of Labour and the Fight for $15 and Fairness are joining forces to LIGHT IT UP for paid sick days.
Join the #LightItUp for #PaidSickDays action.
Postponing March Break: Comment from CUPE-OSBCU
Responding to today’s announcement by Minister of Education Stephen Lecce about the postponement of March break, president of CUPE’s Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU) Laura Walton gave the following comment:
“We made it clear to the Ford government that CUPE education workers wanted to keep March break intact. Staff and students have had a difficult school year and everyone’s mental health would have benefited from a long-scheduled break that was meant to help them recharge.”
Province must provide direction, support for students and staff working in schools during COVID shutdown
TORONTO, ON – Even in the current emergency shutdown in Ontario, thousands of students continue to go to school and continue to be supported by education workers. To protect everyone’s health and safety, the union that represents 55,000 education workers is calling on the provincial government to implement some straightforward measures that will lower the risks of spreading COVID-19.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has drawn up a list of simple, low-cost ways to reduce hazards for everyone who spends their days in brick-and-mortar schools. Laura Walton, president of CUPE’s Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU), outlined the measures that the union wants in place in schools that have students attending class:
CUPE responds to Star report of Ford government’s penny-pinching strategies for schools and COVID-19
TORONTO, ON – CUPE leaders expressed shock but not surprise at the findings in the Toronto Star’s investigation into the ‘watered down’ strategies that the Ontario government used to keep COVID-19 out of schools. Laura Walton, president of CUPE’s Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU), gave the following comment:
Thanks to the Star’s investigation, we now know two things:
- This government put students, workers and families in harm’s way by not carrying out its own safety proposals for school reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic;
and - Premier Ford and Minister Lecce regularly lied to Ontarians about following the best medical advice for reopening schools and about putting students’ safety above financial costs.
Ford government leaves tens of thousands education workers without emergency health care
TORONTO, ON – education workers in Ontario are set to return to work on January 4, but they remain excluded from the province’s emergency child care provision, according to CUPE’s Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU).
CUPE Holiday Message
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OSBCU – Holiday Message
Holiday message on behalf of the executive and staff of the OSBCU.
There is no doubt that 2020 has been a difficult and trying year. As we put convention and the new central agreement to rest, our world was disrupted by a global pandemic. This pandemic challenged all of us in so many ways. We faced months of social isolation, health concerns, and scrambled to find ways to do the work we love either virtually or under strict health and safety protocols. But OSBCU education workers responded as we know they would – they went to great lengths to engage with their students, they found new ways to ensure their work was completed and continued to be valued, they participated in webinars and learning sessions to ensure that they would be safe while at work. Locally, union leaders also faced challenges – many of our leaders successfully negotiated and ratified local agreements online and through electronic voting. General Membership meetings have taken place on Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet and we are hearing that attendance has never been so good.