There’s positive news on the school labour front.
The Hastings & Prince Edward District School Board has reached a tentative agreement with education workers who are part of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
The board and CUPE Local 1022 announced the news in a joint statement. A ratification vote will take place in the coming weeks.
The agreement covers the period of Sept. 1 2022 to August 31, 2026.
It covers 750 CUPE employees with the board, including education assistants, early childhood educators, custodians and other groups.
The majority of issues in the negotiations were bargained centrally and they played out during the province-wide strike drama last month.
However, CUPE Local 1022 President Jo-Anne White said that here, “school board management listened to concerns” and worked with the union “to improve working conditions.”
School Board Chair Shannon Binder also suggests there was less tension at a local level.
Binder said the two sides came to a local agreement “quickly,” demonstrating a “collective commitment to supporting students and schools.”