What Ontario public elementary teachers' work-to-rule campaign means for Ottawa parents
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Public elementary teachers in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board escalated their job action Monday, launching a work-to-rule campaign that could lead to strike action at schools across Ontario. Ottawa secondary teachers also started job action Monday after ripping up their contract. We examine the issues and the possible fallout:
THE ISSUES
Ontario teachers are stinging over Premier Dalton McGuinty and the Liberal government's move to partially freeze their wages for two years, scrap the banking of unused sick time and ban strikes. The government says the austerity is needed to help slay its $13.3-billion deficit.
THE TIMING
Contracts have run out with public elementary teachers across Ontario, who are in strike positions on various dates early in December. Without signed agreements yet with their school boards, teachers are legally able to begin work-to-rule campaigns.
THE UNION
The 76,000-member Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) is the province's largest teachers' union. Public high-school teachers also are in a contract standoff with the province, but the Catholic teachers' union has accepted the provincial austerity drive.
THE STRIKE THREAT
ETFO has said most public elementary schools will be affected in December, and that parents would get three days' advance notice of any strike to make childcare arrangements. Until then, work-to-rule job action is in effect.
Q: Which schools are affected?
The Ottawa Carleton District School Board's 117 elementary schools.
Q: Why now?
Ottawa-area members of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) are now in a legal strike position. The Ottawa-Carleton ETFO local represents about 3,000 teachers.
Q: How likely is an all-out strike?
The union is staying mum. The work-to-rule campaign is the first in "incremental" union strike action. Local president Peter Giuliani said rotating one-day walkouts are likely to happen in Ottawa in the next three weeks.
Q: How will my child's day change because of the strike action?
The main hit will be to sports and clubs. The union says teachers can't take part in voluntary or extracurricular activities. Most of the other job action is administrative. Teachers won't take part in meetings, standardized testing or parent-teacher interviews outside of the school day. On Dec. 10, teachers will no longer take part in field trips.
Q: What if I need to talk to my child's teacher or my kid needs extra help?
Teachers are being told to maintain contact with parents during the school day, so just call or go in during school hours. Teachers will also continue to provide extra help to pupils. They'll take attendance and provide scheduled supervisory duties.
Q: What can the province do about this?
Education Minister Laurel Broten has said she'll monitor the situation and has the tools she needs to order teachers back to work if needed.
Q: What's the union's main message?
To pressure the province. Teachers say they want to get back to the bargaining table and they want the Liberals' Bill 115, which imposes a contract and limits their ability to strike, repealed.
Q: What's the school board's main message?
That student safety is tops. The board says its website (ocdsb.ca) will be updated as new information becomes available.
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