Union says calling strike illegal would undermine bargaining rights, labour laws
CBC
A hearing to determine the legality of a walkout by 55,000 Ontario education workers continues Sunday morning, after the provincial labour relations board heard heated arguments from both sides for more than 16 hours on Saturday.
A lawyer for the Canadian Union of Public Employees told the board that if it complies with a government request to declare the strike illegal, it would send a message that labour laws and collective bargaining rights no longer exist.
The Progressive Conservative government included the notwithstanding clause in its education-worker legislation that banned strikes and imposed a four-year contract on union members, saying it intends to use the clause to guard against constitutional challenges.
WATCH | Ontario had 'no intent to ever bargain in good faith' with union, CUPE rep says:
Thousands of workers, including education assistants, custodians and librarians, walked off the job on Friday in protest, and CUPE has indicated the strike could go on indefinitely.
Citing case law, CUPE lawyer Steven Barrett argued Ontario used the clause to address labour issues in an unprecedented and inappropriate way.
Government lawyer Ferina Murji countered the labour board risks undermining the province's own labour laws if it fails to declare the walkout illegal.
Board Chair Brian O'Byrne has said he hopes Sunday will be the final day of the hearing.
P.E.I.'s Public Schools Branch is looking for 50 substitute bus drivers, and it'll be recruiting at three job fairs on Saturday, June 8. The job fairs are located at the Atlantic Superstore in Montague, Royalty Crossing in Charlottetown, and the bus parking lot of Three Oaks Senior High in Summerside. All three run from 9 a.m. until noon. Dave Gillis, the director of transportation and risk management for the Public Schools Branch, said the number of substitute drivers they're hiring isn't unusual. "We are always looking for more. Our drivers tend to have an older demographic," he said.