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The Call Out The Call Out The Official Newsletter of the Occasional Teachers’ Bargaining Unit OSSTF District 12 Volume 17, Issue 3 Spring 2019 Inside this issue: What do movies like Battle Royale, The Hunger Games and Lord of the Flies have in common President’s Report 3 with the Ford Conservatives’ education plan? Answer: Breakdown of the 4 Ford Education They all developed a Plan students resilience skills by being put in stressful Chief Negotiator’s 7 situations to better pre- Report pare them for the real world. PD Feb., 15 8 A scene from the Japanese movie Battle Royale or an Ontario classroom in the year 2020 AGM May 22nd 12 NDP Leader Andrea Horwath accused failure, unless, of course, you can send your the Ford government of cutting $1 bil- child to a good and expensive private lion from education, “cramming more AMPA 2019 13 school. students into crowded classrooms” and turning the system into “The Hunger Cui bono? (Who benefits?) Games”. OT Renewal 18 A recognized world class educational The Minister of Education Lisa Thomp- system is to be sacrificed to provide tax son believes that to prepare for the ‘real cuts to Ford’s friends. This approach world’ students should learn to deal hurts the weakest, the poorest, the For Our Kid’s 22 with large classes, no support, more most disadvantaged of our students - Future stress and the increased likelihood of the children of any family not in the 1%. “I did not mean that Conservatives are generally stupid; I meant, that stupid persons are gener- ally Conservative. I believe that to be so obvious and undeniable a fact that I hardly think any hon. Gentleman will question it.” [John Stuart Mill, in a Parliamentary debate with the Conservative MP, John Pakington, May 31, 1866.]” Page 2 The Call Out 'I felt helpless': Teachers call for support amid 'escalating crisis' of classroom violence jacket by the school admin- istration for protection in a O n Feb, 15, 2019 the Educators say incidents of Grade 2 class. CBC radio show Sunday verbal and physical violence Edition had a segment on by students targeting staff the issue of escalating class- and fellow classmates are The TDSB refused to be room violence in our public leaving them exhausted - schools. and they're calling on gov- part of this report. Michael Enright Host of Sunday While primarily focused on ernments and school boards Edition Radio classroom violence in the to provide more support. You catch this episode by Every Sunday elementary sector the show The segment told of a going to: https:// described the experience of teacher being given a Kevlar www.cbc.ca/listen/ mainly Toronto teachers. shows/sunday-edition The original (Rand) formula was based on The Rand Formula– Is it next? the assumption sponsible for them. Two inter- Canada labour history. The I n the context of labor un- related provisions following Alberta Board did not buy the that the union ions, a free rider is an employ- from this assumption guaran- governments argument that it ee who pays no union dues or teed the union the financial was protecting freedom of is essential for agency shop fees, but nonethe- means to carry out its pro- choice but actually wanted to less receives the same benefits grams, and established the deprive the union of secure all workers and of union representation as dues financial penalties for employ- funding.. The Labour Board -payers. The Rand Formula is ees and unions engaging in ruled that not including a provi- must be named after a decision handed work stoppages or illegal sion that requires all bargaining down on January 29, 1946, by strikes. unit employees to pay union responsible for Mr. Justice Ivan Rand of the dues is unconstitutional be- Supreme Court of Canada Collective agreements have cause it substantially impedes incorporated a modified Rand them. while he was arbitrating the the ability of workers to join Windsor Strike (September 12 Formula throughout Canada, together and engage in mean- and some provinces have given to December 20, 1945). It pro- ingful collective bargaining. vides a form of union security it legal force. whereby an employer deducts a portion of the salaries of all Why is this an issue now in employees within a bargaining Alberta has challenged this law Ontario? Is the PC Govern- unit, union members or not, to but The Alberta Labour Rela- ment, under Doug Ford think- go to the union as union dues tions Board issued an interest- ing about using the “not- ("checkoff"). (All workers in a ing Charter decision recently, withstanding clause” to over- given workplace were required ruling that the absence of the ride the Rand Formula and to pay dues on the basis that all Rand Formula from the Alberta make Ontario a ‘right to work ‘ workers benefit from the labour relations code was a state like Alabama or Mississip- working conditions negotiated violation of freedom of associa- pi? The Toronto Star on Feb by the union for that work- tion in Section 2(d) of the Ca- 16,2019 raised the issue in one nadian Charter of Rights and place.) The original formula of its columns– out of the blue. was based on the assumption Freedoms. The Rand Formula that the union is essential for puts an end to strikes for union security, a common event in Judge Rand described all workers and must be re- as 'probably the greatest judge in Canada's hi history' Volume 17, Issue 3 Page 3 President’s Report Spring 2019 Linda Bartram mem- W elcome back from the March Break, ber on a break which I am sure you barely remem- staff ber. We are embarked on the last leg of the school about year, but this is no time to kick back and relax. Not what 7 yet anyway. I am sure you are very aware of the out of 8 threats which public education is under from the teaching Ford government. Your union is pledged to stand timeta- with you in the fight which is clearly coming. Please bles make sure you check your emails from the OTBU on were like. Ask them what we had to do to finally a regular basis. The information which we send you wrest public education from the hands of those who will help you to be aware of and ready for what is would destroy it for private profit. Talk to your fami- happening in education in Ontario. ly members and people in your community about the issues. You are teachers. You are respected mem- THE GOOD bers of your community. You have the power to As I am sure you are aware, there is currently plenty inform and to shape opinions that will eventually of work available for OTs in the TDSB. That is good take back public institutions for the public who own news. OTs who had a job booked for February 12, it. We will prevail. the Snow Day, were paid for that day as we insisted with the board. That is good news. Spring is almost Please take the time to attend the OTBU Annual here and that is very good news. General Meeting on May 22 at the Old Mill Inn. Your attendance is valuable and important to the THE BAD union and for the building of solidarity for the fight The Ford government is bad news for public educa- to come. Details are available on page 11 and the tion. It is bad news for public health care. It is bad OTBU website, otbud12.com. Hope to see you news for public transit. It is bad news for Labour. It there. is bad news for teachers. It is bad news for our students. It is bad news, period. Do what you can. And know we are not alone as teachers. We have allies in the broader communi- ty. AND THE UGLY Those of us who weathered the Harris years with its unre- lenting attack on public educa- tion are, if not ready for, are at least experienced in what might come. Ask a gray-haired Page 4 The Call Out Breakdown of the Ford Government's Attack on Education Dear OTBU members, This analysis prepared by Provincial OSSTF clearly identifies the threat to public education if Premier Doug Ford's proposed budget cuts are implemented. Please feel free to share these points below with friends, family and colleagues. Political action strategies are in the works to fight back against these devastating proposals, with an update com- ing soon. For now, you will find information below about 'train the trainer' sessions organized by OSSTF Toron- to's Political Action Committee to better enable us to understand and talk about what's happening, and Toronto Labour Council's Assembly next week. In Solidarity, Your OTBU Executive KEY FACTS: • The government plans will fund staffing at a ratio of 28:1 rather than 22:1. • The plan will also force all students to attain four credits through e-learning programs, at a ratio of 35:1. • The combined impact will be the removal of one in every four teaching positions in Ontario’s high schools, and the removal of more than $700 million dollars from the secondary system. • We know that additional cuts will affect other areas of Ontario’s education system, but the Ministry has thus far refused to provide any details or formulas for those changes, and we are unable to project the total impact at this time. KEY MESSAGE: Ford’s plan is nothing more than a devastating attack on students and on the quality of public education in Ontario.
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