Ontario Working People Reject Ford Government's Agenda

Educators Stand as One to Say No! to Anti-Social Attacks on Education in Ontario

- Laura Chesnik -

Educators from across Toronto surrounded Queen's Park with a mass picket line,
February 21, 2020.

On February 21, education workers across Ontario held a coordinated walkout and withdrawal of their labour. Even though once before, during the political protest of 1997, all unions representing teachers went on strike at the same time, this was the first time in Ontario’s history that teachers and education workers from all four unions set up joint picket lines.

Aerial view of picket line around
Queen's Park.

The spirit on the lines reflected the significance of this act of unity. On many lines members of the various unions mixed and mingled on staggered shifts, meeting one another, catching up with old friends and sharing experiences. Despite different flags and positions in education, they stood as one for their working conditions -- students' learning conditions.

In Peel Region, parents and students joined with staff represented by OSSTF Peel, ETFO Peel, OECTA Dufferin-Peel and AEFO to form a 20,000-person-strong picket line 30 kilometres in length along Highway 10 extending from Caledon through Brampton and Mississauga to Lake Ontario. They documented it in a video titled I'm on the Line for #Strike102030. To see the video click here.

In Kitchener-Waterloo members of all four unions filled the square in front of Kitchener City Hall, showing the sheer numbers of people involved in educating the youth and adult students in that area.

In Toronto 30,000 education workers and their supporters surrounded Queen's Park, making it Educators' Park for the day.

Everywhere across the province those who provide K-12 and adult and continuing education affirmed their collective No! to the government's attempts to blame them for the problems in education in order to attack their working conditions.

This week selected districts of OSSTF will engage in a full withdrawal strike on Friday, February 28. School boards affected can be seen here. While AEFO was also planning a full strike day this week it has announced that a forecast of freezing rain has resulted in it being postponed. ETFO has given the government until March 6 to negotiate an acceptable deal or its members will enter a new phase of strike actions. OECTA has paused its rotating strikes as it had been negotiating with the government and Catholic trustees’ association up until February 24 when talks broke off. In a February 24 statement, OECTA president Liz Stuart said:

[...] After the Minister of Education spent the weekend making baseless, inflammatory accusations about Catholic teachers and our Association, his bargaining team held firm to their agenda to take resources out of the classroom. At times, it seems they have no real intention of negotiating an agreement.

Our Association remains committed to our goal of reaching a fair agreement at the bargaining table, and we will await word from the mediator as to whether she believes further negotiations would be worthwhile. However, we will not tolerate the government’s disrespect for our members, or their insistence on making permanent cuts to publicly funded education. While our administrative job action continues, OECTA will also be considering options for further strike action.

Ottawa; Kingston


Peterborough


Toronto




Peel Region


Hamilton


Kitchener-Waterloo



Stratford


Windsor




Owen Sound


Northern Ontario


Vancouver, BC teachers in solidarity with Ontario teachers -- Red for Ed

(Photos: WF, OSSTF, J. Tilley, Angela DS, J. Pouw, C. De Graaf, M. Simon, G. Hansman)

This article was published in

Number 8 - February 27, 2020

Article Link:
Ontario Working People Reject Ford Government's Agenda: Educators Stand as One to Say No! to Anti-Social Attacks on Education in Ontario - Laura Chesnik


    

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