News in Niagara

Ontario elementary teachers federation won't back off protest

610 CKTB News
10/24/2012

Ontario's largest teachers' union isn't backing down on asking instructors to keep their report card comments to a minimum.

Education Minister Laurel Broten says she met Tuesday with Sam Hammond, the president of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario.

She says she asked Hammond to rescind the union's advice to teachers about withdrawing from extracurricular activities and keeping report card comments brief.

But Broten says they weren't able to come to an agreement.
   
It's the latest move by teachers' unions to withdraw voluntary activities in protest of a controversial law that freezes wages, cuts benefits and stops strikes.

Hammond wasn't available for comment, but he has said that the advice he gave ETFO's 76,000 members conforms with ministry policy, which tells teachers to use their "professional judgment'' when completing progress reports.

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  1. AprilO posted on 10/24/2012 10:10 AM
    What people don't get and what the media is misleading about is that teachers (and all other school staff - who aren't paid well) aren't upset about the wage freeze or the benefits being cut, the MAIN ISSUE is that the government has taken AWAY the days that were already bargained for, and were already GIVEN. Some teachers and other staff have had their entire sick benefit taken away, after years and years of saving up. That's like your employer taking BACK contributions they already made to your RRSP. It's completely illegal. It's fine to change the future, but to take away the past, that is the problem.
    1. Adam posted on 10/24/2012 10:13 AM
      @AprilO We can't afford it.

      It's really as simple as that, there's nothing else I can add to those four and a half words. We can't afford it. We can't afford however many hundreds or thousands of teachers retiring two years early, having to pay new teachers, yet still paying the 'retired' ones for all the good they're doing us. We don't have enough money to do that, we can't afford it, it can't be done.
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  2. Adam posted on 10/24/2012 10:10 AM
    Fire them all and hire some teachers who aren't spoiled little expletives. You'd think their wages were cut in half, with how they're acting. Ridiculous.
  3. TheHeadmare posted on 10/24/2012 02:19 PM
    I never found the teacher's comments to be anything other than brief. In fact one of my younger son's teachers made a comment on a project someone else did. Sorry, I don't much care for the educational system, or teachers for that matter. They need to live in the real world. Anyone who has benefits these days are losing them.
    1. AprilO posted on 10/25/2012 11:26 AM
      @TheHeadmare Losing your benefits is fine, taking away benefits that were already given - not fine. How about if the government just decided to take away everyone's RRSP's and keep them or everyone's CSB and keep those. If the government wants to save money, they should stop paying people to stay home on welfare!
  4. Habman24 posted on 10/24/2012 11:30 PM
    Teachers are out of touch with reality and have been spoiled to long! Who in the Private sector gets to bank sick days?? Teachers never should have had this in the first place. It is about time the Government is getting tough on teachers and the Government has done their polling and know they have massive public support for what they are doing. I would suggest to all those teachers who are whining and complaining to go work in the private sector for 1 week and you will be begging for your job back with a pay cut. We cannot afford to continue to pay teachers what we do and they are lucky the government is asking for big pay cuts. Teachers are now showing their true colours that it is all about them and not the kids and never has been. Maybe when teachers are taking their "pause" day on Mondays they should pause and think about how blessed they are and be thankful for the good and well paying job they have. Sad......
    1. AprilO posted on 10/25/2012 11:25 AM
      @Habman24 Wake up. They aren't complaining about their wages -- it's just the sick days. I'm not a teacher so stop attacking me...my only point is that when an employer gives an employee a benefit, they shouldn't be able to backdate that and remove what was already given. Fine, take away any future offerings, but when people's lives were planned based on what was agreed upon, and it changes, that's not fair. How would you like it if your boss decided that the bonus you got two years ago had to be paid back, or if the RRSP contributions they made on your behalf were revolked. No one is disputing wage freezes, no one is disputing changing the current offering but it should not be allowed for them to go back and take away from what was already given. It's just not right, and for all those people complaining about how much the teachers make..consider this - they are not the only ones affected...how about the caretakes, the EA's and the secretaries at the schools - they have also had these taken away and they don't make any more money than the rest of the of us. I work in the private sector, so I get what you are saying..and okay, the government can't afford it, then at leat make cuts to everyone across the board, don't just effect the education system.
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