Opening Statement



Sunday 6 January 2013

OSSTF Rank + File Petition!



Rank + File Rocks! Please sign or share their petition!

Hello Readers!

I have been asked to post the following grass root's OSSTF petition on my blog. 407 more OSSTF member signatures are needed asap. See the video and read the petition below. Share as you see fit. Only OSSTF members can sign. However, it's good for us all to know and extend solidarity towards our fellow dissidents in the Rank and File Group

I have participated in a number of their fine, strident protests in Toronto this fall, and truly appreciate their commitment and vigour to the good fight against the MOU and Bill 115.  We know its not easy to stand up against your own union. Here is one model for how its done. To sign the petition below please go on line to the following link: OSSTF Rank + File Petition

See the Rank + File video on solidarity, resistance + change at: Rank + File video

Here is OSSTF President Ken Coran speaking on the unions next move after the Broten announcement: OSSTF Position?

Rank + File writes: David, this is a petition some of the shit disturbers in OSSTF Toronto have concocted. Could you put it on your blog a) for general interest and b) to get OSSTF visitors there to actually sign it and share the link with our fellow OSSTF'ers.
Petition by Rank-and-file OSSTF members
Bill 115 attacks labour rights, democracy, and quality public education. Secondary school teachers and education workers want to defeat Bill 115, but our union's current strategy involves no real membership education, ongoing democratic input, or member and community mobilization. If you are an OSSTF member who wants our Provincial Executive to do a better job at fighting Bill 115, please read and sign this petition.
To:  Provincial Executive of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation  
Adopt a real strategy to DEFEAT Bill 115!
To the Provincial Executive of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF),
We, the undersigned rank-and-file members of OSSTF, are frustrated with our union’s lacklustre response to Bill 115 and the government’s attack on our collective bargaining rights.
We note that the Strategic Readiness Plan that was unanimously adopted at AMPA 2012 (OSSTF’s annual convention) included the following, under the category “collective action”:
- All-membership vote to show support for actions that may need to be taken on a province-wide basis;
- Selective service withdrawal sanction;
- Progressive province-wide selective services withdrawal;
- Rotating one-day strikes;
- Strategic local strikes;
- Full membership strike
Four months after Bill 115 became law, only the first three tactics have been utilized, and membership has not heard of any plans for escalation. 
Our collective resistance, so far, has been minimal. We have come across as being more interested in negotiating agreements within Bill 115 parameters than in actually leading the fight to eliminate the Bill. At the District 12 Council meeting on December 13, Ken Coran announced a tentative plan for a one-day political protest, taking the form of indoor rallies. This is a token display of protest. Instead, OSSTF should be building sustained opposition that can inspire our members and allies, and that can show McGuinty and Hudak that public sector workers will not allow our bargaining rights to be taken away.
What we, the members of the OSSTF, need from our union is a strategy of education, ongoing democratic input, and mobilization of our membership and our surrounding communities. This should take the form of the following:
- Organize an education campaign about the struggle against Bill 115, aimed at members, local communities, parents, and students, involving door-to-door canvassing and local meetings. As many OSSTF members as possible should be involved in these activities.
- Replace tentative plans for indoor "political protests" with local, one-day, visible, public, outdoor protest actions across Ontario, inviting participation from our allies. This could be used as a way of building for longer strikes, leading up to, if necessary, an all-out strike of teachers and education workers from OSSTF, ETFO and CUPE.
Looking to the Liberals or any other existing political party to defend education workers and the quality of education was a dangerous mistake that cannot be repeated, whether in the context of the next election, or the current Liberal leadership race. Our politics need to develop independently from political parties. Our strength ultimately depends on our members, and on alliances with the broader labour movement and in the community.
Sincerely,  
[Sign online]

PS: Any reader "Comments"? There are increasingly more of us disenfranchised teacher union members these days. Does the long term future of our teacher union movement lay in alliance with the broader labour movement and communities as opposed to our current independent union structure structures [AEFO, ETFO, OECTA, OSSTF, OTF]? How do we approach the question of political party support now that we have been betrayed by all three main Ontario parties; the OLP, NDP, PC's? Where do we go from here? See button below:

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

You teachers at OSSTF think you are not doing enough to stop the evildoers- come over and look at OECTA! You are already leaving us in the dust! Can we join you? I think we need ONE BIG UNION to stop the raids on our contracts and benefits! We will dump our OECTA Neville Chamberlains en route to OSSTF to sign up!!!

Kulture Kult Ink said...

Anyone else for one big provincial teachers union? Pros? Cons?

Andy said...

BC has one - not sure it helped them much. However, the more solidarity, the better. Seems to me the gov't was able to divide and conquer pretty effectively this time around.

Anonymous said...

We should merge and elect a council of presidents. One to represent each union. Then we should eliminate all the administrative stadd overhead such as the Political Action staff earning 150k and more to attend fundraisers and fawn over Ministers. We also need to get rid of all social justice initiatives and stop wasting the membership's dues on pork chopper events that only serve the well connected union insider class.

Anonymous said...

Hey David. Rank and file video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kApHAO7QIBA&feature=youtu.be

Anonymous said...

Or adopt the OECTA BILL OF MEMBERS' RIGHTS?

Anonymous said...

The idea of a "super" union really appeals to me with equal #s of members from all 4 unions on the executive. MINUS, Kevin O'Dwyer, public # enemy 3, McGunity #1 and Laurel B. Roten #2!

Anonymous said...

Saw the OSSTF "members" video. Its problem is that the ideas expressed are likely far too radical for the general public and for the average OSSTF member. It is one thing to insist on democracy and another to favour anarchy. If we follow the latter we will lose the majority of the membership (and the public) and fail as a UNION.

OECTA clearly needs change and the solution comes in March. Ontario needs progressive change the solution will come with the next election.

One Big Union further carries bargaining away from the ordinary member. What we need is not OBU but a return to real local bargaining which mean returning the power of bargaining agent to locals and the power of taxation to local boards.

Provincial Bargaining doesn't work here, in Quebec where they make 20K less than us, in BC where they have OBU, no Catholic schools and no rights.

Anonymous said...

David..how does a member of OECTA run for unit executive for the 2013-2014 school year?

Kulture Kult Ink said...

You need to hand in a nomination form by the cut off date [call provincial]. Then technically you show up at March AGM, visit the delegations to speak, hand out flyers, buttons etc, set up an info booth. Give a speech and participate in a Q+A before the assembly.

There are also recommendations letters most candidates seek from the various units endorsing them, especially the larger ones where everybody votes in block. My unit does not require block voting but a lot of others still do. This is where a lot of the real politicking comes in.

Anonymous said...

for a unit executive position at the local level? Does OECTA have a handbook for members on how to run for positions on their local unit executives-like President? Treasurer? VP? Councillors?

Kulture Kult Ink said...

Your unit has a set of by laws governing that. It should be available from your local office or online at your unit website.

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