On June 3, the OSBCU, alongside our education union partners, formally served notice to bargain. With a collective worker power of 255,000, this is an important moment and a strong demonstration that education unions are standing together in solidarity and ready to fight for our members, students and publicly funded education.

The bargaining process requires the parties to meet within 15 days of notice being served. Our first central bargaining date has been scheduled for this week and the OSBCU bargaining committee will be meeting with the Crown and the Council of Employers’ Associations on Wednesday, June 17, beginning at 10 a.m.

The first meeting will be preliminary. We expect to discuss bargaining ground rules, scope of central bargaining, and the distinction between central and local issues. We have made it clear that the OSBCU is prepared to bargain, and we are available and ready to meet throughout June, July, and beyond.

Our priorities are clear, and our bargaining committee is ready to bring our members’ demands to the table. You will find bargaining bulletins outlining the priorities that members voted on here: https://osbcu.ca/bargaining-bulletins/

Our strength comes from all 57,000 CUPE education workers standing behind us on these demands. We will continue to update you and release bargaining updates after every meeting.

On May 13, the government released its Core Education Funding for 2026-2027 school year. This announcement includes the government’s funding and enrolment projections and tells us what the Ford Government currently intends to spend on publicly funded education next year. To put it simply, it is BAD-NEWS. The funding is currently projected to rise by only one per cent. This is well below inflation and does not keep pace with rising costs even with declining enrolment.

This will have devasting consequences for schools. Five school boards are projected to experience reduction in total funding; twenty-five boards are facing cuts to the Classroom Staffing funds; twenty-three board are facing cuts to the Special Education Fund; eleven boards will experience a cut to the School Facilities Fund. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives reviewed the Core Education Funding and concluded that the cumulative cut to public education has now reached $6.4 billion since the Conservatives took office in 2018.

This funding announcement is a clear message about the government’s approach to bargaining, but it is important to note that this funding decision can be CHANGED! Collective bargaining can force the government to provide additional funding for wages, benefits, staffing, and other education improvements.

WE ARE READY FOR THIS FIGHT. Now more than ever, OSBCU members are standing together and fighting back. Please continue to organize throughout the summer and connect with your friends, family, neighbors, and community, and talk to them about what is happening in your schools. Have them take a lawn/window sign, sign the petition and reach out to your local MPP and tell them to start funding public education NOW.

Here’s a brief script you or anyone you connect with can use when speaking to your local MPP:

“Hi, my name is _______ and my postal code is ______. I am calling as your constituent to ask you to speak up. Our public schools have an understaffing crisis and student needs are higher than ever. We need more frontline education workers but the is planning to cut staff. I am asking you to publicly speak up and call for more frontline education workers, not less, in schools. Please call me back at with a response.”

To find your MPP’s contact info, click here: https://www.ola.org/en/members/current

Saturday, June 6, was an incredible demonstration of what OSBCU members can accomplish when we work together! Across the province we painted the province purple at 39 local organized events. Members had one-on-one conversations with the public, letting them know what is happening in our schools; the responses were overwhelmingly supportive, and community members understood that there is not enough staff in schools and how this is impacting students’ learning environments.

For many, this was their first time canvassing or connecting with members of the public in this capacity. It can be intimidating, but the reports we received were incredibly positive. Thank you to all who participated and submitted photos! Every sign, every conversation and every picture sends a strong message to the government that we will be holding them accountable, and we will not be accepting these cuts!

June 6^th was just the beginning. Throughout the summer, locals will be developing a schedule of outreach dates. Two additional dates for province-wide outreach have already been scheduled for Wednesday, July 22 and Wednesday, August 12. Please continue to register your local events and submit photos of your community outreach over the summer. These outreach events are how we continue to pressure our employers and hold PC MPP’s accountable. In addition to community canvassing, locals can distribute information at farmers’ markets, festivals, community events, Labour Day events and more. We must continue to reach out to our members, friends, family, and other labour groups to build our power. The goal is to build enough organized power to win increased funding and staffing, stronger job security, better wages and benefits, and the public education system students deserve.

Thank you all for all the work that you do, without you Ontario schools would not run. We are heading into a bargaining summer, and we know the government will not voluntarily provide the support our students and staff need. We need to continue to organize and pressure the government to meet these demands. Our bargaining team is committed to achieving these gains at the table, but we cannot do it without you. We need all 57,000 workers to come together and help us fight for these changes. This summer we need you to:

• Continue to have conversations with friends, family and neighbors on what’s happening in our schools
• • Have them take a lawn/window sign and sign the petition
• Join your local’s community canvass and outreach events
• Call and have your friends call your local MPP/Doug Ford/Paul Calandra and demand they start funding public education
• Continue to stay informed, make sure your contact information is correct with your local, and sign up for the OSBCU newsletter