THUNDER BAY -- With binding arbitration a no go and negotiations at an impasse, there appears to be no deal on the horizon between the Thunder Bay Catholic District School board and its elementary teachers.
Union president Aldo Grillo, in a release issued late on Thursday afternoon, said Monday’s day of bargaining did not result in a deal and a proposed settlement offered by teachers two the board was rejected after two days.
Grillo, who heads the Thunder Bay Elementary Unit of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association, said frustration is mounting and accused the board of refusing to budge from its last proposal.
Teachers have been in a legal strike position since June 2016 and have been on work to rule for several months as talks stalled.
With no future bargaining dates set because the provincial labour board’s conciliator has not agreed to convene another negotiation session, it’s getting frustrating, Grillo said.
“Parents should be very upset,” Grillo said in the release.
“The board invited us to the bargaining table and we anticipated a reasonable response from the board. We want a fair resolution to this dispute, but we seem to be the only ones interested in that.”
Teachers say they plan to review their options as they continue to seek a three-year deal that is set to expire this coming summer.
Grillo said there are just four Catholic board contracts that have not been settled province-wide, two of them in Thunder Bay.
About 380 teachers are affected in the dispute.
