Largely agreed, obviously save for characterizing it as criminal. It’s explicitly legal, which is part of the problem.
I have a huge issue with legislating a ‘collective agreement’. That’s horseshit. Binding arbitration would, in the most extreme case, be appropriate. But legislatively imposing four years’ worth of conditions of employment under the threat of charges if they exercise their right to strike? That’s cowardly. The province does have the authority to determine that these workers are ‘essential workers’, though that would be
The province has NOT approached this in good faith. Workers at lower income levels, who have already seen their pay decrease in real terms by 10% in the past decade, are being told to eat another 4% cut in their purchasing power just in one year, plus whatever subsequent years work out to versus inflation. I’d tell the employer to go fuck itself too. There are a lot of employers looking for people right now if they want to play that game- but the province can’t replace thousands of people quickly.
If the province is truly worried about the kids, it can fairly compensate those who are necessary for the kids’ education. This strike wouldn’t be happening without an insultingly low offer by the province, doubled down with legislative brinksmanship. I hope the province has an idea of its next move when they declare a strike illegal, and 55,000 workers shrug and do it anyway.
