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OSSTF District 11- Thames Valley
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District 11 Office |
Education Matters Online
News
Volume 1, Issue 2: June 16, 2003
District and Bargaining Unit Presidents' ReportsClick on any of the items below to go directly to that article. |
DistrictPresident: Don Rowdon
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District President: Don Rowdon
Report to the District Annual General Meeting
Undoubtedly, the highlight of the year was the Rozanski Report which legitimized and confirmed the OSSTF’s documentation on the underfunding of Public Education. Unfortunately, the Tory government has done little to address the recommendations in the report. Consequently, the implementation of our election readiness plan is crucial. Our Political Action Committee and Election Readiness team continue to plan and prepare for the election. When the call comes, all education workers must mobilize to help defeat this government.
The new District structure has had a few growing pains but is functioning well. Thank you to the members of the Executive for your dedication to District 11. As well, thanks to the Executives of all four Bargaining Units who do so much on behalf of our members. Your time and effort are greatly appreciated.
The one-year extension of the collective agreement for the Teachers' Bargaining Unit was reached thanks to the strong strike mandate and the implementation of the work-to-rule campaign by our teacher members. We continue to negotiate with the Board to reach a just settlement for year two.
Barb O’Brien has stepped into the Presidency of the Continuing Education Instructors’ Bargaining Unit. Pay equity remains unresolved; and although it continues to be a slow and tedious process, your negotiators are committed to getting a settlement for their members.
Under the leadership of Carol Ross and Nancy McDougall, the PSSP Bargaining Unit continues to try to reach a collective agreement with the Board. Nancy has decided to step down from the presidency. She will be missed by the PSSP Executive as well as the District. Her contributions to OSSTF both locally and provincially are greatly appreciated.
Joe Wilson has done an excellent job in his first year as President of the Occasional Teachers’ Bargaining Unit. Joe continues to monitor the implementation of TVARRIS and its impact on the Bargaining Unit.
The District Website is not only up and running but it is also already an amazing site loaded with information and useful links. The District Magazine is now on-line and available on the website. I encourage all members to familiarize themselves with the site and to provide feedback on how it can be improved. Thanks to Wendy Hirschegger for taking on this project which had been identified as a District priority.
The District continues to struggle to get members involved in committee work. Committees are the foundation of strong Districts. I will continue to work to increase the level of awareness of our committees and to recruit new members. To those members who have served on a District or Bargaining Unit Committee, many thanks for your time, effort and expertise.
In conclusion, the Office Staff of District 11 remains committed to providing on-going service to the membership. I look forward to again serving you in 2003-04.
Continuing Education Instructors' Bargaining Unit President: Barb O'Brien
Report to the District Annual General Meeting
Our first contract after amalgamation was settled in March 2002, so it was October before the real glitches started surfacing. It has been a year of ironing out the kinks, through mutual concerns and staffing committees. We have had 3 grievances, which have not yet been resolved.
Our biggest struggle is involvement. Because we are a small group, and the counties even smaller, it is difficult to maintain interest. However, this is an election year for our B.U., and I'm hoping to see some new energy join us.
We are still struggling with pay equity. This process was started before amalgamation and couldn't be settled during negotiations. As a result, we are basically right back to square one. It has been a painfully slow and tedious process, and we are all looking forward to its completion. One of the main difficulties now is that since we started, the job classifications with the Board have all changed. Positions that were previously male dominated are now considered "gender neutral", so it has been difficult to find a male comparitor.
Occasional Teachers' Bargaining Unit President: Joe Wilson
Report to the District Annual General Meeting
There have been regular labour-management meetings, with Don Edgar and Bob Fisher joining me on the union side. These meetings have been cordial, focussed and, most important, effective in pursuing and resolving a variety of issues.
I sent out 2 newsletters this year, in an attempt to increase communication to OT's. Halting, early steps have begun to use e-mail more routinely for OT communication. The spiffy, incredibly detailed new District 11 website, overseen by Communications maven Wendy Hirschegger, and soon to become the main communications hub on the internet, has been a wonderful addition to our communications system.
We attempted to incorporate our collective bargaining with the TBU this year, given the closely interlinked nature of our worlds. Bargaining in the dying days of the Harris-Eves Reich made this impossible to achieve, but remains a key goal for next year. As this report goes to press, negotiations are on-going, and Eves is still hanging on--by his fingernails.
As is the unfortunate norm, OT Executive meetings were lonely affairs this year. Shades of Robinson Crusoe! However, "woman Friday" Carmen Richler-Bisson kindly volunteered to join me on the island and proved an invaluable aid in District Executive Council meetings and CBC matters. It is to be hoped that at the OT AGM on June 3, Carmen will be voted onto the island and that other brave souls will also show their readiness to serve the membership.
I couldn't end this report without acknowledging the consistent, prompt and pro-active support of the District Office staff. FSO Don Edgar was always there to support OT's, and Executive Assistant Laurie LaFraniere was, as in many other ways, invaluable. District President Don Rowdon and Chief Negotiator Bob Fisher were always there when needed.
Professional Student Services Personnel Bargaining Unit: Nancy McDougall
Report to the District Annual General Meeting
The 2003-2004 school year has been a very busy one for the PSSP membership and its executive. We have negotiated and ratified a three year contract with the Board and although not all things on the wish list were achieved in the contract (such as job security), we were able to achieve a pay increase of 3% for this and the next two school years which was fully retroactive to the beginning of the contract, improvements in leaves and grievance language, maintenance of 100% Board-paid benefits, etc.
While we have achieved a contract, negotiations for the PSSP Pay Equity Maintenance plan remain on-going at this point in time. Lenore Alexander, Secretariat member from Provincial Office, and Bob Fisher have been helping in the Pay Equity negotiations. Once the maintenance plan has been agreed to and signed by both parties, then job classifications will be reviewed under the new plan. This process of review will most likely begin in the Fall of 2003, once again with the assistance of Lenore Alexander from Provincial Office.
This is the first year in the last three that PSSP members did not face potential lay-offs as a result of the budget process. Although no members were laid off as a result of the budget cuts during the last two years of budget talks, some vacant positions were eliminated and there were overall reductions in the PSSP full-time equivalency. It is hoped that, as financial stability returns to the TVDSB, perhaps some of the eliminated positions within the PSSP bargaining unit can be restored.
The PSSP Annual General Meeting was held on Tuesday, May 27 at the Lamplighter Inn. The new PSSP President for the 2003-2004 school year will be Sandra Miller. Sandra was Vice-President for the 2002-2003 school year and in that role had the opportunity to attend District Executive Council meetings, PSSP Mutual Concerns and PSSP Joint Staffing Review Committee meetings. She has also represented PSSP members on the Awards of Distinction and Attaining the Vision Review Committees. Best of luck, Sandra, in your new position!
Teachers' Bargaining Unit President: Don Rowdon
Report to the District Annual General Meeting
The strength of our Bargaining Unit is in the Branches. My sincere thanks to our Branch Presidents for their leadership and commitment to OSSTF. Your assistance with personnel issues, workload issues and communication with the members is greatly appreciated by all the staff at the District Office.
The assistance that I receive from the Federation Services Officers is greatly appreciated. Bob Fisher, Mary Lou Cunningham, Don Edgar, and Wendy Hirschegger have all worked tirelessly on your behalf and I extend to them your thanks. Laurie Lafraniere, our Executive Assistant, continues to assist not only the office staff, but also the membership in general in a professional and helpful manner. Thanks to her for going above and beyond for the teachers of District 11.
The constituting of the Teachers' Bargaining Unit has been very successful. Thank you to members of the Executive for making it work. Your time and effort are greatly appreciated.
The District Website is not only up and running, it already is an amazing site loaded with information and useful links. The District Magazine is now on-line and available on the website. I encourage all members to familiarize themselves with the site and to provide feedback on how it can be improved. Thanks to Wendy Hirschegger for taking on this project which had been identified as a District priority.
The Bargaining Unit continues to struggle to get members involved in committee work. Committees are the foundation of strong Districts and Bargaining Units. I will continue to work to increase the level of awareness of our committees and to recruit new members. To those members who have served on a District or Bargaining Unit Committee, many thanks for your time, effort and expertise.
In conclusion, I remain committed to providing on-going service to the membership and look forward to again serving you in 2003-04.