Local union ratifies tentative agreement

CUPE Local 1358, the union representing support workers in area schools, ratified a three-year tentative agreement with education workers Thursday night.

Most provinces still have to vote before a Nov. 1 deadline.

“Nobody ever wants to strike,” said CUPE Local 1358 president, Darlene Sawchuk.

“It is important to fight for services for students. And those are the services that we provide, because we are support workers. We are your EAs, ECEs, CYWs, speech language psychologists, psychiatrists, psychologist, your custodians, your maintenance. We are the ones who work behind the scenes and keep everything moving in the right direction.”

A last-minute deal kept 55,000 workers across Ontario from striking on Oct. 6.