All 3-year education contracts in Ontario now ratified

Thestar.com
May 25, 2020
Kristin Rushowy

Ontario school boards have now ratified three-year deals with all teacher and support staff unions after a round of tough negotiations that led to work-to-rule campaigns and frequent one-day strikes.

Public, Catholic, French public and Catholic board associations have approved the final deals reached with teachers and support staff represented by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation.

“Despite the many challenges caused by the current pandemic situation, all of the parties continued to work toward reaching a deal that will help to bring some stability to our system during what is obviously a rapidly evolving situation, said Cathy Abraham, president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce said Friday that he “would like to congratulate all the parties for the ratification of the 2019-22 central agreements, delivering needed stability for Ontario’s children, parents and all education staff.”

He said the government “achieved our main priority -- landing deals that advance the priorities of students, parents and taxpayers. We now have successfully ratified central agreements with all of our education labour partners.”

Lecce also said the government thanks “teachers and education workers for playing a critical role in promoting positive learning environments for students in all corners of our province -- most especially those conducting synchronous online learning” during the school shutdown, which has been extended for the rest of the school year.

The issue has proved controversial with teacher unions, which have raised privacy, security and equity concerns about synchronous -- or real-time, live learning typically by video conference.

Under Ontario’s two-tier education bargaining process, big-ticket issues like salary are sorted out provincially and more administrative issues between union locals and individual school boards. Those talks are underway in most boards with some local agreements already reached.

The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) reached a deal that includes a one per cent salary increase each year, as well as $45 million over the next two years to create new special education teaching positions plus $29 million for adult education.

Class sizes will go up an average of one student over last year’s levels, from 22 to 23, and two online credits are now required to earn a high school diploma, albeit with an easy opt-out policy.

Education workers represented by the secondary teachers’ union also negotiated more than $40 million in funds for special education supports, as well as a half-day of violence prevention training.

Last week, OSSTF members ratified their two deals, with teachers voting 78 per cent in favour and education workers 91 per cent.

“Members recognize these deals are imperfect but provide needed stability in these trying times,” union president Harvey Bischof said last weekend.

The 60,000-member OSSTF announced the tentative agreement in April, with final negotiations wrapped up electronically because of COVID-19 and social distancing measures.

Prior to the pandemic, negotiations with the teachers’ unions had led to job action, including no-comment report cards and rotating strikes.

OSSTF represents permanent and occasional teachers, educational assistants, early childhood educators, school psychologists, speech-language pathologist and social workers.

NDP education critic Marit Stiles blamed the Ford government for the unrest in education earlier this year, saying the job action “was unnecessarily prolonged due to the government’s hostile approach to educators, parents and students, and refusal to back down on class size increases and mandatory e-learning.”