The number of days CUPE support staff in Ontario schools book off sick has increased by nearly 20 per cent in the past three years, according to associations representing school boards.

The number of days CUPE support staff in Ontario schools book off sick has increased by nearly 20 per cent in the past three years, according to associations representing school boards.

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The boards released the data to this newspaper as the issue of sick-leave pay emerged as a key issue in contract negotiations between CUPE, the province’s school boards and the provincial government. About 55,000 CUPE support staff across the province plan to strike Monday if a deal isn’t reached during talks that were to begin Friday afternoon. Many schools across the province, including those in the Ottawa Catholic School Board, will close if there is a strike because administrators say they can’t guarantee students will be safe. CUPE began a work-to-rule campaign this past Monday. A media blackout imposed Friday prevents either side from talking about bargaining during the attempt to reach a last-minute deal. However, school boards and Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce have identified rising absenteeism as a major concern. In several interviews, Lecce has emphasized that money paid out in sick leave could be better spent on things like textbooks, technology and infrastructure. He says vulnerable students are being short-changed by a revolving door of substitutes.

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The average number of sick days taken by CUPE members rose from 13.14 in 2014-15 to 15.73 in 2017-18, according to the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association and the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association. The data is based on surveys completed by most of the Ontario school boards that have CUPE members, according to the associations. CUPE represents office staff, custodians, librarians, early childhood educators who work in kindergartens and educational assistants, among others. Sick-leave rates among CUPE members are higher than teachers and private sector workers, Lecce said in a CBC radio interview. When asked if he believed CUPE members booked off when they weren’t sick, Lecce said he couldn’t give an opinion about the motives of workers, but the 15-day sick leave average was “peculiar” and “noteworthy.” The sick leave plan “is not really designed to incentivize people to stay in class,” he told CBC. CUPE members receive 11 sick days annually at full pay and a further 120 days of short-term disability at 90 per cent pay. Management has proposed reducing the percentage of pay collected by CUPE members on short-term disability. Neither side will say by how much. There are clues, however. During bargaining with another education union, the government and school boards proposed reducing short-term disability pay to 60 per cent of wages from 90, according to the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, which posted the proposal online. CUPE leaders say rising sick leave rates reflect staff who are stressed by a variety of factors, from increasing workloads to violence in schools, and cutting sick pay won’t solve those problems. CUPE made several proposals to “ensure that education workers stay healthy and safe and are able to come to work,” said Laura Walton, president of CUPE’s education council. “If the minister is concerned about continuity of service, then he should make sure that services are secure and reverse the cuts that are responsible for workers not being on the job.”

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The largest job category among CUPE members poised to strike comprises educational assistants who help students with special needs, mental health and behaviour problems.

The CUPE jobs are dominated by women, with an average annual salary of $38,000.

Both Ottawa English boards have reported increased sick-leave rates among school board staff in recent years.

At the Ottawa Catholic School Board, for instance, the average number of sick-leave days taken by all staff rose from 11.21 in 2013-14 to 13.05 in 2018-19, according to figures from the board.

Sick rates among CUPE members at the board were higher. They rose from an average of 15 days in 2013-14 to 17.8 days in 2018-19. CUPE members at the board include office staff, IT and library workers, educational assistants and early childhood educators, but not custodians.

What to expect Monday if support staff go on strike:

Ottawa area boards that will close their schools: Ottawa Catholic School Board, Upper Canada District School Board, Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario.

Boards that will keep schools open: Le Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario, Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est, Renfrew County District School Board, Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l’Est ontarien.

Boards that are not affected because they have no CUPE members: The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.

jmiller@postmedia.com

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