Education in Ontario

Secondary School Teachers' Federation Announces Results of Vote on Interest Arbitration

On September 27, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) announced that of its members who voted, 78.4 per cent voted "in favour of a pathway for negotiations" in their current dispute with the Ontario government over wages and working conditions which are also the students' learning conditions. This involves giving up the legal right to strike in this round of negotiations and having it replaced with binding interest arbitration. A remedy for wage suppression by the government using Bill 124 is also stipulated. Binding Interest Arbitration also covers any outstanding central table matters that remain after the agreed timeline for central negotiations ends on October 27.[1]

Local bargaining across the province will continue until March 28, 2024, at which time all remaining items that have not been settled between the union and local school boards will also be sent to arbitration.

In announcing the results, OSSTF President Karen Littlewood stated:

"We are proud to announce that after a three-week long vote, open to all Members in the school board sector, OSSTF/FEESO members have voted to approve a proposal that will put all unresolved items before an independent, third-party arbitrator. Premier Ford can't be trusted. For over 14 months, we have tried to engage the Ford government in good faith bargaining but we haven't had a partner at the table that cares about safeguarding our public education system. Now we have the opportunity to bypass traditional bargaining pathways to secure a fair collective agreement.

"After five years of underfunding and underspending under the Ford administration, our top priority is to get the best possible deal for OSSTF/FEESO Members while working to protect public education in Ontario. Learning and working conditions across the province have deteriorated under the Ford government, staffing and retention have languished, and students are unable to access the supports and resources they need to succeed as a result of this government's deliberate underfunding of education and shortchanging of students. We cannot allow this to continue.

"I want to thank all OSSTF/FEESO Members who participated in the membership vote, those who shared information with their colleagues, and the thousands who attended one of our 30 informational meetings held all across the province. Together, we are striving for the best possible outcome for our Federation."

In response to the vote, the Ford government's Minister of Education Stephen Lecce stated:

"I am very pleased that the members of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation have voted in favour of this deal that keeps kids in class. We came together to put 400,000 English public high school students first, and as a result, a student who started high school last year will now graduate in three years without the threat of strikes. This will allow students to focus on their studies as our government ensures school boards get back to basics.

"This is a significant step forward in providing stability for high school students. I believe strongly that every student deserves this certainty."

Continuing the mantra that delays in negotiations are caused by the teacher's unions, not the refusal of government to negotiate, the Minister added:

"With the approval of this agreement, I am calling on all outstanding education unions to reach a deal and end the delay. Nothing should matter more than students being in class and benefiting from uninterrupted learning for the next three years, with an enhanced focus on reading, writing and math."

As background information, the Minister's press release stated that "The OSSTF's decision to vote in favour of an agreement that would preclude strikes during this round of negotiations reaffirms our joint commitment to the success and well-being of Ontario students." (WF emphasis.)

The Minister's statement shows how the government is using the vote to claim that it proves its commitment to the success and well-being of Ontario students, while the union claims that the pathway accepted is a way around the government's refusal to negotiate in good faith, which is harming the success and well-being of Ontario students.

What is not being discussed openly are the actual conditions in the schools and what is required to affirm the right of the youth to an education that prepares them for the 21st century. The public and educators are left to "pick a side" and this deprives them of any say over the matter, or any way to participate in working out what is what and what is required. Now that the vote is over, the very limited participation in the voting process is not mentioned either, in order to show unity behind the union's position. According to the process, it is now all to be left to the two parties to work things out and eventually to an arbitrator.

What the situation in fact reveals is that in the coming period it will be important for teachers and education workers to speak for themselves about what their vote meant so as to make their intentions clear. It is critical that, despite the interpretation of the various parties involved about the vote, those who voted, or did not vote, continue to speak out about the conditions in the schools which continue to be untenable.

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This article was published in

Number 57 - October 4, 2023

Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/WF2023/Articles/WO10571.HTM

Website:  www.cpcml.ca   Email:  editor@cpcml.ca