FSSS-CSN

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

A tentative agreement between Quebec and the FSSS-CSN, representing 13,000 workers in government-subsidized daycares, has been reached after weeks of tension and strike action that brought a chunk of the province’s public early childhood care system to a halt. As of press time, the details of the agreement remain confidential. Union delegates are expected to review the proposal in the coming days, with a full membership vote anticipated to follow, though no specific dates have been announced.

The breakthrough followed thirteen days of walkouts, with more than 400 centres closed at various times and families across the West Island and beyond scrambling to find solutions. Many have turned to private daycare options, facing daily costs that can be six or seven times higher than subsidized rates. For some, the choice has been about job security; for others, it has come at the expense of savings or forced them to juggle unpredictable work schedules.

Negotiations leading up to the agreement have been tense. Talks initially stalled over wages, with the union maintaining that a 17.4% increase over five years would not close the gap between CPE educators and other public sector workers. Entry-level educators currently earn just over $21 an hour, while some staff make as little as $18. Union leaders have also pointed to ongoing staff shortages, with some centres forced to close classrooms or reduce service due to a lack of personnel.

The government’s pledge to build more CPE spaces has faced pushback from both workers and families, who argue that new buildings do little to solve the root problem: there simply aren’t enough educators to staff the system as it stands. Waitlists continue to grow, with more than 30,000 children seeking placement and many centres operating below capacity because of persistent vacancies.

As for the tentative agreement, the next step is for union delegates to examine the details internally. Only after this process will the proposal be brought to the wider membership for a vote. As of this week, no date for that vote has been announced. Until then, educators, parents, and CPE operators are left in a holding pattern, waiting for clarity on when regular operations might resume and whether the deal will go far enough to address the longstanding challenges facing the sector.

The FSSS-CSN, representing roughly 80 per cent of unionized CPE workers in Quebec, has maintained that its members will ultimately decide whether or not to accept the agreement. For now, families and staff are left hoping that this marks a turning point for the province’s daycare system, but the question of when Quebec’s subsidized daycares will return to normal remains unanswered as closures related to wage negotiations count for only a portion of the overall causes of ongoing turmoil.

The Suburban will continue to follow this evolving story and provide updates as more information becomes available.