Another day of job action for local educators

Two province-wide strikes and a rotating, one-day strike are underway locally involving teachers and education workers with three of the four major unions.

Earlier this week, the government said it would lower average high school class sizes to 23, one above last year’s level, and make online courses optional instead of mandatory.

Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation President Harvey Bischof joined local educators on the picket line.

He tells BayToday he doesn’t characterize less deep cuts as a concession.

“To whom is that a concession? To our students who are still going without the services that they need in order to succeed, to students who can’t get access to the course options they need, in some cases that they need to graduate, because we’ve already seen that this year,” he asks. “Why would the minister characterize still kicking supports out from underneath our students as a concession, a concession to whom?”

Local OSSTF President Glen Hodgson says this week’s announcement from Minister Stephen Lecce was all a show.

“We’re still a little frustrated right now because if he’s serious and he wants to have a deal, he doesn’t hold a press conference, he sits down at the negotiating table with the negotiators, they hammer it out and they actually make it happen. That was theatre and my members get that,” He tells BayToday.

All local schools are closed today with OSSTF teachers and education workers, English Catholic teachers and French-language teachers on the picket lines.

MPP Vic Fedeli issued a statement on today’s job action:

“During the negotiation process, the Government tabled proposals with each of the education sector unions, which included substantive moves on lowering class sizes, support for students’ unique learning needs, full-day kindergarten, as well as reasonable proposals on merit-based hiring and compensation.
While we continue to make reasonable proposals at the bargaining table, the unions have not made any substantive changes to their original proposals. Our proposals include a funded maximum average class size of 23 in secondary school and replacing the previous Local Priorities Fund with a new, student-centric Supports for Students Fund which allow boards more flexibility to address students’ unique learning needs, including special education, mental health, and STEM education. We are also keeping our commitment to maintaining full-day kindergarten.
Our government’s priority is and always will be to invest in schools and classrooms, while teachers’ union leaders remain focused on increasing compensation and enhancing their already generous benefits packages.
The time for a deal is now. I urge the unions to stop this disruptive escalation and return to the table to get a deal that is fair for parents, students, and educators.”

(Photo by Chris Dawson/BayToday.ca)