Union, Niagara school board ink deal affecting 2,000 employees

The District School Board of Niagara (DSBN) and the local CUPE 4156 inked a deal earlier this week, securing a contract for the 2,000 employees in the union.

The new contract ratification will cover maintenance, trades, office, clerical, technical, and instructional staff members until 2026, representing a full third of the DSBN workforce.

Afterwards, the DSBN said, “Highlights that appear in both the Facilities and the Office, Clerical, Technical and Instructional support Collective Agreements include incorporation of Indigenous leave language, increases to educational allowances to support staff training, language to reflect gender neutrality, as well as updates to compassionate leave language related to special circumstances.”

The school board added that throughout the bargaining process, the two sides “worked collaboratively to ensure ongoing support for student learning while efficiently reaching agreements with both employee groups.”

The DSBN serves over 40,000 students and employs over 6,000 people.