Opening Statement



Thursday 6 December 2012

OECTA: More Contracts! No strikes!

[Updated news links + other teacher news continue on blogs below]

Don't shoot me!!! I post all the important information from all points of view I can here so you know what is going on. Claro? OK. Here is the OECTA Press release. President Kevin O'Dwyer is pointing out that none of the OECTA units will be going on strike. He confirms that 10 tentative contracts have been reached with more expected by Dec 31. The Comment button is at the bottom of my blog.


OECTA Provincial President Kevin O'Dwyer has lots to say!
News Release: No Strikes or Job Sanctions by Catholic Teachers
TORONTO – Responding to confusion caused by recent media attention on proposed job sanctions in the education sector, Kevin O'Dwyer, president of OECTA states, “It is important to clarify for the public and the media that teachers in Ontario's Catholic elementary and secondary schools are not in a legal strike position and are not involved in any form of organized job sanctions.”
 “Catholic teachers across the province remain on the job educating their students,” adds O'Dwyer. “Instructional days will not be missed, and many OECTA teachers continue to volunteer their time on a wide range of extra curricular activities.”
Under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which OECTA signed with the government in July, local OECTA bargaining units have been meeting with school boards to negotiate local collective agreements. To date, 10 tentative local agreements have been reached with more expected before the end of December. The tentative agreements still require ratification by the local membership and school boards.
“This is a good news story for those units that have reached settlements with their boards,” says O?Dwyer. “We will continue to work through our issues with our school boards.”
 O'Dwyer adds that OECTA respects the rights of teachers and support workers in other unions to engage in job action. OECTA members will respect, and not interfere with, those actions.
 For more information and to watch OECTA's video on our extraordinary teachers.
 OECTA represents the 43,000 professional women and men who teach all grades in publicly funded English Catholic schools in Ontario.
 For more information contact: Michelle Despault, Director of Communications
416-925-2493 ext 509
m.despault@oecta.on.ca 

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Good doggy Kevin." Broten pats O'Dwyer's head.

Anonymous said...

It is absolutely pathetic to see our contemptible MoU become a cheap PR tool used by our leaders for 'Catholic Education'. Will this shamelessness never end? It is downright embarrassing to be an OECTA member and the worst part is we are PAYING for this.

Anonymous said...

Wow! I have followed your blog all summer and you almost had me convinced your "federation" opposed the MOU. Guess you were off base on that. By the way, contrary to Benedict O'Dwyer, OSSTF is still providing instruction. Don't worry OSSTF will do the dirty work while the Catholic system enjoys the rewards. Our units made the right decision, will yours?

Kulture Kult Ink said...

I am opposed to the MOU as are many of our members but my blog is not an official site. Kevins views are the official provincial position. Please do not misinterpret them as my own.

Anonymous said...

Ok....here is my view. BULLS&^T. I will be voting NO NO NO !!! You do not represent my VALUES or the VALUES of many of MY FELLOW TEACHERS WHO I WILL STAND SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WITH OPPOSSED TO MR. O'DWYERS BULLsh*& ONLY BECAUSE HE IS PROBABLY LOOKING FOR A POLITICAL ASSIGNMENT. LET US REMEMBER THIS BY.....OH LET'S SAY NEXT SEPT. AND A COUPLE OF OTHER UNIT PRESIDENTS WHO ARE GEARING UP TO TAKE POSTS IN PROVINCIAL OFFICE. CLEAN HOUSE!!!! WHAT IN THE WORLD HAS HAPPENED TO OECTA???? IT BRINGS TEARS TO MY EYES. I REMEMBER KEVIN SPEAKING OF THE DAYS WHEN THE GOV'T DIVIDED PRINCIPALS AGAINST THE REST OF US.....WHY DOES HE STAND BY AND ALLOW THE DIVISION OF OECTA TO HAPPEN? SHAME!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

David....I almost (almost) feel like taking up a collection to pay your way to have you fly up to the Huron Superior Unit to provide insightfull questions.....hmmmmmmm and challenge our unit president on her views!

Anonymous said...

All time low point for OECTA? O'Dwyer attempts to score cheap political points at the expense of the labour strife other unions, who are in a lousy position with Bill 115 largely because of the actions of OECTA. Wow. But then again, cheap political points is what this has been about all along, isn't it?

J. Ross-Holton said...

Today, the local OECTA secondary president suggested that members should show support of ETFO and march with them on the pickett lines on Monday morning before school. At first I thought, wow, shocking development. Now that I've reflected on this, I realize that the motivation of the OECTA leaders is to cheer on ETFO and OSSTF's job actions in the hopes that it will leverage better deals, which OECTA will benefit from via the "me too" clause. In the process, the public thinks Catholic teachers are the only ones putting students first and the public schools will lose more students and funding. Very sneaky tactic, OECTA!

Anonymous said...

Well, thank you so much for your contribution to the cause OECTA provincial - you "respect" our right to job action.

You know, on this blog I see an oecta bill of rights and hear how betrayed oecta members feel by their provinicial leadership. Yet, I see volunteer activities continuing in most catholic schools and very few members at OSSTF and ETFO rallys. Is your bark as big as your bite? You can take action! I guess we'll see if you really are dedicated to the cause when it comes to ratification of local agreements. I like to think local leaders struck these deals so local membership has an opportunity participate in "democracy" and not ratify. I guess time will tell how many of you really are opposed to the MOU?

REMEMBER - public school teachers are in the trenches fighting this battle and taking on all the risk. We will lose strike pay and our students are losing out huge with the elimination of volunteer activities.

Am I going blind or do I really see nothing about Bill 115 on your website? If I was a oecta member, I would be on the horn to provincial! SHAME!

Kulture Kult Ink said...

Wow! This is a difficult one to sort out. March and be a toady? Or not March and be ashamed. Both writers make good points! What to do/ not do?!?

Anonymous said...

You see nothing about Bill 115 from OECTA because it is the vehicle that enacts our MoU in all OECTA contracts by Dec. 31. Our MoU prohibits any job actions of any kind (which is a horrible concession by a labour union), and Bill 115 ultimately guarantees the peace in Catholic schools that Mr. O'Dwyer is crowing about in the letter above. That Bill 115 absolutely screws the other unions into horrible positions is of no concern to OECTA because they are trying to shamelessly score cheap political points on the 'peace' in our system at the expense of the labour strife in the public system.

Kulture Kult Ink said...

Yes!! Moreover if a contract is signed that includes the terms or language of the MOU you have agreed to it, voluntarily giving away your gratuity plan, sick days bank and the salary freeze. Better to have it imposed so you can still fight it or at least keep your dignity intact. Otherwise? You agreed to the MOU! Simple as that but how many members get it? Let's see how many units sign a deal between now and Jan 1st. Personally I fear for the worst. Most everybody is lost and confused in the info void.

Steve said...

As an ETFO member, and a follower of this blog since the first of September, I would like to thank you, David, for this site and virtually the only comprhensive one stop shopping place for information. I would also like to say that I have the utmost faith that OECTA members will shout "NO" in droves in the upcoming ratification votes. Someone posted earlier that this is not a MOU referendum. Aux contraire! It most certainly will be! I have many friends who teach in the separate system and I know first hand they are very angry. We are in this life boat together and I believe everyone in it understands that we need to row in the same direction.

Anonymous said...

Please excuse my language but the letter from O'Dwyer where he boasts about Catholic Schools being free from disruption is a FUCKING disgrace. Its one thing to leave the field and work in the masters house but you don't have to tell the field workers how nice it is in Dalton's kitchen. OECTA's president and his Arch Duke Provincial Secretary have betrayed the labor movement. SHAME.

Anonymous said...

Please remember that "The tentative agreements still require ratification by the local membership and school boards".
I cannot imagine how any local membership groups will actually vote to ratify any of these agreements. Once the no votes start coming in will our provincial executive do the right thing and resign?

Anonymous said...

Hey David, We are the Front lines in Education is now being bullied by the media-680 news. Check out their site. Its a grassroots call to flood media sites with informational letters from teachers who admit they are teachers. Its not sitting very well with the media. Hard to sell papers with out vitriolic trashy comments. Logic and information is soooo boring! LOL!

Kulture Kult Ink said...

That's definitely a double standard. Every group lobbies for their cause and 680 knows that. Front lines is getting a lot of attention. Any coverage is good coverage if you can spin it right. How here? Would need to think about that a bit ....

In the end not that many people follow 680 beyond the GTA. Isn't that the angry white guy station? Phooey on them they are talking to themselves. Few are going to know how the letters came about anyway if they are legit and are spread out from across Ontario.

Maybe we can post good comments on their site? I will go see and if possible and if so add a link to my blog.

Otherwise don't be discouraged. They will fix on the story for a max of 3 days.

Kulture Kult Ink said...

PS: I followed up on 680 News and the story is no longer in rotation. I regret I got that station confused with talk radio. Same idea though. Its in what they run with and what they don't as it is very heavily scripted.

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