Striking educational assistants and other CUPE workers look during a news conference at the picket line on Woodlawn at Main Street in Dartmouth on June 7, 2023. A potential strike by workers this Monday was averted by late bargaining on Friday. Photo by Tim Krochak /The Chronicle HeraldArticle contentA strike by 5,500 school support workers that was set to start Monday has been averted after bargaining that went into the night on Friday.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentIn a release just after 10:15 p.m. CUPE said the Nova Scotia School Board Council of Unions have reached a tentative deal with the province.Article contentArticle content“We feel this agreement addresses the concerns our members have been raising,” the release said.Article contentArticle contentDetails of the agreement won’t be released until after members vote. Each local will contact its own members directly to provide information on the contract and the voting process.Article contentThe union said it also thanked Nova Scotians for their support and encouragement in during the negotiations.Article contentWages were the last sticking point, and union spokeswoman Mary-Dan Johnston said Saturday that the province came closer in the late bargaining.Article content“There was real movement last night, which our bargaining committee was very happy to see, and the movement was enough that they felt confident recommending it whole-heartedly to the members,” Johnston said.Article contentReaching a tentative brings a sense of relief to members, she said.Article content“We’ve been in negotiations for 10 months, these folks have been bargaining basically for the last seven years. They have been in two year contracts for the last seven years, so they are exhausted and they’re very relieved to have a chance to catch their breath and see what’s in the deal.”Article contentArticle contentShe said the workers are not professional bargainers, and “they want to be in the schools, they want to be doing their jobs and living their lives, and not thinking about this stuff all the time.”Article contentJohnston said there isn’t a definite timeline yet for getting the information to members and have the votes across the province.Article contentIn a statement late Friday night, Premier Tim Houston said that a tentative agreement was good news.Article content“Both parties came back together this evening to negotiate with the shared goal of reaching a fair deal and preventing any impacts to students, their families, and all staff in our school system,” Houston said in the statement.Article content“Both sides listened and together found a way forward.”Article contentHouston said earlier on Friday that he was going to get personally involved in the negotiation to try to get a deal worked out.Article contentHe said the tentative deal means that school operations and programs across the province will proceed as usual next week.Article contentThe workers had filed a 48-hour strike notice on Friday, meaning they could have hit the picket lines as early as Monday morning. The notice came after the union rejected the most recent offer on the table.
Tentative deal reached to avert school support workers strike in Nova Scotia
