FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

What are our bargaining items?

Local 5047’s proposals cover:

  • Benefits
  • Overtime
  • Breaks
  • Professional development
  • Increasing leave entitlements

Provincial proposals cover:

  • Wages (three year contract, $3, $1, $1 wage adjustments for every year of the contract)
    • $2 top-up low-wage adjustment where top of a classification wage scale is below $26.50 (does not apply to CUPE 5047)
    • $2 retention bonus applied immediately (does apply to CUPE 5047 and 7 other school support CUPE locals)
  • Increasing leave entitlements [this bargaining item has moved to local tables]
  • Language addressing violence in the workplace, including staffing, training, and incident reporting.

Provincial bargaining UPDATE

As of Jan 30, 2025, the NS Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD) has agreed to discuss four items at a common table: (1) wages, (2) contract term, (3) job classification committee and reclassification, and (4) violence in the workplace.

What will strike pay be?

  • $350 for 4 hours of picketing, 5 days a week.

Where will I be picketing?

  • Our Picketing Pillar team is developing a plan for picketing locations and an overall strategy informed by the experiences of our last strike
  • Locations are chosen for strategic advantage while recognizing our members live and work across a large area. 
  • Members will be invited to select their top three picketing sites from a list of sites determined by the Picketing Pillar team

I use public transit to get to work. If we strike, I am concerned about transportation to picket sites, especially if I’m expected to report to different locations.

What happens if I cross the picket line and continue to work for the employer during a strike?

  • Members can file complaints against others who participate in strike-breaking activities (continuing to work for the employer during a strike).
  • The process for a member making a complaint that another member has crossed a legal picket line, investigation, trial procedure, and consequences such as a fine, reprimand or other order are laid out in Appendix F of the CUPE National Constitution, to which our local is bound.
  • Continuing to work during a strike can create unease between co-workers and prolongs a strike.

I am recovering from an injury / I have a child with a disability who won’t be attending school if we are on strike. I can’t picket. What can I do?

  • There will be other ways to contribute to our strike action to be able to receive strike pay
  • More information about the accommodations application process will be shared soon
  • Accommodations applications will not be accepted until a strike date has been announced. 
  • ALL accommodation requests MUST be accompanied by a Physician’s note

What happens if I’m on medical leave and a strike happens?

  • Currently, we are uncertain how it will work. Last time members on medical leave remained on medical leave during the strike. We are anticipating it will be the same this time.

Will I still have access to medical benefits during job action?

  • Yes, but we do suggest that members complete urgent dental work and refill prescriptions in January before a potential strike begins in the event that there are any complications.

I feel like last time we were on strike, our concerns were not heard by the employer and we really didn’t reach the outcome we were looking for. What’s different this time?

  • One key difference is that, this time, all eight school support worker union locals are bargaining the exact same issues with the provincial government. This strengthens our bargaining position greatly.
  • Another key difference is substitute school support workers are now union members. The employer will not be as readily able to fill gaps during a job action by employing substitutes.

What is conciliation? What are the next steps?

A union is a group formed by workers to protect and advance their rights and interests in their workplace. A union works as a group to negotiate employment contracts with improved wages, benefits, working conditions and job security. This process of collective bargaining is governed by Nova Scotia’s Trade Union Act. 

When negotiations between the bargaining teams of unions and employers break down – when no progress can be made – the bargaining teams can apply for conciliation. In this process, a neutral person skilled in negotiation, a conciliation officer, is appointed to consult with all bargaining teams to help reach an agreement.

Our eight school support locals bargaining teams have been meeting with a conciliation officer on set dates through December, January and February to continue to try to reach an agreement. 

The conciliation officer must write a report within 14 days of the final meeting, of what items there is agreement on and what items the bargaining teams cannot find agreement on. If the bargaining teams reach agreement, our locals would share terms of a tentative agreement with members, and members would vote whether to accept it.

If there is no agreement, the conciliation officer may report that the teams have reached an impasse. This would mean they’ve made reasonable efforts but have not been able to reach a tentative agreement. Because we held a strike vote in October providing a positive strike mandate, we would be in a legal strike position two weeks after a conciliation officer declares such an impasse. Once the conciliator files a report declaring an impasse, the union is in a legal strike position for six months following that date.

Prior to any strike action, the conciliator would typically bring both parties back together at the end of the two week period to make a final attempt at resolving any outstanding issues.

What is “bargaining at a common table”?

Up until January 30, 2025, throughout the bargaining process, all 8 school support locals have been bargaining separately with their respective Regional Centres for Education. 

All 8 school support locals had identified common issues – including wages, staffing, violence in the workplace – that are exactly the same for all, that could have been bargained jointly. But the provincial government did not agree to meet at a common table with all 8 locals to bargain these items.

The 8 locals have been standing together, and have been attending all bargaining and conciliation meetings across the province as a team. 

Now the EECD has agreed to meet at a common table before February 14 to discuss 4 items: (1) wages, (2) contract term, (3) job classification committee and reclassification, and (4) violence in the workplace.