The union representing Ontario’s Catholic teachers will hold a provincewide strike vote in November, as it prepares for a return to the bargaining table.
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it → represent → table
In a message to members on Monday, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association said the vote will take place Nov. 12 and 13, noting it is “a crucial tool in the bargaining process.”
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it → say → process
President René Jansen in de Wal stressed that a yes vote does not mean that an actual strike will follow, adding teachers know how important stability is for students and families.
“This strike vote is about making sure the government understands Catholic teachers have a strong, united voice on fundamental concerns,” he said in a statement.
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he → stress → statement
A strike vote sends a message to the government that we need to see meaningful progress at the bargaining table — it does not mean a strike will happen.”
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strike → send → table
The leaders of the province’s five big education unions released a joint statement Tuesday morning, a day after their contracts expired.
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contracts → release → statement
The leaders of the province’s five big education unions released a joint statement Tuesday morning, a day after their contracts expired.
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contracts → release → statement
OECTA is the first of five big education unions — collectively representing 275,000 public, Catholic and French elementary and secondary teachers — to call a strike vote, as all sides await labour board rulings before returning to the bargaining table.
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sides → represent → table
It is rare for education unions and the government to reach a collective agreement by the end of August, which is when all contracts expire.
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contracts → reach → August
This year, however, substantive talks never got off the ground after the sides disagreed early on about what issues belong at the central table versus local tables.
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issues → get → tables
Under Ontario’s two-tier bargaining system, big-money items such as salaries and benefits are discussed among the unions, the province and the association representing directors of education, while more administrative issues are left for union locals and individual boards.
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issues → discuss → locals
The unions say the government is adding a number of issues to be bargained centrally that they feel are best handled with individual boards, and have asked the labour board to settle the matter — rulings that could take weeks or months.
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that → say → weeks
A memo sent to members of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation on Friday, obtained by the Star, said “both the government and provincial employer organizations (the Council of Directors of Education) have demanded that a number of items historically bargained locally since 2014 be moved to the central table,” and that “other education unions have also filed with the labour board, and there is considerable overlap in the issues the government is trying to force to the central table.”
The issues include “criteria for eligibility for short-term paid leaves,” unpaid leaves, union leave (and reimbursement for it), administering medication to students, transfer/surplus (layoff) timelines, funding for local professional development, class sizes for new courses, supply teacher workload and number of professional activity days.
The memo notes that the “School Board Collective Bargaining Act requires that there be an established list of items to be bargained centrally before actual bargaining can begin,” but unions have urged the government to hold discussions on issues they do agree on in the meantime.
Education Minister Paul Calandra, however, has said no because the province needs a full picture in order to have meaningful talks.
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province → send → talks
“The majority of the unions have gone to the Ontario Labour Relations Board to determine which issues should be negotiated at the central or local tables,” Emma Testani, Calandra’s press secretary, said Monday in an emailed statement to the Star.
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Testani → go → Star
“We respect their right to do so, but this process has delayed the start of bargaining.
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process → respect → bargaining
Once the OLRB process has concluded, we will be ready and willing to negotiate whenever the unions are ready to begin.
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unions → conclude → ?
“Premature strike threats do not serve the interests of students and do nothing but create unnecessary panic for parents.
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threats → serve → parents
Our focus is where it should be — getting to the table and reaching a deal that keeps students in the classroom.
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that → get → classroom
All sides now await the labour board rulings, and before any job action is allowed, negotiations have to take place in earnest.
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negotiations → await → place
If there is no progress, a conciliator can be sent in and if also unsuccessful, then a no-board report can be issued with a 17-day countdown to a work-to-rule, strike or lockout.
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report → be → rule
“It is very important that members understand there can be no legal strike or lockout regarding where items are bargained, either at the central table or local table,” the secondary union said in its memo.
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union → understand → memo
“We are providing this information to help members better understand the roadblock we have encountered and how the government’s actions are stalling actual bargaining.
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actions → provide → bargaining
At this point we are working on a method, with other education unions, to get through the labour board process in as fast and fair a process as possible.
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we → work → process
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The teachers unions are also planning an in-school day of solidarity Wednesday, asking workers, students and parents to wear red and purple, and public education rallies on Oct. 24.
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unions → plan → Oct.
The Aporia
