As the province scrambles to try to reach tentative agreements with teachers’ unions that remain without contracts, education workers are now threatening province-wide job action starting Sept. 10.

In a news release issued Friday, the Canadian Union of Public Employees said they notified the province yesterday that education workers, which include educational assistants, office administrators, custodians, and early childhood educators, would begin a work-to-rule campaign beginning next Thursday.

"Our members' work is important to student success in our schools," CUPE's Ontario School Boards Coordinating Committee Chair Terri Preston said in a written statement.

"We need all parties to understand how serious our members are about the services we provide and being treated with respect at work."

CUPE represents about 55,000 education workers, who have been without a contract for more than a year.

During a meeting on Aug. 29, local unions representing the employees voted in favour of escalating job action during the first week of school.

"We're moving forward with this plan and the first step begins with work-to-rule on September 10th," Preston said.

Meanwhile, the province is continuing to try to hammer out a deal with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario this week.

Tentative central agreements have already been reached between the province and Ontario’s public high school teachers as well as the province’s English Catholic school teachers.