TORONTO -- The union representing school support workers says they'll stage one-day job action if the governing Liberals force a collective agreement on them in the new year.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents custodians and educational assistants, says they'll also escalate job action if a deal is imposed on them.
CUPE Ontario president Fred Hahn says even with their best efforts, they can't get the job done by Dec. 31.
The clock is ticking down to Jan. 1, when the government can impose an agreement similar to the one struck with Catholic teachers -- which will make any strike illegal.
But Premier Dalton McGuinty says he's optimistic that public school teachers can reach new collective agreements with their local school boards within the next 11 days.
Ontario's self-described education premier says talking about one-day strikes and labour unrest in schools isn't what he hoped to be doing at the end of his term.
But he says his government has done a lot for teachers.
While the student population has dropped by six per cent, the teacher population has gone up 10 per cent, McGuinty said Thursday. His Liberal government hired 13,400 more teachers, which has reduced class sizes.
His government also increased teacher pay by 24 per cent, except for those who started work on his watch, in which case their pay increased 80 per cent as they moved up the grid.
Teachers are worth every penny, he said, but the province can't afford any more pay increases.
The teachers' unions say the dispute isn't over money but McGuinty disagrees.
"No it's not. It's about pay," he said.
"I haven't heard of any public offering on the part of the federation leaders -- any -- that does not involve an additional cost. ... When somebody says it's not about the money, it's about the money."
And McGuinty says he hasn't heard any public offering by teachers' unions that doesn't involve extra costs.
The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario says there will be a province-wide day of protest next year if the government uses Bill 115 to impose a contract on its members.
The ETFO has scheduled a news conference for Friday to announce details of its next steps. Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the union representing public high school teachers says its members are voting this week on whether to support a day of political protest against Bill 115.
As of today, rotating elementary teacher walkouts will have affected every public school board in the province. Meanwhile, there are reports that some teachers are facing disciplinary action for submitting incomplete reports.
McGuinty says teachers should fulfil all their professional obligations, including report cards.
