ADSB students asked to bring debit card to pay for lunch as contract talks break down

The following notice was posted to the Algoma District School Board website on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019 informing parents that a collective agreement was not reached and some school services will be impacted as a result. This service interruption does not apply to ADSB schools located in Elliot Lake and Blind River.

As you may have already heard in the media, the mediation among the Council of Trustees Associations, the Crown and CUPE has ended without reaching a collective agreement.

Therefore, effective tomorrow, Monday, Sept. 30, CUPE employees will be engaging in job action, which means they are withdrawing services that affect cleaning and garbage removal at all schools, as well as cafeteria food services at Sault secondary schools. We appreciate parents’ cooperation with ensuring students’ lunches are garbage-free or packed with minimal garbage/packaging, or with having your children bring packaging home for disposal. Your cooperation will greatly help us as we manage tasks differently.

Parents with students at Superior Heights, White Pines and Korah, please note that while there will be food service available in the cafeterias, there may be a limited menu and payment will be by debit card only, no cash, as workers are withdrawing the handling of cash. If students do not have access to make payment by debit card, please ensure they bring a lunch or make alternate plans to purchase food. We apologize for the inconvenience, but trust you understand that without appropriate personnel to handle cash, there is a significant risk to the board.

As always, our priorities during job action are to maintain the safety and well-being of students and the delivery of classroom instruction. We will continue to keep you informed of any changes or further developments through messaging and our website.

Please note that this information does not apply to schools located in Elliot Lake and Blind River, as workers at those sites are not CUPE members.