Education contracts are in the hands of the Ontario Labour Relations Board.
Contract talks with the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation stalled last week over what would be negotiated at the central bargaining table and what would be discussed at the local level.
Talks involving CUPE-Ontario School Board Council of Unions came to a halt earlier in the month for similar reasons.
According to the Council, the Ministry of Education wants items that have historically been bargained locally moved to the central table.
They include local union leave, local layoff and recall language, unpaid leaves of absence, and new allowances for specific needs for small groups of workers.
In an update on bargaining posted on social media, Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation president Martha Hradowy says the government is attempting to have more decision-making powers at Queen’s Park and less at the local level.
“OSSTF/FEESO believes the best collective agreements are built by protecting meaningful local bargaining,” says Hradowy.
“Local leaders and local bargaining teams understand the unique needs of their members and your workplaces. That’s why we will fight at the OLRB to meet to make as many issues as possible at the local table.”
In a separate social media post, ETFO president David Mastin says they will also fight for the right to local bargaining.
“Local bargaining matters immensely to ETFO,” says Mastin.
“We know that every district in this province is unique and they need to be able to have conversations and negotiations that address those unique needs.”
There is no word on when the Ontario Labour Board will rule on the matters.
The Council is hoping for a timely decision but admits the process could delay bargaining for several months.
“This is a decision we have not taken lightly, but we strongly believe that this is in the best interest of the OSBCU’s 57,000 education workers and what we need to do to win the gains in funding, staffing, benefits, and other bargaining priorities our members need,” states a release.
Contracts for teachers and other education workers expire at the end of the month.
