Existing contracts with teachers and workers at all Ontario's publicly funded schools expire Aug. 31. Representatives from school boards, teachers' unions and other school board employee groups began meeting with provincial government officials months ago to set a framework for local bargaining. The same approach was used three years ago to create the long-term deals now up for renegotiation. This process established government funding commitments for staffing costs and set salary increases for the term of new contracts.
To date, several federations and unions have entered into new framework agreements— including teachers in Ontario Catholic schools, school custodians, secretaries and teaching assistants.
However, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF), representing public high school teachers, has not agreed to the framework.
The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO), representing public elementary school teachers, walked away from provincial talks claiming the provincial government is unwilling to provide elementary schools with as much funding as high schools.
High schools currently receive about $711 more per a student than elementary schools, according to the federation.
New framework agreements include an offer of three per cent salary increases in each of the next four years, more teachers, additional support staff and money for student supervision.
School boards and unions that fail to reach agreements under this framework by the end of November will be forced by Ministry of Education regulations to settle for two per cent annual salary increases for the next two years.
"All of our employee groups who are represented provincially do have framework agreements with the province," said Joe Geiser, employee relations superintendent at the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board.
"We've met a number of times with both of our teacher groups- secondary teachers and elementary teachers— so those negotiations are ongoing," he said. "There's a bit of hiatus for the summer."
Meetings are scheduled in the fall with the union representing the board's supply teachers and the group representing social workers, psychologists and child and youth workers and English as a Second Language instructors for adult students.
"We do have contracts already, before the provincial framework, with secretaries and custodians and our Education Resource Workers (ERW)," Geiser noted.
Those contracts were set to expire next year. However, those deals will be reopened with intent to craft new deals that reflect the new framework agreements. Some informal discussions have already occurred.
"We've had to apply to the labour relations board to have those opened up. That's a mutual decision by both the union and the board," Geiser said. "We're mandated to do so."
Non-unionized management and mid-management employees, as well as principals and vice-principals, will also negotiate contracts in line with provincial framework agreements. "All of those contracts and collective agreements will be up for renegotiation," according to Geiser
Geiser does not expect any deals to be reached before the start of school in September.
"It will be done after," he said. "Given what we have with meetings scheduled, I don't see any of the contracts being settled before the start of school."
The board's 7,200 teachers represent the vast majority of its approximate 10,000 employees. Teachers also make up the bulk of employees at the Peel District School Board.
However, Misssissauga Wards 1 and 7 Trustee and Board Chair Janet McDougald is not overly concerned about public school teachers not accepting the framework deals.
There has been no indication a strike looms in the fall, she added. Historically, the school board has never had a new contract settled this early, McDougald pointed out.
"From my experience we've never had an agreement in place as the other agreement expires. Negotiations are all a timing thing, so I don't think people should read anything into this. This is very typical," she insisted.
Provincial involvement probably puts the process further ahead than it would have been in past years, she added. Even with a provincial framework local bargaining would still be a challenge, according to McDougald.
"I think if they can come to some agreement provincially I think we can certainly meet those (November) deadlines, I don't have a concern about that," she said.
onlinenews@mississauga.net
