By Anthony Marco, OSSTF member Here’s why I will be voting AGAINST the upcoming OSSTF proposal to use arbitration as a tactic to prompt more effective bargaining with Ford’s Conservatives. I will be voting against the proposal even though I acknowledge that THIS TIME it could likely result in a better wage deal for OSSTF Continue readingArbitration tactic a mistake, says OSSTF member
OSSTF
By Rick Beer OSSTF member, Toronto District School BoardCandidate for Toronto Teacher Bargaining Unit president Some people believe that education workers should be grateful to have kept their jobs and their paycheques under the current circumstances – education workers should have gratitude for another contract containing real wage cuts. Some people believe that education workers Continue readingOSSTF tentative agreement: Why I’m voting NO
On July 31, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) filed for conciliation after 10 days of bargaining with the Council of Trustees’ Associations (CTA) and the provincial government. RankandFile.ca spoke with Laura Walton, President of CUPE’s provincial bargaining agent, the Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU), to discuss bargaining so far and the Continue readingBargaining stalled for Ontario’s education workers
By Peter Hogarth “I feel like education has been moving in a really good direction; schools are getting that they have to be there to support students’ mental health, we have to take care of racism and make students feel safe and this is just setting us back in so many different ways.” Nicole Luinenburg, Continue readingTeaching the Tories a lesson
By Doug Nesbitt and David Bush Ontario secondary school students organized the biggest walkout in the province’s history on April 4. Somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 students from over 700 high schools participated. Walkouts even spread to elementary schools. This is the second major student walk out in the province since the Tories were elected. Continue readingOntario’s Spring: Students lead, labour must follow
By Gerard Di Trolio A little over a week since the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) announced that it would defend teachers who taught the now abolished 2015 sex-ed curriculum, Doug Ford has responded with a website encouraging parents to snitch on teachers. The website also instructs parents that they can also complain to Continue readingFord’s teacher snitch line is a declaration of war
By Jason Kunin, Seth Bernstein, and Amina Ally After nearly a year of negotiations, during which time we were without a collective agreement, the Provincial Executive of our union, Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF), has reached a tentative agreement with the Liberal government. As OSSTF members, we cannot vote in favour of this agreement Continue readingVote No: An Open Letter to OSSTF Members
Why class caps are the crucial issue for anti-austerity organizing by Joel Harden Last Friday, in my hometown of Ottawa, I walked an information picket organized by District 25 of the Ontario Secondary Schools Teachers Federation (OSSTF). What I saw and heard confirmed the stakes involved in defending (and improving) public education. It was a Continue readingFor public education, class size matters
By Ryan Kelly (4th Vice President of the OSSTF District 13) Schools are the very definition of community hubs. They are a place where parents and guardians, teachers, support staff, custodial staff, and administrators work together to provide safe space for children to learn, grow and succeed. Schools are also a place of employment, where Continue readingStriking against no Wynne bargaining in Durham
By Tim Heffernan (retired Toronto secondary school teacher) Monday was the start of an important strike by secondary school teachers in the Durham District School Board. Six other boards could soon be joining them on the picket lines, depending on the speed of the negotiations. Together they (Durham and the other 6), make up what the Continue readingTeachers strike against Liberals’ austerity agenda
Jessica Burnie from the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) was elected May 7th to represent workers with disabilities on the Canadian Labour Congress’ (CLC) Canadian Council. RankandFile.ca‘s Samantha Ponting spoke with Jessica about the broad challenges faced by injured workers and other workers with disabilities, including the barriers facing people with disabilities at this year’s Continue readingInterview: Jessica Burnie, new CLC rep for workers with disabilities
By Gerard Di Trolio Over 200 people showed up on a cold spring afternoon in the heart of downtown Toronto to protest the Ontario Liberal government’s inaction on issues of poverty. The protest gathered at Metro Hall and then marched down University Avenue towards the Metro Toronto Convention Centre where the Liberals were holding their Continue readingAnti-Poverty and Labour Groups March on the Ontario Liberals