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OSSTF District 11- Thames Valley
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District 11 Office |
Education Matters Online
News
Volume 3, Issue 5: June 27, 2005
District Priorities for 2005-2006
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The 2005-2006 District Priorities, derived from the 2005-2006 Provincial Action Plan, were passed at the District Annual Meeting on May 26, 2005.
PRIORITY #1: EDUCATION WATCH: Continue Monitoring the Liberal Government
Political Action will continue to be necessary on an on-going basis. The Liberal government continues to preach "peace and stability" but it has taken a concerted lobbying campaign throughout the fall and intensive "provincial table" discussions to arrive, finally, at a provincial policy framework that will allow the local bargaining process to take place for teachers' bargaining units. The provincial staff are still in discussions with the government on a framework for support staff bargaining units. As of the May 26, only eight teachers' bargaining units and eight support staff bargaining units have reached agreements with their boards.
The reality is that before we know it, it will be time for another provincial election, the date for which is already known: October 4, 2007. The provincial Action Plan outlines a plan leading up to that date:
 | "In this the first of a three year plan, OSSTF must once again prepare an OSSTF education platform that will appeal to our members and the electorate at large and assist in educating them about the contributions OSSTF members make every day in the education community. This platform will once again outline the OSSTF vision for public education. |
| Other components for 2005-2006 include promoting the OSSTF education platform by: |
•mobilizing members to join political parties;
•attending policy conventions and joining riding associations (Sept 05/June 06);
•updating lists of party activists (Sept 05-June 06);
•sending representatives to the ““Campaigns and Elections Conference”” in the US (Spring 06);
•organizing an election symposium (April 06)."
Therefore, as a union and as public educators, District 11 must:
- assist with and support the Provincial Action Plan;
- educate ourselves and actively promote OSSTF positions on education issues;
- continue to bring these issues to the attention of the public by means of letters to the editor;
- actively lobby our MPPs and trustees on these issues.
PRIORITY #2: MEMBER OUTREACH AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Member outreach and leadership development must also continue to be a
priority both at the provincial and local levels. Provincially, OSSTF will
be looking at developing training programs and new member awareness
initiatives. We would like to support these at the district level also and
so plans are underway to hold an inter-district leadership and/or new
member conference in the fall.
In District 11, we will continue to welcome new members into our
bargaining units as the veterans retire and so we must make every effort
to raise their awareness and make their contacts with the union positive
ones. It continues to be difficult to find enough members to take on
leadership roles and so again we must provide training and work on
developing potential leaders. It is hoped that, ultimately, these two
initiatives will be complementary--that happy, well-informed new members
will eventually want to take on leadership roles.
Therefore we must:
- actively find and implement ways to raise the awareness of all of our members, but especially our newer ones, about the many services that OSSTF provides to them;
- actively encourage participation in union initiatives and committees by our newer members;
- continue to provide professional development opportunities and leadership experiences for members.