Written by: Alyssa Sabo On December 4, the members of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) went on strike. OSSTF in the WRDSB represents secondary school teachers and other education workers (ie. secretaries, custodial and maintenance staff, hall monitors, etc.). The work-to-rule campaign includes 83 000 public elementary school teachers that are part of the OSSTF. They united and formed this campaign in the hopes of promising that the education of students will not be negatively impacted. Essentially, the red shirts they wear on Friday represent unionization and that members of the campaign stand for education. On November 26, OSSTF announced to its members to “work-to-rule” on certain issues aimed at the provincial government. Secondary teachers and education workers will not do anything work-related when directed by OSSTF. For example, they will not participate in EQAO preparation, complete Ministry of Education reports, add comments on secondary provincial reports, etc. OSSTF initially began positioning picket lines in front of worksites as a way for their voices to be heard. However, picket lines turned into strikes. On December 4, OSSTF announced that their members will go on strike. The strike happened because negotiations with the government have reached a stalemate. The union wants the government to not increase high school class sizes to a provincial ratio of 25:1, and to cancel mandatory e-learning program that will begin next year. The union also wants a 2% per year salary increase and the government wants to give them a 1% increase. When a strike like this happens, it means that all education workers have to withdraw their services on that day. “It is a legal part of the negotiating process. And in dealing with a unionized environment, it is a process that we have learned to live with,” says Principal Ray Teed. On December 4 in the WRDSB region, all schools and after school childcare programs were closed. Bus transportation, extracurricular activities, and evening rental permits were cancelled. The next day, schools resumed. Amid all this political turmoil, it is evident that in Canada, citizens are at liberty to voice their concerns about various issues through a peaceful demonstration to obtain the government’s attention. “My hope is that we come to a resolution soon,” mentioned Principal Teed. Here are some reliable websites: https://www.iheartradio.ca/610cktb/news/education-minister-says-public-elementary-teachers-work-to-rule-will-hurt-children-1.10218188 https://www.osstf.on.ca/en-CA/news/mr-dec-06-2019.aspx https://www.wrdsb.ca/blog/2019/12/04/all-schools-will-be-closed-on-december-4-2019/ https://www.cbc.ca/ References Figure 1. Ontario high school students return to class after the one-day strike ends. (2019, December 5). Retrieved from https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-high-schools-students-return-to-class-after-one-day-strike-ends-1.4716300?cache=yesclipId104062?autoPlay=true. Figure 2. Ontario high school students return to class after the one-day strike ends. (2019, December 5). Retrieved from https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-high-schools-students-return-to-class-after-one-day-strike-ends-1.4716300?cache=yesclipId104062?autoPlay=true.
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December 2019
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