Parents across Ontario will find out later today whether 55,000 education workers intend to strike for the second time this month or not.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees and the province had been engaged in labor negotiations throughout the weekend, and the union set a deadline of 5 p.m. today to reach an agreement.

The Ontario School Boards Council also said members will collectively leave their jobs starting Monday if talks fail, and several school boards said learning would move online in the event of a strike.

Also, the union organized a two-day strike earlier this month which ended after the province promised to repeal legislation imposing a contract on its members and banning their right to strike.

CUPE, which represents workers such as educational assistants and custodians, stated that both sides recently agreed to a 3.59 percent wage increase, but the union is still fighting for higher staffing levels.

In the same regard, Education Minister Stephen Lecce issued a statement Saturday afternoon promoting the government's improved offer and calling on CUPE to cancel the proposed strike to keep students in class.