Opening Statement



Thursday 9 April 2015

Teacher Strikes: What Was OSSTF Offered?




The following has been floating about the 'net. I post it here for your information, consideration and discussion purposes. At first brush it seems pretty similar to the OPSBA initial offer to ETFO [Here] except the details are fleshed out a lot more. Your Comments and input are most welcome below:

Management Team Opening Bargaining Positions

The management team presented positions on the structure and content of collective agreements, on the definitions of “the parties” and of “teacher,” and on a central grievance process. They reserved on providing their positions on the issues of Benefits and E-Learning/ Dual Credits/Experiential Learning.

The OPSBA/Crown brief included a statement of “Context” that outlined the following concepts:

There would be no net monetary increases and any modest compensation adjustments would require offsets so that a “Net Zero” was achieved.

There would be no “superior provisions” allowed in local Bargaining Units that may have achieved such rights in the past. Central terms would apply to all so that some local Bargaining Units could see improvements on an item, while others would see no change or a reduction in rights.

The management positions on each of the issues are summarized below. 
Together they represent an unprecedented attack on the hard won gains made by OSSTF/FEESO over decades of difficult bargaining:

1. Salary, Wages and Direct Compensation

Elimination of all extra degree allowances.
There would be no pay increase not paid for thru other cuts to compensation.
The 97 day delay on salary grid movement would be on-going.

2. Maternity Benefits/SEB

Adult day school teachers would lose Maternity Benefits.
Locals w/ superior provisions 4 Maternity benefits in their CB lose them.

3. Short Term Paid Leaves

Local Bargaining Units with superior provisions for bereavement leave lose rights.
There would be no bereavement leave to attend the funeral of a cousin or friend.
Many Bargaining Units would lose access to currently available personal days.

4. Sick Leave

All members would see a loss in sick leave entitlements.
Some members would lose their access to sick leave.
Some members would see a decrease in pay for pro-longed illnesses.
Vulnerable members with recurring/chronic illnesses could see their entitlement to a full-time job lost to part-time status with a loss a reduction in sick leave entitlement.

5. O. Reg 274 – Hiring Practices

All language in local agreements regarding hiring practices would be removed.
O.Reg 274 would be recommended to be revoked by all parties.
Discredited hiring practices would reappear.
Nepotism and discrimination would reappear.

6. Professional Practice/Professional development/Supervision/Unassigned Time
Workload would increase.

8 of 8 periods would be assigned to Library, Guidance, Special Education Resource, Cooperative Education, Student Success, Alternative, and Adult Education teachers with no APAs.

60 half periods of APAs as on-calls, supervision, student or teacher mentoring would be assigned to classroom teachers.

4 of 4 in any combination of classes and APAs would be assigned to occasional teachers.

There would be more supervisions and on-calls assigned during the work day and any local controls on the timing or frequency of these assignments would be removed.

Duties could be assigned to teachers outside the school day with no limits.
No teacher would be able to have an expectation of self-directed preparation time.
Occasional teachers would be fully assigned in all periods without limits for the entire work day.

7. Diagnostic Assessment

Boards would determine the type, frequency and timing of diagnostic assessment tools used by teachers.
Boards would establish the mechanism to be used by all teachers to record the results and these would be used to inform teacher practices.
Teachers’ professional judgement would be further devalued.
You would have to assess and evaluate what you are told, when you are told, and how you are told.

8. Class Sizes

Individual class sizes would increase everywhere.
All local limits on class sizes would be removed.
No single class would have an absolute maximum.
Workload improvements would be lost in all Bargaining Units.


9. Principal/VP Return to the Bargaining Unit

Teachers could be assigned to admin positions without limit on their activities.
There would be no limit on the length of these temporary administrative positions.
Bargaining rights (seniority) would accrue without union dues payment.
Placement of administrators back into the Bargaining Unit positions ahead of Bargaining Unit members with full seniority and without payment of union dues.


WHY STRIKE? A SUMMARY:

Every local Bargaining Unit in province stripped of hard won improvements to workload.


Years of contract gains would be reversed in one collective agreement.


Every teacher in the province would experience a significant decrease in their professional autonomy.


Every teacher in the province would find his/her compensation eroded.

YOUR COMMENTS:

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

What is this? A Mike-Harris-wannabe offer?

Kulture Kult Ink said...

Seems we've got a left leaning premier, on equity issues, ruling labour from the right as "Mike Harris Lite" to me!

Anonymous said...

Our only chance is OECTA following OSSTF and setting strike dates. Please don't let us down again.

Anonymous said...

Mike Harris Lite? This is much worse.

Kulture Kult Ink said...

Hmmm. We would go kaput under the second coming of a Harris/ Hudak! Perhaps this is more like an OLP makeover into nice, manageable Lib unions?

Kulture Kult Ink said...

Did anyone see the tweets about how this blog just goes to show that OSSTF information can't be shared with members?

Let's be frank, in case anyone doesn't get this: These communication pieces I have been re-posting from the internet are just that; communications. They are not highly sensitive/ can't fall into enemy hands type material. By the time you see them, everybody, but everybody higher up pretty much knows all about this, whatever side they are on. It is not going to upset the apple cart for us to share, read and discuss on our own as educated professionals, many of us with activist backgrounds.

To be blunt, these are carefully worded propaganda pieces to make you feel included and informed, and that everything is going well, your interests are being served. It is a way to manufacture consent for the process. Necessary? Yes, of course sometimes, that is the way of our world.

In some folks union world, I suppose we would genuflect and feel all warm inside. But in the last round of MOU's all of our elected union reps and hired secretariats agreed to contract stripping on our behalf after dragging it out as long as they could. OECTA was definitely wrong to do what it did, in my mind, but don't assume the other affiliates would've rescued the day if OECTA hadn't jumped the gun first. OSSTF's Ken Coran is a disturbing case in point. And there were many guest OSSTF member blogs here to express many of their deep concerns.

As an educated professional union member we should have the basic right to look at whats out there and think about it for ourselves as a part of the decision making process. To talk with each other, and to do so critically, without being supervised or controlled. To do otherwise, would be extremely naive. Certainly not befitting the kind of democratic, member serving unions many of us still want representing and working for us, rather than the other way around, in each of the different affiliates represented by your readership and participation here.

Cheers/
Solidarity!

David C

Anonymous said...

We elected wynne and now shes doing this

Anonymous said...

OECTA will NOT be striking before the end of June. Take that to the bank!

Anonymous said...

I work in durham but off due to surgery... will i get strike pay or my ltd pay?

Kulture Kult Ink said...

I would think LTD but am no expert. You should contact your local OSSTF office asap.

Anonymous said...

Thanks david could you please find out for me.. why do nurses cops firefighters get raises and teachers dont.. is it better to sign a 2 yr deal or 5? Thanks

Kulture Kult Ink said...

Nuses have had a tough go of it over the years with their contracts, so i am not sure why the provinces is cutting them some slack now. I'd venture a guess, but its just that, that the police support for the OLP is being buttressed up. Usually they lean PC if at all.

2 or 5 year contracts. I think that was the provinces idea and amnot sure whether unions fought it. We didnt have them in years past. A contract often takes. year or two tonegotiate so i dunno the advantages for us of being in a constant state of negotiations! Anybody else?

Anonymous said...

Whats your guess as to our pay increase if any?

Kulture Kult Ink said...

Province said zilch. They threw in a bunch of other BS. My bet is they will fight hoping you will be glad to settle eventually for the zero raise in exchange for getting rid of some of that other stuff claiming victory. Win win 4 them!

Anonymous said...

What Would your guess be that if oecta goes out on strike..it would be june or september
we get zero? What did cops nurses and firefighters get as a raise? Did we get a pay decrease last year..

Kulture Kult Ink said...

Can't see OECTA walking before fall myself, but that is just a guess. I'm sure the other affiliates are hoping they don't wait so long. Could cause bad blood if OSSTF + ETFO are out on the street and OECTA is not, again, even if it comes late.

Already answered 2nd question and the last one I don't know about.

Listen: I am not an expert on the current situation as I am retired. You'd best go to unit meetings and ask your local a lot of this, might even help put pressure on them!

Anonymous said...

Any word on the Halton OECTA meeting today?

Anonymous said...

The teacher layoffs at TCDSB yesterday were brutal. This is a sign of the times to come if our people don't get serious and get involved and our union doesn't stand up for our rights and interests at the bargaining table! These are young teachers' lives they are ruining! I was only sitting on the LSSAC and I found it heartbreaking!

Anonymous said...

Just had several young people at my school in TCDSB designated as surplus and it was heartbreaking. If young teachers defend their rights and interests as teachers they soon won't have any left! I foresee many more pink slips in the future if teachers don't stand up when it counts!

Anonymous said...

OSSTF has now suspended talks with the government due to the government tabling another atrocious financial position that includes an unpaid day and an additional step on the salary grid. I think i know what games they are playing, but I'm not sure if they know the consequences.

Anonymous said...

Why wold oecta go out in fall in osttf goes in april..shouldnt everyonengo at the same time..how much is strike pay per day

Anonymous said...

Don't buy into the government deception. Sandals cries "there is no more money for salaries", therefore suggesting the issue is salaries. What if she said "there is no money for wet bars in the staff room"? Of course people would naturally assume that having a wet bar was one of the union "demands".

Anonymous said...

Thanks to OSSTF for making the first sacrifice for all teachers.

-Signed an anti-MOU Oecta member with friends in OSSTF and ETFO

Anonymous said...

Michael Barrett, president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, said his board, the Durham District School Board, passed the motion earlier this month, which would have increased his $15,000 salary by about $585, or 4%
“It’s not about the money. It’s not. It’s about being valued for what we contribute and what we are able to offer,” he said. “There was no consultation. A lot of boards were quite taken aback and surprised by the minister’s action.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/ontario-orders-school-board-trustees-to-cancel-pay-raises/article20905654/

Anonymous said...

Class size OSSTF video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tShSDxcO7kk

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