Conciliation efforts have failed say representatives of Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents education support staff at the Chignecto-Central Regional Centre for Education. On Thursday, September 13, CUPE Local 3890 asked the conciliation officer to file their report. Once the report is filed, a two-week countdown will be triggered to the date that the union will be in a legal strike position. Negotiations began March 2, 2018 and moved into conciliation on May 22, 2018. This has been a difficult round of bargaining, as both parties struggle to find a deal under the pressure that Bill 148, which imposed restrictions on both parties. “We are hopeful that the employer will take a very short pause and return to the table with a more reasonable approach to negotiations so that we can reach a fairly bargained settlement and avoid a strike,” says CUPE National Representative Grant Dart. Members of … Read more…