N.B. government locks out 3,000 CUPE workers as strike enters Day 3

The New Brunswick government on Sunday locked out all non-designated employees in CUPE locals 1253 and 2745, including custodians, bus drivers, school library assistants and administrative support, as well as a number of educational assistants, as workers continue to strike over wages.

Schools across the province will move to online learning as of Monday, and it will remain that way until the end of a strike by Canadian Union of Public Employees members that began Friday.

"I regret having to take this step, partly because of the hard work CUPE members have done for us throughout the pandemic ... because it confirms what we knew last week that we are entering a time of uncertainty," Education Minister Dominic Cardy said Sunday.

He said the decision to lock out the workers came because CUPE has proven to be "unpredictable" in its strike actions.

"CUPE has not provided us with accurate or up-to-date information about their strike plans as they affect the nearly 300 schools in our province," Cardy said. 

He said the Department of Education was informed Friday morning about CUPE's intention to suspend school bus routes but was not informed of any other actions the union planned to take with the strike.

"On Friday morning it became very clear — as we saw people taking sick days and saying they weren't going to be at work — that we're actually going to see a broad impact on school operations inside the system," Cardy said. 

Cardy said locking out these workers eliminates uncertainty for parents and students. 

The lockout of 3,000 employees means schools cannot operate in-person classes, he said. 

Cardy said one of the major concerns with keeping schools open during the strike is the uncertainty of how many educational assistants would continue to work. Only 45 per cent of educational assistants are designated as essential workers.

"If kids came to school with less than half the available EAs actually working, that would present an enormous challenge to the folks who are in the schools," he said.

"That wouldn't be acceptable or safe, in my view." 

Designated educational assistants have been placed on leave without pay, because they don't have duties while students are learning from home.

Theresa McAllister, the provincial president of CUPE 2745, said it's odd the government is choosing to lock out workers after they began striking.