Children's Aid Society workers in York Region walked off the job Monday to protest their salaries and what they call a "crippling workload."

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union, negotiating on behalf of the 180 CAS employees affected by the strike, said talks collapsed Friday after the union rejected the latest offer. They officially walked off the job at 12:01am Monday.

Wages and an unmanageable workload are the issues that so far haven't been resolved.

"We are understaffed. We have lost 50 people in the last two years," contends Erin Kinsley, the V.P. of Local 304. "Which in and of itself creates a huge workload burden for the staff remaining. Those people haven't left to find other jobs. They have left to find other child welfare employment."

And Local 304 President Lisa Maynard adds, "I think everybody on this line is here and does the job for the kids, for the families to help people. This is not what they want to do but under the current conditions, they can't do it successfully."

More than 400 children and 1,000 cases are affected by the walkout, but the Society says it has a contingency plan to help families it deals with.

It intends to use non-union branch managers to deal with essential child protection services.

There's no word on when both sides will return to the bargaining table.