Strike by some Ontario high school teachers planned for 3rd straight week

Global News has learned the union that represents Ontario high school teachers is planning on taking further job action next week on Dec. 18. The news comes after two straight weeks of Wednesday walkouts by high school teachers in the province.

The Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF) needs to give the government five days’ notice if they intend to strike again, which means notification needs to be given on Friday.

Sources tell Global News the union is expected to announce a strike by some school boards including the following listed below for next week.

OSSTF/FEESO members employed by the following school boards will be engaged in the full withdrawal of services:

• Lakehead District School Board
• Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board
• Lambton Kent District School Board
• Thames Valley District School Board
• Waterloo Region District School Board
• Waterloo Catholic District School Board
• York Region District School Board
• York Catholic District School Board
• Halton District School Board
• Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board

Those members employed by Conseil scolaire de district catholique MonAvenir at the following worksites will be engaged in the full withdrawal of services:

• École élémentaire catholique Cardinal-Léger
• École élémentaire catholique Mère-Élisabeth-Bruyère
• École secondaire catholique Père-René-de-Galinée
• École élémentaire catholique Saint-René-Goupil
• École élémentaire catholique Saint-Noël-Chabanel (Cambridge)
• École élémentaire catholique Jean-Béliveau
• École élémentaire catholique Le-Petit-Prince
• École catholique Pape-François
• École secondaire Renaissance
• Campus Renaissance
• École élémentaire catholique Saint-Jean
• École élémentaire catholique Saint-Michel
• École élémentaire catholique Sainte-Marguerite-Bourgeoys (Markham)
• École catholique Monseigneur-Jamot
• École élémentaire catholique Sainte-Marie (Oakville)
• Garderie satellite Copains copines – Sainte-Marie (Oakville)
• École secondaire catholique Sainte-Trinité
• École élémentaire catholique Milton Sud
• École élémentaire catholique Saint-Nicolas

Those members employed by the Conseil scolaire Viamonde at the following worksites will be engaged in the full withdrawal of services:

• École élémentaire La Pommeraie
• École élémentaire Marie-Curie
• École secondaire Gabriel-Dumont
• Académie de la Tamise
• École élémentaire Les Rapides
• École secondaire Franco-Jeunesse
• École élémentaire Viola-Léger
• École élémentaire L’Odyssée
• École élémentaire L’Harmonie
• École secondaire Gaétan-Gervais
• École élémentaire Patricia-Picknell
• École élémentaire du Chêne
• École élémentaire Dyane-Adam
• École élémentaire Horizon Jeunesse
• École secondaire Norval-Morrisseau
• École élémentaire La Fontaine
• Académie de la Moraine
• École élémentaire Paul-Demers
• École secondaire Étienne-Brûlé

The union is one of several locked in a bitter labour dispute with the province. The teachers have been without a contract since their last one expired at the end of August, and their union has blamed the Progressive Conservative government for the lack of progress in their negotiations.

The government has signed new deals with two unions representing education workers. Other major teachers’ unions, however, are pushing back against the Tory government’s plans to increase class sizes and introduce mandatory e-learning courses.

1:48 Ontario teachers’ unions launch court challenge against Bill 124

• Ontario teachers’ unions launch court challenge against Bill 124
• Job action continues for Ontario secondary school teachers
• 9 High School Boards in Ontario participate in second one day strike
• One-on-one with Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce
• OSSTF union leaders to potentially take ‘further job action’ in coming weeks, says Lecce
• Ontario public high school teachers union planning further job action, sources say

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“As we anticipate further strike action by OSSTF, we are disappointed that they continue to recklessly interfere with the education of Ontario’s learners,” a government source not authorized to speak publicly told Global News on Friday.

“Despite arguing that compensation is not an issue for OSSTF, just yesterday they made it clear that they are fixated on compensation above outstanding issues that actually impact students in this province.”

On Thursday, the OSSTF, along with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) and Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO), announced four separate legal challenges to Bill 124.

Bill 124, passed by the government in November, caps public sector raises at one per cent per year and affects more than a million workers at school boards, universities and colleges, hospitals, long-term care homes and other organizations.

– With files from the Canadian Press.