Secondary school teachers' contracts expire today

Contracts with Ontario's five major education unions expired today with the start of a new school year just around the corner.

Negotiations with the province are ongoing.

The Ford government has offered education workers making less than $40,000 a year a 2 percent raise in a proposed four-year deal.

All other employees were offered a 1.25 percent increase.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) is calling for an 11.7 percent raise for all education workers, which works out to an increase of $3.25 an hour.

"We are negotiating in good faith. We're at the table with the ministry. We are hopeful that we're going to be able to have a deal without any sort of job action. We're ready to be in the schools, face-to-face with the students providing that stability," said Karen Littlewood of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation.

"The unions will continue to demand more. They have suggested that they want a 52 percent increase. You said 11 percent, that's per year, plus many other requests and demands on the government that when you aggregate it, it becomes a $21 billion demand," said Stephen Lecce, Education Minister

"It's the equivalent of the entire education budgets of B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba combined," said Lecce. "And then there's still more to spend. So we just want to be realistic about it. I want kids in school."

Meanwhile the union representing elementary school teachers says there are no plans for job action at this point.