Custodial staff of the Seine River School Division (SRSD) are hitting the picket lines as of 8:00 a.m. on Monday, February 12.
According to Kyle Ross, president of MGEU Local 143, the 47 custodial union members have been working on an expired contract since July 2021.
Negotiations have been underway with the SRSD trustee board in the hopes of receiving wage increases that would help members catch up after the past two years with wages frozen under the previous contract.
“Custodial staff work hard to ensure our kids have clean and safe learning environments,” said Ross. “They are key players on the education team and they should be treated with respect and fairness. That includes fair wage increases that help all members catch up and keep up with the rising cost of living.”
The last negotiated custodial wages ranged between $19.46 for a class-2 caretaker to $21.44 for a class-4 maintenance person after their first year.
In December, the SRSD board brought an offer to the table which would provide a 9.8 percent wage increase over a four-year period. This equates to an approximate $2 increase by the end of the next contract term.
On December 9, union members voted to reject the offer. By December 23, with no new offer on the table, members voted overwhelmingly to take strike action.
Both sides met again in early February, but the stalemate persisted.
The union argues that the division can do better for its custodial staff, citing the recent 5.8 percent increase in funding that’s been promised to SRSD by the province.
“This division can afford fair wages that close the already massive gap between wages for these workers and their counterparts next door in Winnipeg,” added Ross. “We know a deal can be reached at the table. We proved that with many groups this past year. That’s why we have agreed to engage a conciliator to help reach an agreement. Having said that, our bargaining committee believes strike action is necessary because the division has refused to change the unfair offer that members already rejected in December.”
Strikers will be walking the picket line in front of the SRSD office in Lorette.
