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PETERBOROUGH Over a thousand workers with the Kawartha Pine Ridge School Board are edging closer to a strike/lockout deadline within days. The workers are represented by CUPE Local 5555. On Friday, January 17th at 12:01 a.m. they are in a position to be locked out by their employer, and they will be in a legal strike position on Sunday, January 19th following a strike vote.

“We are struggling with some real equity issues in this set of negotiations,” said Donna Carlaw, president of CUPE Local 5555. “We are looking for a fair raise in wage rates for these frontline workers who keep our schools running every day. We also need to see movement on the pay equity front, with a workforce that is primarily female.”

Carlaw added, “Our employer is trying to squeeze more and more out of the workforce for less and less pay. We are watching students’ learning conditions deteriorating alongside our working conditions, and we can’t accept it. We are not looking for a strike, and we are prepared to negotiate through the weekend. But we need to let parents know that a labour dispute is a real possibility next week if this employer doesn’t come to the table seeking to substantially improve things.”

CUPE Local 5555 represents educational assistants, custodial and maintenance workers, professional services, technical and clerical staff at more than 100 educational sites in the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board.

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For more information:

Brian Blakeley, CUPE National Representative, cell: 416-580-1300

Donna Carlaw, President, CUPE Local 5555, cell: 905-373-5002

Andrea Addario, CUPE Communications, office 416-292-3999, or cell 416-738-4329