High school teachers and staff from the Catholic and public secondary schools in Collingwood were out on the picket lines again today.
Earlier this week education minister Stephen Lecce held a press conference to announce the province was willing to set funding for classrooms at 23 students per teacher and to make the previously proposed mandatory e-learning optional.
But Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) President Harvey Bischof said that information wasn’t brought to the bargaining table.
Chris Young, local branch president of the OSSTF, said it’s “incredibly frustrating” to see Lecce announcing to the media a deal that – as he understands it – hasn’t been brought to the bargaining talks.
“I’ve heard the minister use the term ‘good-faith bargaining,’” said Young. “Good faith means bringing a proposal like that to the table.”
Young is a teacher at Collingwood Collegiate Institute. He said while Lecce’s announcement of a 23:1 classroom ratio may look good, the “devil is in the details.”
“It’s still job loss … students who require extra attention … they’re going to suffer as a result of this,” said Young.
Moreover, the e-learning component, while it may be optional according to Lecce’s announcement, will also cost jobs, according to Young.
“To me, that’s the foot in the door to privatization,” said Young. “So if this is the proposal, bring it to the table … You can say one thing, but on paper it’s a completely different story.”
OSSTF President Harvey Bischof tweeted Lecce “keeps making proposals at a press conference podium,” but doesn’t say when the province and unions will be at the table again.
The last formal bargaining session between the OSSTF and the province took place Dec. 16, 2019. There were exploratory talks on Sunday and Monday, but those were halted after Lecce’s announcement.
“Sabotaging the bargaining process doesn’t bring us closer to a deal,” tweeted Bischof.
In Collingwood, the Catholic and public teachers' union members met on the sidewalk in front of MPP Jim Wilson’s office at lunch today for a “show of solidarity,” according to Young. Both the OSSTF and Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association members were on strike today. Members include teachers and educators as well as support staff.
“We know what we are out here fighting for right now is the future of public education in Ontario,” said Young.
