The Ontario government will give an "improved" bargaining offer to the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents 55,000 education workers that yesterday ended their walkout..Ontario Premier Doug Ford refused to provide any details while at a press conference Tuesday, but said the offer would be good for lower-income workers.."We want a deal that is fair for students, fair for parents, fair for taxpayers and fair for workers, particularly low-income workers," he said..CUPE and its workers ended their protest yesterday just hours after Ford promised to repeal the Keeping Students in Class Act, which used the notwithstanding clause to ban the workers from striking. .Ford said the law would be revoked when the Ontario legislature sits again next week. "I don't want to fight. I just want the kids in school. I'm past the stage of fighting, people don't want it," he said..However, Ford warned the agreement with the workers will have an impact on the four major teachers' contracts also in bargaining and increases for CUPE could lead to "tens of billions of dollars" for increases to the teachers. Ford said he needs to watch Ontario's balance sheet..Ford added the government previously offered a higher amount than what was in the original proposed contract, and he was "floored" CUPE didn't take it..The government originally offered raises of 2% a year for workers making less than $40,000 and 1.25% for all others. The four-year deal imposed by law also gave 2.5% annual raises to workers making less than $43,000 and 1.5% raises to everyone else..CUPE originally sought annual salary increases of 11.7% and tabled a counter-offer that cut its wage proposal in half.
