Ontario high school teachers' union to hold province-wide strike vote Nov. 6 to 16
The union says a strike vote is not a strike, and no job action is planned.
By David Ellis · · Updated · 2 min read
The union that represents Ontario's public high school teachers will hold a province-wide strike vote from Nov. 6 to 16, it announced.
The Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) said in a news release that the vote is for its school board sector members, and comes as the current round of collective bargaining with the province continues.
The union stressed that "a strike vote is not a strike, and it does not mean that job action is imminent or inevitable." It said there is currently no strike date and no job action planned, and that more legal steps would be needed before members could be in a legal strike position.
Collective agreements for teachers and education workers expired Aug. 31, according to the union. It said it and other education unions had called on the province to start bargaining early, in March.
The union lists its bargaining priorities as sustainable staffing, manageable workloads, protection against contracting out and job loss, and better working and learning conditions. Its president said a strike vote "sends a clear message to the Ford government" that members are united behind those priorities.
The vote is separate from an ongoing Ontario Labour Relations Board process over which bargaining items are negotiated centrally and which are negotiated locally, the union said.
What it means locally
In Grey and Bruce, OSSTF members at the Bluewater District School Board belong to OSSTF District 7 Bluewater, based in Chesley. The district says it represents more than 1,000 Bluewater board employees in Bruce and Grey counties, in four bargaining units. The union's provincial directory lists units for teachers, occasional teachers, educational support professionals, office professionals and technicians, and professional student services personnel.
The union's release does not name individual school boards or say how the vote would affect specific schools. It does not mention the Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board.
As of Friday morning, Oct. 16, The Banner found no statement on the strike vote from Ontario's Ministry of Education, the Bluewater board or the Bruce-Grey Catholic board.
Your turn
Are you a parent, student or school worker in Grey-Bruce with questions about the strike vote? Tell us at news@chatsworthbanner.ca or through our tip form.
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