Opening Statement



Friday 28 September 2012

Weekend Teacher Protest Guide 3

I will continue to ad links to this blog. Please keep checking back for the latest news as it becomes available! Student Rally Review moved to new blog. See photos above and in top left slide show.

Monday, Oct 1st:

OECTA TSU: Don't forget! Our Q+A membership meeting with Provincial President Kevin O'Dwyer is Tuesday 4pm at St. Basil the Great CSS!!!!!!! MOU? Bill 115? Gratuities? Sick Days? LTD? Grid delay? A rare chance to ask!!!!!

More photos of students' Queen St. Rally at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/whataboutren/sets/72157631659168472/

ETFO's photo album of the Lib AGM protests is at: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.485005068190953.116410.163261390365324&type=1&l=290213a5eb

Here's Youtube video coverage of the teacher protest outside the Liberal AGM this weekend: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhrgLA_NxIc

Limestone Local MPP office protests are growing. See: https://twitter.com/debiwells/status/252572353010208768/photo/1

Teacher protests continue outside MPP Glen Murray's Toronto office. See: https://twitter.com/phyllishession/status/252022196912914433/photo/1

Windsor students use Facebook to plan mass walk out on Wednesday. See my Queen's Park Rally blog. The future of protest in Ontario looks great! http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2012/09/30/over-1200-students-plan-to-walk-out-of-class-wednesday/See:

Students protest on College St Toronto: https://twitter.com/robertbenzie/status/252798930956476417/photo/1

Toronto Parents + students call for more talks with teachers. Grass roots approach is one everyday people can relate to. These stories can grab public interest  to build popular support for the teachers
rather than the government who likes to demonize us during these types of crisis. The Harris years were a real nightmare in the public relations department when he first started to go after us. The Toronto Sun is gearing up now to do it again. But I digress, back to our news article:http://m.thestar.com/article/1264769--parents-and-students-call-for-talks-with-teachers

Hudak steams full speed ahead with his Ability to Pay Act gaining much municipal support. Who can really tell how much they can pay? They themselves? See: http://www.globaltoronto.com/ont+tories+want+arbitration+rules+changed+to+reflect+a+communitys+ability+to+pay/6442717047/story.html

ETFO's Petition for Repealing Bill 115 do it yourself quick and easy info pack. Nice job! Hey I know what! We should do this at OECTA too! Somebody?!? Anybody!?! See: http://www.etfo.ca/WelcomeBack/Pages/default.aspx#petition

Fed Liberal's lead Green Party at bottom of the latest Environics poll! NDP on a surge across Canada, now in 1st place! See: http://www.environics.ca/uploads/File/Environics-Research---Federal-Vote-Intention-Sept-27-2012.pdf

Behind the Liberal nastiness towards unions: Bill 115 promotes worker infighting? Read my Neo Real blog and see: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/story/2012/09/27/tby-union-pay-freeze-reax.html

Tim Hudak plays the Conservative fiddle while the Liberals fume + burn at QP. Unfortunately, people do listen to him, and often like what they hear, as with the NDP for others. Different strokes for different folks. The whole political game is played on the media stage. What is reality but a perception? Like it or not, so it goes. Be aware. See: http://m.thestar.com/article/1264764--tim-hudak-vows-not-to-vote-for-toothless-liberal-wage-freeze-plan

Ottawa Public board gears up for motion against Bill 115. Watch OCSTA cry; Us too! Us too! Don't be fooled. It's not the same! Read my Neo Real blog and see: http://www.ocdsb.ca/calendar/AGENDA%20DOCS/2012%20DOCS/October%202012/COW%2002%20Oct%202012/07dii%20Notice%20of%20Motion,%20FitzGerald.pdf

OSSTF's Articles and Allies internet service provides a good collection of news links and letters to the editor. I don't post just Allie articles + links that only support teachers, or any specific union. It's important to be able to consider other points of view so you can think for yourself and argue your case well. Nonetheless, great to see OSSTF on line with this service. ETFO is good too. OECTA only prints the "truth" and you need a special secret member number to read the dozen or less pieces they have posted since July 5th. Go figure who's missing this information age thingy! What did Marshall McLuhan, [a Catholic teacher by the way], say? The Medium is the message? The medium is the mass? The medium is the age? The medium is the mass age? Tut tut! Read on: http://www.osstf.on.ca/articles-and-allies

McGuinty: the next Davis or Charest? Steve Paikin figures he will stick around now to restore his Liberal majority. Personally I'm pretty sure he's lost his mojo but read:
http://theagenda.tvo.org/blog/agenda-blogs/dalton-mcguinty-next-jean-charest-or-william-davis

The Classism of Teacher Bashing: Teachers are not in it for the money so we are pariahs in the capitalist world. I'm not a big fan of the usual class struggle arguments, but this writer examines us in the context of social class, education and identity and spares the rhetoric. Worth a gander at: http://educationandclass.com/2012/09/14/the-classism-of-teacher-bashing/

Sunday Sept. 30th:

Libs not about to stop school strikes if they happen?!? For a good commentary with lots of very interesting and useful links: http://www.whoisinchargeoftheschoolhouse.com/2012/9/30/minister-goes-back-on-pledge-to-not-allow-disruptions-to-school-year

Thomas Walkom compares Bill 115 to the War Measures Act:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1263939--walkom-ontario-restraint-bill-much-more-than-two-year-wage-freeze

Windsor Star article says Ontario Government has placed itself "above the law". See: http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2012/09/28/64797/

Windsor Star letter to the editor says CAW deal shows Collective Bargaining works. Actually much to my disappointment I thought Minister Broten would've negotiated PDT in same way as big automakers did with CAW. There was no crisis last spring, and now? See: http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2012/09/28/64813/

Here's a local news story with a video of the teacher protest in Sudbury protest: http://www.northernlife.ca/news/localNews/2012/09/28-teachers-rally-sudbury.aspx

Catholic educators mourn passing of Fr. Carl Matthews: http://www.catholicregister.org/news/toronto-gta/item/15158-friends-and-colleagues-mourn-the-passing-of-fr-carl-matthews

Saturday Sept. 28th

McGuinty wins Liberal leadership review by 85.8. Party in 3rd place in the polls: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1264373--dalton-mcguinty-wins-leadership-review#.UGed7Zx6Wvk.twitter

McGuinty tells Liberals he will win back his union support. Boy is this guy living in a bubble! This article also includes responses from the other party leaders. Cons seem to think the union movement is split. See: http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/be-fearless-in-face-of-wage-freeze-furor-mcguinty-urges-ontario-liberals/article4577326/?service=mo

Martin Regg Cohn warns never to underestimate Dalton's survival skills, if he sticks around: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1264421--cohn-will-dalton-mcguinty-pull-off-another-political-miracle

Globe article claims Libs told school boards this week it won't block strike actions. Hmmm. See: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1264421--cohn-will-dalton-mcguinty-pull-off-another-political-miracle

Student Rally at Queen's Park.
Here's the flyer that was shared through the Twitter. Great idea! See: thttps://twitter.com/TheGrandSolo/status/249272320840044546/photo/1


Friday Sept. 28

Thousands of teachers, students and public service workers hold huge protest rally outside Ontario Liberal AGM. ETFO, OSSTF, CUPE, OPSEU help send out strong message that "We won't be fooled again". OECTA conspicuous by it's absence. Check out the photos! I haven't seen anything like this since the Harris Days of Action. See: http://pics.lockerz.com/s/248570002
More: https://twitter.com/kahowlett/status/251802540126126080/photo/1
More + Morehttp://pics.lockerz.com/s/248551006

Huge protest rally expected outside Lib MPP Deb Matthews London office today at 4pm today after school. Wouldn't it be great if some of our OECTA members could go to these events to wave our flag too? Hmm. We aren't getting any info through our union about any rallies or protests. See: http://blackburnnews.com/london/2012/09/28/17711/

Lib MPP Brad Duguid's Toronto office gets the protest treatment today too: https://twitter.com/UnionTL/status/251774532673736704/photo/1

Kingston students step up for their teachers in protest outside city hall. See: http://www.thewhig.com/2012/09/28/students-step-up-for-teachers

Annie Kidder from People for Education is holding an on line discussion about Bill 115 with parents and teachers. You can join it at:  http://discuss.peopleforeducation.ca/forum/topics/bill-115-teachers-parents-and-the-province?commentId=2468495:Comment:56659&xg_source=msg_com_forum


News Flash: OECTA Halton is filing a complaint against OECTA Provincial with Ontario Labour Board! I will post as soon as I receive it.




OECTA is holding an OT president's workshop in Toronto. Unclear if they will be talking about the MOU. Maybe just how it is so good compared to the original PDT terms? Or maybe nothing will be said at all? I grow weary of the OECTA pep talk and alternating silence myself:
 http://twitter.yfrog.com/kewmleqj

ETFO President Sam Hammond addresses misunderstandings about teacher extracurriculars in Toronto Star letter to the editor: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters/article/1262675--teachers-are-not-volunteers

ETFO ETT Toronto holds strike vote Oct 4th. Details: http://www.controlyourfuture.ca/general/elementary-teachers-of-toronto-strike-vote/

ETFO Sept. 27 letter to parents: http://www.controlyourfuture.ca/wp-content/uploads/ETFO_FLYER_ELEMENTARY_FINAL_NO-CROPS.pdf

Dwygn5 teacher blogger considers how Bill 115 provides a teachable moment for our students about complacency, respect and our laws in Canada. Well reasoned, straight forward language, one from the heart. Read: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters/article/1262675--teachers-are-not-volunteers



More below! More to come!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeah. It's a pretty sad state of affairs that the only protesting OECTA members are doing is against their own provincial leadership for its utter irresponsibility, cowardice and misguided actions.

Anonymous said...

A big thank you to Sudbury OECTA unit and Halton OECTA Elementary Unit for filing complaints against the OECTA Provincial Executive for not allowing each OECTA member to exercise their basic democratic right to vote on any "agreement"....MOU or otherwise. Every OECTA unit in this province should be filing similar complaints to protect their membership's basic right to vote. Each OECTA member should be allowed to vote on any agreement. Each individual OECTA member should be allowed to vote, electronically, or ballot based at schools, etc., for the next roster of OECTA Provincial Executive candidates. This would ensure a higher level of transparency in all decision making. The voting structure in place has to be changed to allow a vote by every OECTA member. Contact your local unit president and tell them you want a complaint filed and you want the voting structure changed. They owe that to you as OECTA members.

Anonymous said...

What is with the OECTA $10.55 variable charge taken off my last pay cheque? Charging me extra to negotiate some more contract strips? Please help explain.

Kulture Kult Ink said...

TSU Highlights had a page explaining all the deductions. I'm afraid I don't know what the variable charge is myself. Please call our main TSU office and ask for Gillian, Dave S., or Rene. Also, tell Sabina what you want to know. Maybe she can fast track it for you. Hope this helps.

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