Opening Statement



Tuesday 4 December 2012

Teacher Protests, Strikes + Job Actions

Hope everyone is hanging in there and doing well! Here are the latest news links.

December 6 2012

News Flash:

10:10 am: MOE Laurel Broten has just finished her press conference. The government will not interfere in any ETFO one day strikes with 3 days notice being given. She has requested an advance schedule for the strikes to be shared with parents.  She claimed teachers and students are stuck in the middle of the unions fight with the government, and mentioned in specific the issue of wage freezes. She claimed the public will unite and not be disrupted within their communities. Very disingenuous!



MOE Laurel Broten qualifies how much she can take.

Her rationale was that ETFO had given proper notice and was in a legal strike position. She discussed the need to balance stability with the right to strike but noted the government has everything in place to take action if the strikes go beyond one day. It seemed unclear to me if she was referring specifically to ETFO strikes but I sense not. Will have to wait for the press release to clarify.

The reporters in the press scrum were persistent in asking her why she isn't taking action now. She kept referring to balance and stability, as they continued to hammer away at her insisting she wasn't taking a strong stand.

Here is the ETFO press release on the result of the strike vote: ETFO strike vote

Here's the North East District School Board's parent letter: North East Notice

Here is a press release from OECTA Provincial. Ho boy! See my latest December 6 blog.  Also for quick reference: OECTA Press Release

Minister Broten is on record for saying she would order teachers back to work if a strike occurs. Already there are a wave of tweets warning "Strikes to be allowed everywhere in Ontario" Duh! Isn't that a very basic right? Is there something new here?!? Be prepared! The PC opposition and the media will now definitely be out for blood, hers and ours too: Broten no strike

Here's the PC education critics open letter press release to Minister Broten from yesterday. After Broten's announcement today, Hudak said that with a conservative government there will be no more "closed shops" in the public sector. He discussed merit pay. He promised another education paper early next month. The PC's are on a roll! Let's hope Andrea Horwath is feeling better. The NDP will definitely likewise need to get it's butt in gear: PC Press open letter release


So just how big are these big bad union thugs Tim, and why are you so envious anyway?!?

It's official! PC leader Tim Hudak says the "union bosses" are now running the province at lunch today on CP24. Host Steven LaDrew is practically slobbering all over him licking it up. Ho boy! Embarrassing. Hey Tim? What about all those overwhelmingly supportive teacher member strike votes? Hey! I'm a union boss! Okay everybody in Ontario! Touch the end of your nose with your tongue. C'mon! Let's git with it folks! Or else I'll ...... I'll .......I'll ...... er...er... C'mon! Tim says if I tell you to do it you will coz I'm a union boss. Yup that's right! Now, git with the program eh?!



Union thugs! Union thugs! We are everywhere!

Martin Regg Cohn is really getting down on teachers too. Will everybody now show their real colours or are they just blowing whichever way the wind goes?. Here is where your union communications department becomes absolutely crucial in any crisis. See: Cohn on teacher "myths"

OSSTF Thames Valley has not ratified their contract with the board: Another Contract Not Ratified

Urban Moms blog defends teachers right to strike. Nice blog. Like the little funny pictures too. Great idea! Ha! See: Urban mom blog

CUPE has come out with a very militant union youtube video. Good timing? Dunno about the lock step marching soundtrack in the background all the time. A little too scary for a lot of folks what with all the big bad union boss talk these days? I guess a lot depends on where and how it is used beyond the union faithful. See: CUPE Youtube

This site actually tells you who is donating how much too each Liberal leadership candidate. See: OLP leaders donations

Racism charges fly in media coverage of OLP leaders race. See: Media coverage racism?

December 5 2012

ETFO President Sam Hammond tackles PC union fear mongering head on. Play it again Sam + again + again + again. See: ETFO replies: Union fear mongering



Toronto Sun clamours aboard Hudaks union thuggery claim. Vote in their poll to put breaks on this b.s. See: Toronto Sun Union Thugs Story + poll

Hammond rebuffs Toronto Star editorial which says teachers should withhold strikes to wait for the Bill 115 court challenge ruling. He's on a roll. Bravo! See: Hammond Star letter

Here's a good overview of the OSSTF + EFTO job actions. Note Hammond says rotating strikes could include up to 6 boards a day. See: OSSTF ETFO job actions

OSSTF press release makes it official: all members will be on work to rule by December 10th. Teaching continues but no more voluntary services. See: OSSTF Press release

Here we go again! MOE and Ottawa board dispute who changed the contract language on the tentative OSSTF agreement. For shame! See: Ottawa contract changes

Teachers OLRB Scuttlebutt: The OLRB has basically lumped all the OECTA local units complaints about the MOU together to be heard at the same time. At the first meeting OECTA Provincial's lawyers presented it's case. They are arguing that all of the cases should be dismissed under Bill 115 whereby they can't be argued or changed anyway. Ouch! At the next meeting the OLRB will hear the complainants arguments about the MOU. Figure out the rest yourself but hope for the best. Special thanx for the hot tips from the Mystery 6!

Video + report of the teacher protest outside Ottawa Convention Centre as McGuinty speaks: Ottawa protest

This rally photo that gives a good sense of it's scope: More Ottawa Rally Pix

CUPE to protest Friday Dec. 7 outside MOE Brotens office at 701 Evans Ave Toronto. More details as they become available.



Rob Ford football coach + Mayor?!? As if ...........................................

An Unending Saga: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford wins stay for appeal of his Integrity Commission conviction. Appeal will be held January 7th. Complainant lawyer Clayton Ruby thinks a decision could follow within weeks, rather than months. As a result claims he doesn't want to dispute the stay to avoid city council confusion. Rob Ford reassures everybody that he has learned his lesson. Sounds like a kid sent to the principals office eh? Read:  Ford wins stay 

By the way, a clarification is in order. Ford is definitely not the coach of the Don Bosco football team as is often insinuated or claimed in the media reports. Sad but true. You might consider him more like a glorified cheer leading bully with lots of big bucks and influence. 

December 4 2012

Notice: Education Minister Broten will be interviewed tonight on CTV News Toronto about the teacher strikes. A rehash or something new?



A McGuinty moment, in the ongoing Ontario teacher wars....

You might have surmised I am not a fan of Christmas carols everyday everywhere but I will make an exception with "Teaching in McGuinty's Wonderland." I think I might actually have a favourite carol this year. Please enjoy and share: Teaching in McGuinty's Wonderland Video

ETFO extends vote on a one province wide day strike. See the media release: ETFO Province Wide One Day Strike Vote

OSSTF D17 Barrie Simcoe official press release announces it's does not have a tenetative contract agreement because MOE changed the language. Job actions continue. See:  OSSTF D17 Press Release

People for Education have prepared a relatively easy to follow guide on the tough questions about the teacher strikes, protests and job actions within the context of the MOU and Bill115. There are also contact links with the MOE and the teacher unions. You might want to share this with colleagues or even parents who are confused and are having a hard tme following the developments. People for Education provides regular udates as well. See: People 4 Ed Easy Guide


CP24 News includes NDP and PC response to the impending strikes: Opposition Strike Response

Province calls off Huron Perth Catholic board merger with the public boards for now. Some relief is being expressed by the partners so they can discuss job losses before moving forward. See: Catholic Public Board Merger

Here are the links of the public school boards who are supporting the public school unions to repeal Bill 115. Public Boards Bill 115

Whatever happened to Ben Chin? Remember City tv reporter Ben Chin? He disappeared from the nightly news. He kicked around at OMNI t.v. for a bit before he became Mcguintys media director. Now he's moved to become communications director for BC Liberal Premier Christy Clark. He has also been working on the Trudeau campaign. See: Ben Chin

You think you have off days at school? 1300 high school yearbook's were distributed at one school before somebody noticed a photo of a news team member flashing his genitalia in a group shot. It was at a Catholic school with a picture of a trojan on the front cover of the yearbook. Read: Year Book News Flash

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Where is Kevin? crickets, crickets. Polishing Dalton's boots?

Anonymous said...

Hi David

Quick question - with us teachers only having 10 sick days - why is it Local OECTA Presidents can take vacation whenever they want? Just ask around....you will be suprised who is on vacation!

Kulture Kult Ink said...

As a 3rd VP I don't get release time except for days when I need it. We have 3 full time release officer, and I know they work around the clock, especially in the Presidents case. If anything we are understaffed for Toronto. I'd say the President gets holidays during alternate times, because in our case anyway, he is in a lot for the summer, Christmas, March break. Can't speak for other units tho.

Anonymous said...

Here is where this labour dispute gets even more pathetic than OECTAs bootlicking and OSSTFs move to trick their Upper Grand members to vote for MOU lite. ETFO calls their first strike action in districts where the MPPs are exclusively Conservative and NDP. Afraid to anger your Liberal allies ETFO? Need to keep things in line for the leadership outcome and eventual dumping of Broten? Jesus Christ, these Liberal sucking unions are miserable.

Anonymous said...

Except for you David, (and maybe Kent MacNeill) most OECTA unit presidents don't want unit members to challenge their power, or ask meaningful union fixing questions. Online individual member voting like ETFO just did? No, problems with security, goes against OECTA HANDBOOK, can't allow province-wide bargaining, even though it's happened already-these are the answers members get from unit presidents. Also, Halton elementary-a tentative deal and recently the unit executive voted in two new bylaws that to run for unit president you have to be either the treasurer or first vice president-no other candidates can run-without one word of unit member consultation-sounds kind of Provincial Office to me. Just pay your union dues and be quiet!Unit presidents-prove us wrong and give every OECTA member the right to vote electronically at the March 2013 AGM instead of talking in circles about why it can't be implemented. If ETFO can do it why not OECTA?

Anonymous said...

Yikes. Don't pick on J.C. Jesus would have let us vote on the MOU. Jesus is just alright with me.

Kulture Kult Ink said...

Yes! For sure. In Cuban art Jesus is portrayed as a revolutionary. You can see an example in my right side column down about half way where the photos from the Cuban schools are.

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