Ontario’s public elementary teachers are refusing to bargain with the province after it proposed a zero wage increase as well as an end to retirement payouts of unused sick days.
In the first sign of labour strife that may be on the horizon, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario has taken a tough stance with the government for proposing such cuts, saying it will not participate in talks scheduled for March 5 and 6 in Toronto.
“To say we were insulted is an understatement,” says a memo, obtained by the Star, sent to members of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario from president Sam Hammond.
“We find the tone and, most significantly, the content of the government’s parameters to be offensive to all ETFO members and cannot be a party to what amounts to deep and mean-spirited strips to our collective agreements that would negatively affect every member at every stage of their career.”
The province’s Catholic teachers and public school secondary teachers remain in talks with the province. However, a bargaining bulletin issued Wednesday by Ken Coran, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, called the government proposal “an unprecedented attack on members’ rights” that’s “clearly unacceptable.”
The province, which hopes to wrap up negotiations by mid-March — in time for the budget — has asked all Ontario teachers to agree to a two-year deal that provides no overall salary increase, as well as no wage increase as teachers gain more experience and move up the salary grid.
It says that over the next two years, the grid itself — which bases pay on experience and professional qualifications — should be reformed.
The province’s proposal would also end retirement payouts of unused sick days, which can equal half a year’s salary, instead allowing teachers six sick days a year with full pay. Those days could not be banked or cashed out on retirement.
Any sick days already accumulated would be frozen and paid out at retirement.
Such payouts, originally created as an incentive for teachers not to call in sick, are a huge liability for the province, thought to be at least $2 billion.
Some of the government’s proposals reflect recommendations made by economist Don Drummond in his report on how the province can balance its books.
However, there is no mention of increasing class sizes or decreasing staff for full-day kindergarten, as Drummond suggested.
In a recent teleconference with Premier Dalton McGuinty and Education Minister Lauren Broten, unions representing teachers and school staff — who would also face a pay freeze — were told “that there would be provisions in the government’s proposal that our members ‘would not like,’” says Hammond’s memo.
Hammond himself was unavailable for comment, but his memo says the union will instead negotiate with individual school boards.
In the last two rounds of bargaining, provincial negotiators hammered out big issues such as salary with the unions, leaving smaller local issues to individual school boards to sort out.
The current contract for teachers, which expires this August, provided a raise of 12.55 per cent over the past four years for all Catholic teachers and public secondary teachers, with those at the top end earning $95,000 a year.
Public elementary teachers received only a 10.4 per cent increase over the same four years, a salary penalty imposed by the province after the previous union president also balked at provincial talks.
The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association says it continues to engage in talks. Union president Kevin O’Dwyer has previously told the Star that the sick leave payout has already been phased out in most Catholic boards.
Reached Wednesday by phone, Coran said talks are scheduled Thursday for his union. He said he has questions about the process, and the province’s answers “could have an impact on how things proceed.”
Paris Meilleur, spokesperson for the education minister, said discussions are ongoing “and we have confidence that all parties involved are committed to ensuring the long-term sustainability of our publicly funded education system.”
Original Article
Source: parent central
Author: Kristin Rushowy
In the first sign of labour strife that may be on the horizon, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario has taken a tough stance with the government for proposing such cuts, saying it will not participate in talks scheduled for March 5 and 6 in Toronto.
“To say we were insulted is an understatement,” says a memo, obtained by the Star, sent to members of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario from president Sam Hammond.
“We find the tone and, most significantly, the content of the government’s parameters to be offensive to all ETFO members and cannot be a party to what amounts to deep and mean-spirited strips to our collective agreements that would negatively affect every member at every stage of their career.”
The province’s Catholic teachers and public school secondary teachers remain in talks with the province. However, a bargaining bulletin issued Wednesday by Ken Coran, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, called the government proposal “an unprecedented attack on members’ rights” that’s “clearly unacceptable.”
The province, which hopes to wrap up negotiations by mid-March — in time for the budget — has asked all Ontario teachers to agree to a two-year deal that provides no overall salary increase, as well as no wage increase as teachers gain more experience and move up the salary grid.
It says that over the next two years, the grid itself — which bases pay on experience and professional qualifications — should be reformed.
The province’s proposal would also end retirement payouts of unused sick days, which can equal half a year’s salary, instead allowing teachers six sick days a year with full pay. Those days could not be banked or cashed out on retirement.
Any sick days already accumulated would be frozen and paid out at retirement.
Such payouts, originally created as an incentive for teachers not to call in sick, are a huge liability for the province, thought to be at least $2 billion.
Some of the government’s proposals reflect recommendations made by economist Don Drummond in his report on how the province can balance its books.
However, there is no mention of increasing class sizes or decreasing staff for full-day kindergarten, as Drummond suggested.
In a recent teleconference with Premier Dalton McGuinty and Education Minister Lauren Broten, unions representing teachers and school staff — who would also face a pay freeze — were told “that there would be provisions in the government’s proposal that our members ‘would not like,’” says Hammond’s memo.
Hammond himself was unavailable for comment, but his memo says the union will instead negotiate with individual school boards.
In the last two rounds of bargaining, provincial negotiators hammered out big issues such as salary with the unions, leaving smaller local issues to individual school boards to sort out.
The current contract for teachers, which expires this August, provided a raise of 12.55 per cent over the past four years for all Catholic teachers and public secondary teachers, with those at the top end earning $95,000 a year.
Public elementary teachers received only a 10.4 per cent increase over the same four years, a salary penalty imposed by the province after the previous union president also balked at provincial talks.
The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association says it continues to engage in talks. Union president Kevin O’Dwyer has previously told the Star that the sick leave payout has already been phased out in most Catholic boards.
Reached Wednesday by phone, Coran said talks are scheduled Thursday for his union. He said he has questions about the process, and the province’s answers “could have an impact on how things proceed.”
Paris Meilleur, spokesperson for the education minister, said discussions are ongoing “and we have confidence that all parties involved are committed to ensuring the long-term sustainability of our publicly funded education system.”
Original Article
Source: parent central
Author: Kristin Rushowy
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