A parade of teachers, educators, and support staff from four different unions marched along Hurontario Street today in a mass province-wide strike action by all four unions representing teachers in Ontario.
Bill Hewitt, a CCI teacher and the in-school staffing representative for the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF) estimated about 500 people were walking in Collingwood for the strike.
The crowd included teachers, educators, and support staff employed or living in Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, and Clearview Townships and part of the OSSTF, the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, and ACÉPO - the union representing French teachers.
Hewitt said it’s the first time since 1997 all four unions have been on strike together.
“You don’t realize how many teachers there are just in our neck of the county,” said Hewitt. “It’s pretty powerful, and will hopefully help people see how many teachers there are, let alone kids. Every teacher here represents 20 kids.”
Each teacher’s union is asking the government for different things, but all are opposed to a plan to increase class sizes.
All of the unions are asking for around a two per cent cost of living increase in their contracts. The Ontario government is offering one per cent, and passed legislation capping wage hikes for public sector workers at one per cent for three years.
Education minister Stephen Lecce has been critical of the unions, suggesting they are striking for more money.
According to Hewitt, the OSSTF members have been on strike in the Simcoe County District School Board four times and that amounts to a loss of about two per cent of their pay.
“The cost of living [increase] is gone now,” said Hewitt, adding the OSSTF union members get about $55 for a strike day.
“It’s really about the future of public education,” said Hewitt. “It’s about how we’re being dealt with too.”
Negotiations between the province and OSSTF have been stalled since before Christmas, with no discussions occurring this year.
The Canadian Press reported the OECTA and the French teacher’s unions were back at the bargaining table this week.
“I don’t think [the government] has a really good, solid respect for the job we do and the importance of the job we do,” said Hewitt. “I don’t know why they won’t negotiate with the ETFO or the OSSTF … it’s not really fair to us [for them to] say things in the media, but then not bring it to the table.”
