CUPE 5080 members have ratified a tentative agreement between the local and Melfort Daycare Cooperative, delivering significant gains for early childhood educators.
The agreement comes after a challenging round of bargaining, with the parties reaching impasse and CUPE 5080 members delivering a strong strike mandate.
“We are incredibly proud of what our bargaining committee achieved, with the full backing of our membership,” said Sera Jones, CUPE 5080 bargaining committee member. “This agreement brings meaningful improvements and reflects the collective strength of our membership.”
A key gain in the agreement is new language that protects early childhood educators’ wages if the wage enhancement grant is reduced or eliminated.
“This is groundbreaking language in a child care agreement,” said Kent Peterson, president of CUPE Saskatchewan. “At a time when Scott Moe has proposed cuts to child care funding, this ensures these members will not see their wages reduced. It’s a significant step forward for child care workers in Saskatchewan.”
Peterson said responsibility for funding must remain with the government.
“While this protects these workers, child care centres still need stable, reliable government funding to deliver quality services,” said Peterson. “Scott Moe needs to stop these harmful cuts and invest in the future of this province.”
CUPE is Saskatchewan’s child care union, representing over 300 child care workers in the province and over 12,000 across Canada.
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