Link to my article: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ontario-strikes-potential-labour-deal-with-catholic-teachers/
Recently with one of the four main teachers’ unions in Ontario, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association is planning a potential labour strike if the union negotiation is not met with the government. This process of negotiation has showcased the three components of the work stoppage. The preconditions to be met for this work stoppage in this situation do not exist, thus making it convenient for the OECTA to go on a strike. This is because, since August 2019, the Catholic teachers have been working without a contract. Furthermore, the union has planned the strike to take place on March 28 if the bargain fails, giving the notice of more than seven business days, which made the labor strike fully legal. If the bargain between the OECTA and government does result in a labour strike, because of the current happening with the COVID-19 the school board shuts down all schools two weeks after the march break. Therefore the employer, in this case, would not be operational. The original plan for the four main teachers’ unions was to engage in job action, from work-to-rule to one-day-strike picketing in front of the school(Alphonso 2020). This would meet the restriction for both parties during the work stoppage because the requirement of the agreement permits such action of a labour strike. Lastly, the debate with giving in to the bargain will result in a more future potential strike is a factor to be considerate of. For the past years, there were many cases of teachers’ unions threatening and going on full work stoppage. This ranges from elementary to university, which does affect supporting this debate. However, all of the incidents are also isolated since the motive behind each bargain are individual yet share similarities such as lack of contracts, low wages with few increases. In the end, these debates ultimately raise a concern about the broader issue of why they are going on work stoppage frequently.
Reference:
Alphonso, C., “Ontario strikes potential labour deal with Catholic teachers”, The Globe and Mail, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ontario-strikes-potential-labour-deal-with-catholic-teachers/.
Liang Li 
Hey Liang,
This was a great blog post, I greatly enjoyed getting the chance to read it. I specifically enjoyed that you picked a very current issue, rather then one that has happened within the last year. This immediately made your post that much more interesting and engaging. Even though the ongoing issues and strikes revolving around the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association doesn’t directly impact our schooling, many of our families and siblings are affected by this, making it a great topic choice. Do you know the reason behind the disagreeance of the new contract that is being withheld? Another question I have is what do you think will happen after schools resume when the COVID-19 isolation is suspended, do you think the OECTA will strike immediately? Overall this article and post were very intriguing to be, I look forward to seeing the situation unravel in the near future.
Below I have included some interesting quotes revolving around the topic from CBC news…
“Catholic teachers have done our part to move these negotiations forward, but we cannot accept the government’s agenda to take resources out of the classroom.”
“My objective has always been to reach deals with our education labour partners — deals that are fair to students, hard-working parents, and our valued teachers and education workers,”
Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/oecta-english-catholic-teacher-strike-1.5467139
Great post!
Best,
Eric
LikeLike
Hi Eric, thank you for your feedback!
The disagreement behind the new contract revolves around the Ford government wanting to reduce classroom spending. The negotiation for the Catholic Teachers was to prevent educational funds from being cut as they believe it will limit student support specifically for the vulnerable. As of March 12 the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association had reached a tentative agreement with the Catholic School Trustee. However, details of the agreement remain confidential pending ratification according to their website. The plan is if this new agreement do get approve, Catholic teachers will be having a vote on April 7,8 to determine the next step of action, this include what will happen when the COVID-19 situation end.
News about the Catholic Teacher Association can be found on http://www.catholicteachers.ca/News-Events/News
Best,
Liang
LikeLike