Laura Walton, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario Council of School Unions, said education workers will return to schools on Tuesday.  The Toronto District School Board announced that students will return to the classroom along with teachers.
He said Ford agreed to put in writing his commitment to repeal legislation that made it illegal for education workers to strike in Ontario.
“We have received and can confirm that the prime minister will introduce and support legislation to repeal Bill 28 in its entirety,” Walton said at a press conference Monday afternoon.
Walton said Ford agreed to take that commitment a step further and remove the law from the province’s history.
Introduced in the Legislative Assembly last Monday by Education Minister Stephen Lecce and passed late Thursday afternoon, the Keeping Students in Class Act made it illegal for CUPE education workers to strike by using the non-applicability clause to override parts of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  He also imposed a four-year contract on them.
“Members’ organizing brought the government to this place, and members’ organizing and mobilizing will ensure that a real deal is brought to the table now that this draconian legislation has been removed,” Walton added.
Lecce and Ford confirmed the government will withdraw Bill 28 “as soon as possible” to ensure students can return to class.
I am delighted that CUPE has agreed to withdraw its strike so that children can return to the classroom.  We will return to the table to negotiate a fair deal — for students, parents, workers and taxpayers.

— Doug Ford (@fordnation) November 7, 2022
“As we have always said and demanded, children must return to the classroom, where they belong,” Lecce said in a statement after CUPE’s announcement. Earlier Monday morning, Ford said he was willing to overturn legislation that made it illegal for Ontario education workers to strike if their union was willing to stop their mass walkout. “As a gesture of good faith our government is willing to repeal the legislation, it is willing to repeal Article 33, but only if CUPE agrees to show a similar gesture of good faith by ending their strike and allowing our children to return to their classrooms . Ford said at a press conference Monday morning. Negotiations between the two sides have been deadlocked for more than a week. Lecce refused to consider a CUPE counter-proposal tabled last week unless it took strike action off the table. But now, as schools across the province close for a second day, Ford said he’s willing to be “flexible” and make a “fair deal” that offers more help to low-income workers. Premier Doug Ford and Education Minister Stephen Lecce hold a news conference on November 7, 2022. (CTV News Toronto/Corey Baird). “The students have been through so much. They do not deserve to be caught in the middle of these negotiations. What they need and deserve is to go back to catch up on their learning. For the sake of our students, CUPE please accept this offer. Strike from the table and let our kids go back to the classroom,” Ford said. Lecce stood behind the prime minister during the press conference at Queen’s Park, but did not speak at the podium. Speaking to reporters after Ford’s press conference, Peter Tabuns, interim leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party, said the government has the power to get students back into classrooms. “I think the pressure on the prime minister is going to be enormous to actually do things to bring the legislature back, get rid of the legislation and actually put a fair deal on the table that would resolve this crisis. Tabuns said. Ontario’s 55,000 custodians, early childhood education, education assistants and administrative staff walked off the job last Friday after failing to reach an agreement with the Ford government. Over the weekend, the Ontario Labor Relations Board held a hearing to determine the legality of this work. A decision is expected on Monday.