DURHAM — The Canadian Union of Public Employees Ontario joined striking Durham teachers on the picket line at Eastdale Collegiate in Oshawa Friday to show their support.

During a barbecue held April 24 at noon, CUPE Ontario donated $5,000 to District 13 of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation.

About 1,900 Durham District School Board public high school teachers have been on strike since April 20, putting 21,000 students out of the classroom.

Sid Ryan, president of the Ontario Federation of Labour, 50 members of CUPE Ontario, members of the Durham Region Labour Council, and MPP Jennifer French showed up to support the teachers on strike.

“We’re here to show solidarity with the teachers,” said Fred Hahn, president of CUPE Ontario, in an interview. “What’s happening here is related to our members.”

CUPE Ontario represents support workers for schools, including custodial workers, early childhood educators and secretarial staff.

Mr. Hahn says the provincial government needs to remove all concessions on the bargaining table and “get serious” with negotiations.

Mr. Ryan said in an interview he believes the issues stem from budget cuts leading to increased class sizes and loss of quality classroom education. He says corporate tax cuts from 14 per cent to 11.5 per cent are one of the reasons provincial education budget cuts are happening. He says raising the corporate tax back to 14 per cent would help prevent budget cuts.

“We’ve got a revenue problem, not a budget problem,” said Mr. Ryan.

He also says the negotiations are part of the issue and the school board needs to stop “playing games.

“In the bigger picture it’s about austerity,” says Mr. Ryan.

Ms. French also says the negotiations need to be taken more seriously.

“You’re hearing a lot of dictated terms instead of negotiations,” she says.

In an April 22 statement, the DDSB says it is willing to negotiate.

“No local job action, such as this strike, was needed to keep the DDSB at the table — we were there, we did not leave, and we remain committed to finding a settlement,” the statement notes.

Currently there is no word on when local contract talks will start up again. Provincial level talks are continuing at the “central table” where issues such as wages and class sizes are being discussed.

— With files from Jillian Follert