It wasn’t the deal she wanted. Here’s why CUPE’s president wanted school workers to take the Ford government’s contract offer anyway

The deal wasn't what she wanted to put before the 55,000 school custodians, early childhood educators and educational assistants following a round of tough, tense talks with the provincial government.

After announcing a tentative contract agreement had been reached last month, Laura Walton was visibly unhappy - she told reporters the deal falls short" - but, after taking some time to step back and think about it, she ultimately voted in favour.

I have never received, in my 20 years of being an (educational assistant), a $1 an hour wage. I can say that - we all can say that," Walton, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees' Ontario School Boards Council of Unions, told the Star this week, after announcing the deal had been approved by 73 per cent of school support staff who voted.

But I also didn't live in seven per cent inflation," she added. So it's really hard to hear people say, Well, you know, 3.59 per cent is better than two per cent' when you've lived through zeros," she said of the past wage increases, adding the new deal also didn't provide additional staffing positions or hours.

But it became the Catch-22 of, do you withdraw service to get service? What do we do?" she said. That was a really hard one too, because there was no real clear (answer)."

CUPE's school boards unit was the first to serve notice of bargaining - the day after the June 2 election. It forged ahead of other education-sector unions, and engaged in a roller-coaster round of talks before the government passed legislation pre-emptively banning strikes and imposing a four-year contract on it using the Charter of Rights' notwithstanding clause." Workers walked off the job for two days, the province repealed the legislation and CUPE threatened to strike again before a tentative agreement was reached.

It was a ride Walton said began with discussions with other education unions about working in tandem - which they all preferred - but Walton said the negotiating team felt support staff needed to be out in front so their interests weren't overshadowed by those of teachers, as has happened in the past.

We knew that because we were focusing on wage, it wasn't the same for us as it was for teachers," she said. I believe that teachers - I believe every worker - deserves a wage increase. I think every worker needs a fair, fair wage increase, but the situation facing education workers looks so different than the situation facing teachers.

When you tell somebody that you make $40,000 a year, people are shocked - they're gobsmacked. When you tell somebody you make $94,000 a year, it doesn't resonate. And so we knew that we had to pull ourselves away," she said.

As well, given that contracts had expired, teacher unions still had job security protections, but her members did not.

It's a different narrative for us than it is for teachers," Walton added. We had a different tactic, and I think it worked. It isn't perfect. Nothing we've ever done is perfect. But when I hear people talk about their (education assistants) or when I hear people talking about custodians, it brought them to the forefront, and it made people realize that we don't make a ton of money for the work that we do."

The union focused on getting the message across that its members earn an average of $39,000 a year - and although that figure is skewed because it includes part-time workers, it is also a typical wage for early childhood educators and educational assistants, whereas head custodians can earn around $70,000.

The workers' wage increase amounts, on average, to more than 15 per cent over the four years of the deal - but about 4.2 per cent a year for those who earn the least.

Walton said it was only after her members walked off the job for two days - with the support of labour leaders across the country, the show of force convincing the government to backtrack on its bill - and then again gave notice of a strike, that the deal was done.

While many in the labour movement supported the fight against what they saw as government overreach, some felt public support would be lost if the CUPE workers caused more uncertainty for parents and students.

Walton said the support of the public and private sector labour unions in the Bill 28 battle was overwhelming ... (to be) this invisible group and then suddenly to be the topic of everybody's conversation was very bizarre for us ... I think for that moment in time, where you had a government stripping away everything, it was what was needed. I'm so thankful to all of them for stepping in and doing that."

She is unrepentant, however, about threatening a second job action, even though some parents were frustrated and labour leaders privately expressed disagreement over the move. Noted one education union official, who spoke confidentially, We're sympathetic, but we're not crazy."

Education Minister Stephen Lecce simply said, There's always going to be pressure tactics when you're negotiating."

Walton said while causing upset for families gave her pause all the time," she wanted to keep up momentum and the government was not moving. They thought they could just come back and say, Well, here's the deal.'"

The deal itself - which included the higher, flat-rate salary offer as well as some job security guarantees and $4.5 million for apprenticeships - was very anticlimactic," she said, because it was on the backdrop of tearing down a bill - that hasn't happened in decades."

Even though she told an online news conference on Nov. 20 that she was not happy ... as a worker, and as a mom of a kid who needs support" and she expressed how she didn't feel the agreement was good enough, CUPE's national leaders later appeared to contradict that, putting out a statement that said the deal was one to be proud of.

Walton said the bargaining team legally has to make a recommendation and, given her ambivalence, didn't want there to be any labour board complaints.

While the vote by workers was 73 per cent in favour, Walton had figured it would be closer to 60 per cent. But the 73 per cent took a lot of factors into account, she figures - with holidays and Christmas on the horizon, workers couldn't afford to lose pay, and there was also fear a worse deal might be in the offing should they reject it.

I voted in favour," Walton said. I weighed it out ... I have never in my 20 years received $1 an hour - ever. As a matter of fact, the highest raise I had ever received was in 2008 to 2012 under the Liberal government, the Liberal majority - and they liked us."

She said she didn't vote until the last minute.

I took that long to vote. I lay in bed Saturday night, and I thought to myself, You know, the Liberals loved us and they gave us three per cent a year for four years ... and (the current deal) gives us tighter job security, and that's when I realized you know what? You've got to live to fight another day."

Her advice to the teacher unions, who continue to negotiate with the province, is to stay strong. I know the teachers are tired. I know that all education workers or workers are tired, but it's like running a marathon and you have two choices: you can either stop and say, I'll try again next year,' or you go for the medal."

Under the province's two-tier bargaining system, CUPE union locals now must hammer out deals with individual school boards on more administrative-type items. The workers will not see any raises on their paycheques until those are signed and ratified.

The Halton public school board has already announced it has reached a tentative deal with its custodians and maintenance staff.

Ontario school boards and associations are set to ratify the deal by Dec. 19.

Kristin Rushowy is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @krushowy