Education workers, parents hit the picket lines as CUPE's 'political protest' closes some Ottawa schools

As education workers and their supporters walked the picket lines at five locations across Ottawa on day one of a "political protest", the union warned the job action would continue into next week if the government does not return to the bargaining table.

"There's an old saying in the labour movement about one day longer, and I can tell you the commitments by our members is resolute and we're not planning on backing down," CUPE National President Mike Hancock told Newstalk 580 CFRA.

"This is huge; this is an attack on my members and an attack on the labour movement."

One day after the Ontario government passed legislation imposing a contract on 55,000 early childhood educators, librarians, custodians and other education workers, the Canadian Union of Public Employees hit the picket lines to protest the government's actions.

"We love our job, we love our kids, we just wanted to be recognized for what we do," said Monique Natale, an administrative secretary with the Ottawa French public school board. "Unfortunately, unless you work in a school you don't really see what we do."

• Here are the plans for Ottawa and eastern Ontario school boards as CUPE begins strike action on Friday

Natale joined hundreds of CUPE members and supporters for a protest outside the Greenbank Road office of Progressive Conservative MPP Lisa MacLeod Friday morning. It was one of five picket locations set up across Ottawa on Friday to protest the government's decision to impose a contract through legislation.

Signs at the protest read, "No Cuts. We won't work for peanuts!" and "CUPE, we keep schools running."

"I'm fighting for my family, my students and for the school in general," educational assistant Melissa Sargent said Friday.

"We are not seen as equal or part of the actual educational system," education assistant Reta Elzy said.

Contract talks ended on Thursday with no agreement between CUPE and the Ontario government. Hours later, Ontario passed legislation to impose a four-year contract on education workers and made the job action illegal.

"I don't know how long this is going to go, it's really up in the air. I don't feel confident one way or another this won't be our last day I don't think," said Heather Van Olst, an administrative secretary with the Ottawa Catholic School Board.

Eight school boards in Ottawa and eastern Ontario have closed schools to in-person learning due to the strike by CUPE members, and all classes are shifting to online learning. Schools remain open from the Ottawa Carleton District School Board, the Ottawa French Catholic school board and the Renfrew County Catholic District School Board.

CUPE is calling on the Ontario government to return to negotiations, and vowed the protests will continue if that doesn't happen.

"The plan is we're going to keep the action, we're going to keep going next week is the plan," Hancock said.

Lawyers for the Ontario government and CUPE appeared before the Ontario Labour Relations Board on Friday, as the government seeks to have the strike declared illegal.

"I know lots of folks are not happy with the government, I know there's people who are not happy with the union – and let's be clear, we don't want this. Our members, the 55,000 that work in education, they want to be working with kids, they want to be working in schools," Hancock said, adding CUPE's bargaining team is ready to return to the negotiating table at any time.

"We'll find a solution. We always find a solution at some point; hopefully, it's sooner rather than later."

Ottawa Centre NDP MPP Joel Harden told CTV Morning Live the Ontario government should have negotiated "seriously" with the union.

"These are the lowest paid workers in our public education workers; Custodians, EAs, ECEs, library techs, receptionists – the people who actually keep our kids safe every single day are being bullied by this government," Harden said Friday morning. "I’m standing with the people who look after our kids today."