The Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board office in Toronto on September 28, 2021. All education union contracts in Ontario expire at the end of August and negotiations on new contracts have begun.COLE BURSTON/The Canadian Press
The head of Ontario’s elementary teachers union says while families want stability in schools, educators will fight cuts to public education as they begin contract negotiations with the province.
Speaking at the annual meeting of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, or ETFO, on Monday, president Karen Brown told delegates from across the province that the union would “press hard” for investment.
All education union contracts expire at the end of August and negotiations have begun. It is expected to be a tough round of negotiations with Prime Minister Doug Ford’s government.
Before the pandemic, the four main education unions had engaged in industrial action, from walkouts to one-day strikes, as tensions with the government rose. They reached agreements with the province just as the first wave of COVID-19 in 2020 led to school closures.
On Monday, the government’s latest offer to the union representing support staff offered a 2% increase each year in a four-year contract, well below the union’s request, for those earning less than $40,000 a year.
Ms. Brown told delegates that families are “unwilling to accept more cuts to public education. … ETFO will continue to push hard for needed reinvestments in the system.”
ETFO has negotiation dates scheduled with the government and school boards this month.
The ETFO initially denied media access to its meeting, a departure from previous practices. The union then allowed the media to attend Ms. Brown’s opening remarks on Monday, but will not allow entry. in his closing remarks on Thursday, saying it was about negotiation.
In a media scrum after her speech, Ms. Brown said educators are seeking “compensation that reflects the level of commitment they invested during this pandemic. They were there, they showed up, they were reliable.”
Education Minister Stephen Lecce said in a statement that the government is “committed to achieving a fair deal with all education unions”.
“My message to parents is this: We will do whatever it takes to get your children back to class, on time and without disruption, with the full learning experience.”
The government’s initial offer also includes a 1.25 percent annual increase in a four-year contract for other school support workers earning more than $40,000. The bargaining documents were made public Monday by the Council of Ontario School Board Unions of the CUPE, or OSBCU, which represents 55,000 support staff including education assistants and caretakers.
Caitlin Clark, a spokeswoman for Mr. Lecce said the offer, which also maintains 11 paid sick days and some changes to short-term disability coverage, was “fair.”
“When you consider the total compensation package, including generous benefits and sick leave provisions, this is a fair offer and allows CUPE members to remain competitive with education workers in other sectors he said in an email.
However, OSBCU president Laura Walton said the offer was “disheartening” and that workers felt “extremely disrespected by this government”. She said many of the support staff, who are among the lowest educated, work multiple jobs and face food and housing insecurity.
Among its demands, the union asked for raises of about 11.7 percent a year and an early childhood educator in every early childhood classroom. Under the current model, if a kindergarten class has fewer than 16 students, there is no requirement to have an early childhood educator in the classroom.
Ms. Walton said the union will meet with the government again on Tuesday. Union management will also meet shortly to discuss holding a strike vote.
“We know what workers need to be able to continue,” said Ms. Walton.
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