Teachers from Newmarket’s Sacred Heart Catholic High School moved their protest against the province to more prominent locations today, with pickets at the busy intersection of Yonge Street and Davis Drive and at the local MPP’s office.
The local secondary school teachers joined all English Catholic teachers across the province in their second one-day strike.
Many drivers honked their vehicle horns in support as they drove by the teachers, who were bundled up against the bitter wind blowing through the intersection, waving signs declaring “Class size matters”, "You can't do more with less" and "reverse the cuts."
“We know Ontarians are growing impatient with these negotiations. Frankly, we share their frustration,” Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) president Liz Stuart said last week when the provincewide strike was announced.
“But we cannot allow this government to wear us all down and force us to accept their devastating cuts. The long-term consequences for our schools and our students are simply unacceptable. Strike action is tough for everyone, but it is a sacrifice we need to make to show the government we will not be deterred in our efforts to protect what we have worked so hard to build.”
OECTA and the province were at the negotiating table Feb. 3, and Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the province is waiting for the mediator to establish new dates.
“We remain available to meet at the negotiating table at any time, to engage in good-faith bargaining, and reach a deal that provides stability for our students and keeps them in class,” he said in a statement.
Contract talks between the province and Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario collapsed Friday with ETFO saying its teachers would walk out at each board twice a week, starting yesterday.
On Thursday, ETFO teachers and support staff will be on the picket line provincewide, if no deal is reached with the province.
On Friday, as well, York Region District School Board elementary schools will close for a second additional one-day strike by local ETFO members.
All four major teachers' unions have been without contracts since Aug. 31, and are all engaged in some form of job action.
The Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation announced last week its members would resume weekly rotating strikes, after not holding any during last week's exams period.
Unions representing English Catholic teachers and teachers in the French system have bargaining scheduled this week.
The teachers' unions have said the introduction of mandatory e-learning and an increase in class size remain the major issues at the bargaining table, despite the government making changes to both proposals.
Today, Lecce announced the ratification of a central agreement with the Education Workers' Alliance of Ontario (EWAO) and the Council of Trustees' Associations (CTA).
"I would like to congratulate EWAO and the CTA for the ratification of the 2019-22 central agreement and express my gratitude to them for being reasonable at the negotiating table — a prerequisite to any deal,” he said in a statement.
“We have now delivered two ratified deals to date and will continue to work on securing deals with our remaining education labour partners to ensure students remain in class."
