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PSAC 610, which represents over 2500 Graduate Teaching Assistants and Postdoctoral Associates at Western University, stands in full solidarity with the 55,000 essential education workers of CUPE’s Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU) in their fight for fair bargaining and improved working conditions.
 
We condemn the Ford government’s decision to table legislation that effectively forces low-paid educations workers back to work without negotiating a collective agreement that responds to the needs of students, parents, and workers. This is a dangerous overreach of legislative power, a direct violation of the fundamental rights of workers to free and fair collective bargaining, and an affront to all education workers in this province.
 
In the current affordability crisis, at a time when workers are struggling to keep up with the rising cost of living in an economy teetering on the brink of recession, we believe this decision by the Ford government will do real harm to the lives of essential education workers and may cause irreparable damage to the public education system in Ontario.  
 
We urge the Ford government to stop violating the fundamental rights of OSBCU workers and get back to the bargaining table to negotiate a collective agreement that responds to the needs of students, parents, and workers in Ontario. CUPE has made clear that strike action will proceed if a negotiated agreement that is fair for workers, students and families is not reached. In the event of such a strike, we commit to supporting OSBCU workers in words and action.

 

We urge all members to take action by telling Doug Ford: Hands off workers’ rights! Stop the attack on education workers! 
 
In solidarity,
The PSAC 610 Executive

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