THUNDER BAY – Rick Seeley is outraged.
The English teacher from Westgate Collegiate and Vocational Institute was one of more than 200 education workers who rallied outside of provincial offices on James Street Tuesday to protest the Liberal government’s plan to legislate a wage freeze on those workers and remove their right to bargain.
The Putting Students First Act would freeze education wages, ban strikes and lockouts for two years, force three unpaid days off, stop unused sick days from being cashed out at retirement and cut the annual amount of sick days in half to 10. It’s based on an agreement reached earlier in the summer with the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association.
“I’m outraged by what the government is doing. What they’re doing is not about kids. It’s about a political maneuver to get two by-elections in two Southern Ontario ridings. This is not about saving money. They could do several things to save money,” Seeley said.
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Seeley said from the very beginning education workers accepted the wage freeze. And although the province has said unions might disrupt the beginning of the school year, that’s never been the case.
“We never said we were going to be on strike next week. In fact we removed our strike votes just to give everyone some calming down time,” he said.
“Students are going to go to school and teachers are going to teach because teachers are professionals and their number one job is to teach.”
“They’ve put lies out there and we’re out here trying to set the record straight a little bit.”
Signs, flags and banners were held up by hundreds on the James Street boulevard with messages like “educate don’t legislate.”
The rally was in solidarity with a similar one at Queens’ Park that drew 5,000 people.
With Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak throwing his party’s support behind the bill, it’s expected to pass.
But union officials say the fight would be far from over if it does, which could be as early as next week.
Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario local president Ellen Chambers said she expects if passed, the province and unions would head to a legal battle. That would end up costing the province more than any bargaining would be.
The legislation is completely unnecessary she said.
“For many of us here we feel that this is a step against workers it feels like union bashing,” Chambers said. “There was no need for it.”
Education Minister Laural Broten has said the bill would save the province $473 million to help cut the more than $14 billion deficit.
But Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation teacher president Paul Caccamo said there are other ways to save money. Along with accepting wage freezes, education federations offered to manage provincial benefit plans instead of the government.
“This is a move that would save the government millions of dollars they don’t seem super interested in listening to those ideas,” he said.
Caccamo said the unprecedented legislation is disappointing because up until now, education workers and the Liberal government had a good working relationship.
“What we’re seeing here is a complete change in policy shift and the reality is when things like this happen you have to stand up and be counted,” he said.
While education workers are the beginning, Chambers said she thinks the province will eventually be taking on other public sector unions and workers.
“They wanted to set the stage with us. We were up first,” she said. “This is a message to workers all across Ontario.”
Chambers, Seeley and Caccamo say the fight is far from over.
“This is a fight they’re going to have on their hands for years if they pass the legislation,” Seeley said.
