Rainbow District School Board and the union representing its cleaners, custodians and trades employees in Sudbury, Espanola and Manitoulin Island have reached a tentative agreement at the local level.
The tentative deal will be presented to members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 895 for ratification and, subsequently, to the Board of Trustees for approval.
The new deal, if ratified by both parties, will be in effect from Sept. 1, 2022 to August 31, 2026 aligning with the provincial settlement for this employee group at the central bargaining table.
“Our CUPE staff play a critical role in our schools, keeping them clean and safe,” said Rainbow District School Board Chair Bob Clement, in a press release.
“They not only maintain quality facilities for teaching and learning, they also contribute to school-based sustainability efforts.”
“We commend the bargaining team from the Board and the Union for working diligently to bring these negotiations to a successful conclusion.”
“On behalf of CUPE Local 895, I would like to thank the Rainbow District School Board on reaching a tentative agreement locally for custodial and maintenance employees,” said Rob Lisi, President of CUPE Local 895. “We will continue to provide a clean and safe workplace and learning facility for all staff and students.”
Last fall, as part of a labour dispute with the province, CUPE education workers in Ontario were involved in walkouts, including here in Greater Sudbury.
The province had passed legislation to impose a contract on the 55,000 education workers and ban them from striking, but this has since been rescinded.
A collective agreement was ratified at the provincial level in December.
This is the first employee group within the Rainbow board to achieve a new collective agreement centrally and locally. Contracts with all employee groups expired on August 31, 2022.
