Docking pay is a cheap political move, teachers’ union says

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 23, 2015
By Lisa Queen

The provincial government’s threat to dock the pay of public elementary teachers and education workers unless they reach a deal by Nov. 1 is an unreasonable political ploy, a top York Region union official says.

“It is clear that Premier (Kathleen) Wynne, like OPSBA (the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association), has no intention of bargaining in good faith,” David Clegg, the York president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, said in an email.

“And what is also clear is that today’s announcement is a crass political calculation to deflect public opinion and the media away from the growing scandal that has resulted from the payment of millions of dollars to OSSTF (Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation), OECTA (Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association) and AEFO (the French-language teachers’ union) to ‘cover’ their bargaining costs.”

The government could start cutting wages unless the public elementary teachers’ union and the union representing public and Catholic education workers, such as educational assistants, custodians, secretaries, lunch supervisors, library technicians, early childhood educators and student support workers, reach settlements by Nov. 1, Wynne said Friday.

“Children’s lives are being negatively affected. This has got to stop,” she said.

Her announcement comes two days after public elementary teachers said they will stop providing extracurricular activities beginning Oct. 28 as part of escalating job action dating back months.

The union said it was making the move because the government and the school boards’ association had not responded to requests to return to the bargaining table, although Education Minister Liz Sandals disputed the claim.

Wynne’s announcement also comes amid a growing controversy that saw the province pay $2.5 million to the unions representing public high school, English Catholic and French-language teachers to defray their bargaining costs.

Meanwhile, some public elementary school boards are now indicating they will not be able to complete progress report cards this fall due to the labour strife.

Completing report cards is part of the duties of teachers, Wynne said Friday.

Elena Di Nardo, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 2331, which represents some education workers in York Region, said she did not yet have enough information early Friday afternoon to comment on Wynne’s announcement.