Talks Between Ontario Teachers’ Unions and Province Breakdown

By Paul Dreossi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
As of February 2, the contract talks between the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, along with two other Ontario teachers’ unions, and the province have been unsuccessful despite both parties having been at the bargaining table for three days. Being at the table at all marks a step in the direction of resolution, given that neither side had met to negotiate since December 19, 2019, which is remarkable considering the teachers’ collective agreement expired on August 30 of last year. If no deal is reached, the union representing several teachers’ unions plan to continue the rotating strikes that have been occurring the last several weeks, intending to increase the strike activity to two days a week starting Tuesday, February 4. Social media has been abuzz with speculation and opinion, and school board and union webpages have been providing updates to families that are affected by these work stoppages, yet remain tight-lipped with information on their negotiations; only generally referring to what might be happening behind closed doors. Currently, unions of Elementary and Secondary school boards, as well as some Catholic school boards, are performing rotating work stoppages.
The Ford government has mandated several changes to the current educational system as part of the province’s cost-saving measures. There are a significant number of cuts to funding for educational programs in general, including, for example, cutbacks for building maintenance. However, it is primarily the cutbacks to teaching staff that have created the recent job action situations. Primary concerns for teachers’ unions include mandated increased class sizes, mandatory E-learning courses, the cancellation of funding for staff to aid higher-need students, and a proposed wage increase that does not reflect the standard cost-of-living inflation rate. Several of these aspects threaten the existing all-day Kindergarten classes as well.
By changing classes sizes alone, the provincial government intends to eliminate approximately 10,000 teaching positions in order to save some $900 million a year, which is certainly a substantial figure. High school class sizes in the province currently average 23 students, and the decrease in teaching staff would mean an increase to 28 students per class over the next four years. While being cost-effective in the eyes of the Ford government, the unions representing teachers assert that courses with lesser enrollments would necessarily be cancelled to ensure staff are able to cover core subjects. It is probable that rural schools with low enrollment would be especially affected by this. Additionally, lack of staffing would also contribute to fewer extracurricular programs. Moreover, the impact of these larger classes, according to educators, is a reduction in the quality of learning within any given classroom.
The mandatory E-learning mandated by the province similarly raises the ire of teachers’ unions, concerned that there could be very large classes served by a single teacher. The province currently estimates these classes to be capped at 35 students, a number subject to change. The teachers’ unions have shared a concern about accessibility issues pertaining to WiFi access (certainly an issue in the more rural areas of the province), while asserting that many students do not learn well in online-only scenarios.
Funding for high-needs students, those who have difficulties learning due to a plethora of possible issues – ranging from learning disabilities, emotional difficulties, anxiety and medical issues that require additional staffing resources – has been cut by the province to the tune of $39 million per year for elementary boards and some $42 million annually in secondary school boards. This represents the loss of 300-350 support staff jobs. Teachers’ unions are asking for the reinstatement of these positions to ensure the quality of learning for high-need students. Interestingly, the percentages for high need students tend to fluctuate, even between schools located in the same school boards, ranging to a remarkable 20 percent of high-need students in some classrooms.
Lastly, the matter of teacher remuneration is on the table as well. The province has passed legislation that limits wage increases to 1% for the next three years, and the unions’ assert that this does not meet the cost-of-living increases, which they argue is closer to 2%.