THUNDER BAY - Frustrations continue to grow as teachers and support staff once again took to the picket line and called out the provincial government for derailing talks that nearly led to a deal last week.
“We were at the finish line,” said Mike Judge, president of Elementary Teachers of Ontario. “It is a little demoralizing that at the 11th hour the government would table some positions that they knew would derail talks. It didn’t have to be this way. We would rather have had this wrapped up last Friday.”
As a result of talks breaking down, elementary school teachers with the Lakehead Public School Board are holding pickets on Wednesday and Thursday, closing all elementary public schools.
“We’re out here in protest in the breakdown of negotiations. It’s the last place we want to be but we are happy to be out here in support of public education,” Judge said. “We would rather be in a classroom doing what we do best, but we are willing to do what it takes.”
According to Judge, talks broke down last week because the government tabled non-starter issues, including rolling back priority funding for special needs students to pre-2017 levels and taking a new position on regulation 274 involving transparent and fair hiring practices for occasional teachers.
All-day kindergarten is also one of the top priorities for teachers and support staff, Judge said, adding that it does not appear to be that way for the government.
“Contrary to what you may have heard from some people on the government side, we do not have that in writing on a signed document or a letter of understanding that the government will commit beyond this year,” he said.
Similar job action is planned for two days next week and Judge said the situation is still very fluid and he is hopeful talks will start up again soon.
“I am hopeful we won’t have to see any further escalation beyond that,” he said. “I’m hopeful we will be talking about a signed deal in the near future, but until we are back at the table, that won’t be a possibility.”
Nancy Nix, president of the Lakehead Occasional Teachers Local, said the situation is very frustrating for the teachers and support staff, and she understands that it is also a difficult situation for families.
“I know it’s frustrating for them. I understand that,” she said. “They have to realize this is really about their kid’s education. When you talk about class size that affects every student in the class. When you talk about funding for special education, that affects not only those special education kids, but the other kids as well, because if the teacher needs to be working with all the students all the time, not all of them will get the attention they need.”
Nix added that she does not think job action and kids being out of the classroom will impact their learning or their academic year, as teachers will be working to bring kids up to speed with any lessons missed.
“It’s pretty hard to understand where the government’s head is right now anyway with letting this go on for as long as it has,” Nix said. “We are hoping they come to their senses, we are hoping parents put pressure on the government and say invest in kid’s education because that’s what it’s about.”
No further talks are planned as of Wednesday, but Judge said the bargaining team in Toronto is ready and it’s up to the government to come back to the table.
“If we’re not talking we’re not close,” he said. “We are ready to go right now. We are waiting for the call from the mediator to get us there. The ball is in the government’s court.”
