(From the Editorial page of “Update”, the OSSTF/FEESO monthly newsletter, dated November 2012, Vol. 40, No. 3)
It would be an understatement to say that this has been a difficult beginning to the school year for most of us.
We endured a summer of press stories that claimed OSSTF/FEESO refused to talk to the government while we were indeed putting forth proposals. We had to allay the fear of parents after the government told them that we would be striking at the beginning of September, even though no strike votes had even been taken. And now the media criticizes those of us who have chosen not to volunteer our time outside of our regular work day. It can be a very demoralizing and upsetting time.
Despite all the press and political spin, we know the following to be true:
· In the spring our Federation, along with other education union affiliates, approached the government to begin tripartite tables as it had for the last two rounds of negotiations.
· Instead of sending representatives from the Ministry of Education, OSSTF/FEESO was faced with a wall of hired lawyers, making unreasonable demands that they were told must be met before negotiations could begin.
· We left this meeting and came up with a counter proposal to these demands—a proposal that matched the financial savings being demanded including a wage freeze! The government refused to entertain the proposal.
· The government strong-armed a deal with OECTA (Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association) and is attempting to impose it on OSSTF/FEESO members without further negotiations via Bill 115.
· OSSTF/FEESO continues to work with school boards to find local solutions and has meanwhile launched a court challenge against Bill 115. This action has been backed up by other unions and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.
Where do we go from here?
Earlier in the summer our president, Ken Coran, spoke to us about our strategy moving forward in this “government-created” crisis and he said, “We must be firm in our beliefs and flexible in our tactics.”
He went on to summarize those beliefs into three basic principles:
Preserve the climate for bargaining. OSSTF/FEESO never refused talks with the government. In fact we regularly informed the office of the Minister of Education that we were willing to continue talks. We have made proposals that were never seriously considered and we continue to negotiate with willing school boards around the province. A negotiated deal is always better than a legislated one.
Hold the government accountable. OSSTF/FEESO and its affiliate education unions did nothing wrong in this conflict. They have followed normal bargaining procedures as set out by both tradition and the law. It is the government that resorted to changing the rules who is guilty of not playing fairly. We are confident our charter challenge will prove this.
Let our members know we are fighting for them. Our members did not cause the financial crisis, nor did they set the rules that allowed it to happen. We have conceded a wage freeze because we do recognize that all Ontarians must contribute to the fight against the deficit, but we will not allow our members to be penalized disproportionately. We certainly will not stand by and allow our members’ rights to be trampled. As educators and educational workers, we serve as a role model to our students. Teaching them to stand up for their rights might be the greatest lesson we can give, even if at times it feels demoralizing.
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