 District
President: Wendy Anes Hirschegger
President's Report to the District Annual Meeting
My first, and as it turns out only, term as President of District
11--Thames Valley has been immensely rewarding. I have been blessed
with a fantastic team of Federation Services Officers: Mary Lou
Cunningham, Nancy McDougall, David Russell, and in the first year
John Bernans, and this current year, Colleen Canon. Each of them is
extremely knowledgeable and each serves the membership of District
11 with dedication and competence.
Another integral part of the District Office team is, of course,
Laurie Lafraniere, our Administrative Assistant. It is her cheerful
voice that you hear upon calling the office. She assists all of us
very capably and professionally and I wish to extend our thanks to
Laurie at this time also.
We have had a busy year in terms of the business of the District
as well as provincially.
At the District level, we have three bargaining units (Teachers,
Occasional Teachers and Continuing Education Instructors) which have
new contracts which extend to August 31, 2008. The TBU agreement for
the secondary teachers was reached in mid-June, the Occasional
Teachers' contract was ratified on February 8, and the Continuing
Education Instructors were finally able to ratify their agreement on
April 4. We extend our heart-felt thanks to provincial negotiator
Karl Dean for bringing those contracts to fruition. We are stil
negotiating the Continuing Education Teachers' part of the TBU
contract, but we have confidence that Karl will be able to conclude
these negotiations successfully also. The fourth bargaining unit,
the Professional Student Services Personnel, whose contract expired
on August 31, 2005, is in the midst of negotiating with the
assistance initially of Executive Assistant Nancianne Spear, and
currently with the assistance of Tom Byers, who is also our
provincial Field Secretary. Our district and bargaining units are
also tremendously well served by our own Ken Coran, who is one of
the two provincial Vice-Presidents. We are fortunate indeed to have
such capable and knowledgeable provincial liaisons to assist us.
Provincially, 2005-2006 saw the beginning of the three new Sector
Councils of Presidents--one for the Teachers and Occasional
Teachers' Presidents, one for the Professional Student Services
Personnel Presidents, and one for the Educational Support Staff
Presidents. These groups meet four times per year to discuss and
deal with issues of particular concern to those respective
bargaining units.
The federal election of January 2006, although overall
disappointing in that the Stephen Harper tories were elected to a
minority government, did bring in one very bright, shining result:
OSSTF District 11 member Irene Mathyssen was elected as the Member
of Parliament for the NDP in London Fanshawe. I have no doubt that
she will turn out to be one of the hardest working MPs in Ottawa!
Congratulations, Irene! We are so very proud of you. Thank you also
to the Political Action Committee under the leadership of Chair
Andrew Smith, assisted by FSO liaison Colleen Canon, for helping to
make this happen.
The Educational Services Committee under Chair Kathy Wildfong,
assisted by FSO liaison Nancy McDougall, again provided lots of
opportunities for professional development for members. Thank you to
all those committee members who organized and put on the various
events, all of which pertained to the theme of "Wellness" and to the
members who attended! This committee also provided other avenues for
PD for members through financial assistance to members attending
conferences.
The Human Rights/Status of Women Committee, chaired by Bryan
Smith, and assisted by FSO liaison Colleen Canon, held several
"Action Resource Parties" where the attendees get valuable resources
to take back to their schools and worksites. The highlight this year
was surely the "December 6 Day of Remembrance" Poster Contest. The
committee was overwhelmed by the response and in fact expanded the
scope of the contest to have two categories instead of one. Prizes
and recognition for the top three posters in each of the categories
were handed out on Valentine's Day and the London Free Press
published a fantastic article about this initiative. In addition,
the winning posters were displayed at the OSSTF Annual Meeting of
the Provincial Assembly, and accolades (as well as requests to
purchase the posters) flooded in from around the province.
In 2005-2006, it was once again our very great pleasure to
celebrate the accomplishments of many of our students and our
members. This year, for the second year in a row, we had two
provincial Marion Drsydale contest winners, one in the Adult Learner
category, and the other in the French category. Congratulations to
those students and their teachers, and indeed to all members who
encourage their students to enter this contest. Bryan Smith was
presented with the provincial James Forster Human Rights Award for
his exemplary work both in the district and in his community in
terms of human rights. In February, we honoured our 2005-2006 Bishop
Townshend Award of Educator Excellence recipients. Thank you to
Chair Val Cavalini for her leadership in organizing that very
special evening at the Grosvenor Club. In April, we honoured
graduating students who had overcome some kind of obstacle or
challenge with the 2006 E.C. McTavish Awards dinner at Sir George
Ross Secondary School. Thank you to Chair Jeff Ste. Marie for
organizing that event and to Nancy McDougall for producing the
Powerpoint slide show of the award recipients. Our 2006 Grade 10
Citizenship Awards Dinner will be held on May 31 at Thames Secondary
School. Thank you to Chair Evelyn Daley for organizing that event;
it too is shaping up to be a memorable evening. Finally, our Annual
Retirement Dinner will be held on June 14 to celebrate the careers
of our retiring District 11 members.
I also wish to thank all of the other Committee Chairs and
members and the executives of the District and of our four
bargaining units. The business of the district, the committees and
of the bargaining units would simply grind to a halt without your
leadership and commitment, and so I wish to commend each committee
chairperson and member, and every executive member for his/her
dedication to OSSTF and to our solidarity as a district. Special
thanks go to the three other Presidents--Barb O'Brien (Continuing
Education Instructors), Sandra Miller (Professional Student Services
Personnel), and Joe Wilson (Occasional Teachers)--for their support
of their members, and the district as a whole.
Now, as I move on to take a position as an Executive Assistant
with the OSSTF Provincial Office, I reflect on my four years in the
District 11 office and I realize that I could not have had a better
"training ground".
I am very proud to be a District 11 member where all of our
bargaining units get a voice at the table and where every member,
regardless of bargaining unit, gets the same level of service,
attention and respect that every other member receives. While I am
sad to be leaving such a wonderful workplace and district, I am also
looking forward to serving the membership of OSSTF as a whole,
province-wide, and I do so secure in the knowledge that District 11
will continue to be very well served by incoming District President
Dave Russell and our district and bargaining unit leaders.
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 Continuing
Education Instructors President: Barb O'Brien
President's Report to the Continuing Education
Instructors' Annual General Meeting
Once again, the time has come for us to start
winding down to summer. It was a highly stressful year, with our
collective bargaining coming dangerously close to a strike. However,
as with most things, this, too, has passed, and we now look forward
to some relative stability.
1. MEMBERSHIP: Our membership continues to decrease. We now have
approximately 115 members. This does not include 25 or so supply
instructors. I am hoping the change in immigration laws will put the
ESL group into an upswing. LBS also has some plans that could be
instituted in the near future so that our enrolment, also, might
grow. The lay-offs this year were a tough pill to swallow.
2. MUTUAL CONCERNS: We did not have as many mutual
concerns meetings this year as we usually have. This was mainly due
to the fact that we were bargaining, and some of the issues were
dealt with at the table. Carol Leslie will be retiring this year, so
we will need some one to put their name forward to sit on that
committee. Shirley Hill is a great asset to have on board. She is
very knowledgeable, and always calm( which is sometimes a very good
balance for me!!). I expect this coming year will bring a whole new
set of mutual concerns topics as we try to muddle our way through
our first year of a new contract. If you are interested in sitting
on this committee please let me know. It involves 5 meetings a year.
3. STAFFING COMMITTEE: The staffing committee also
meets once per term. Due to Linda Huber leaving this year, we also
need someone to sit on the staffing committee. This committee
attempts to ensure staffing is done according to seniority, and not
arbitrarily. Janet Wilson has done a great job as a newcomer to the
staffing committee, so if you would like to join Janet and I on this
committee, please let me know.
4. COLLECTIVE BARGAINING: All I can say about this,
is that I’m glad it’s over!! Taking that strike vote was a huge step
for this group, and I can’t ever express how truly grateful I am for
your overwhelming support. It was awfully scary for a while, and the
last thing we wanted to happen was a full blown strike. However,
that didn’t happen, and I think the board might now take us a bit
more seriously. We proved to have a united front, and did not back
down. The next round of bargaining might be a little faster as a
result of this.
5. GRIEVANCES: We have one grievance pending. This
is as a result of the lay-offs earlier this year, and it has still
not been resolved. We look forward to meeting with the board in the
near future to deal with the issue.
6. DISTRICT: Our District office will be undergoing
some staffing changes this fall. Wendy Hirschegger has accepted a
position with Provincial OSSTF in Toronto. Congratulations, Wendy!
Our best wishes go with you. Dave Russel has been elected the new
district president. As a result of this, there will be a new
federation services officer hired to replace Dave’s position there.
Hopefully, Colleen Canon will continue to be our liaison. Colleen
has been very supportive this year, and has been at my every beck
and call. If you ever need assistance and can’t reach me, please
call Colleen at the district office for assistance.
7. SECTOR COUNCIL OF PRESIDENTS: or SCOP, as it is
commonly known. This is a new sector council group. It includes all
of the support staff groups: office, clerical, technical, EAs, plant
maintenance, instructors, etc. All of the instructor groups send a
representative to this meeting (there are 4 meetings a year), and it
is most interesting to hear how other instructor groups are faring
with their boards. We also discuss problems that are common to all
of the groups such as lay-offs, shortened hours, heavier workload,
etc.
8. VICE PRESIDENT POSITION: We must bid farewell to
Linda Huber, who has decided her grandson gets more votes than we
do! She is off to the beautiful west coast where son David is in the
Canadian navy. In response to the call for nominations, the
executive decided it will take two people to replace Linda!! On the
advice of district office, the executive elected to bring two
newcomers onto the executive….Janet Wilson, and John Booker. Because
Linda and I have been around for so long, and I, too, will be
retiring by next June, we decided we would try to familiarize as
many as we can with what working for OSSTF involves. Come September,
I plan to let Janet and John go to most of the workshops and
conferences, including the Leadership one in August. This way, they
can learn the ropes, so to speak, and I can ease into retirement!!
Welcome aboard Janet and John!
As always, I have to say a huge thank you to my executive, and to
the collective bargaining table team. These people have worked
tirelessly on your behalf. They have given many, many hours of their
own time to attempt to do what is best for you, the membership.
Hopefully over the summer, they will regroup, and be ready to go at
it again.
If you are working over the summer, I will be
available on my cell phone should you need me(519-872-9431). If you
are not working over the summer…..play safe.
See you in September!
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 Occasional
Teachers' President: Joe Wilson
President's Report to the Occasional Teachers' Annual General
Meeting
The dominant matter for the OTBU this year was collective
bargaining.
Initially it seemed that it would be a routine round of
bargaining in terms of specific issues, and complicated only in
terms of attempts to blend the TBU and OTBU collective agreements.
The latter initiative was based on a local and provincial
priority on moving the TBU and OTBU closer together, with the
ultimate goal of them being fully blended bargaining units. Some
districts have achieved the interim step of blended constitutions.
The complicating factor is that the board is under no obligation to
support this direction. District President Wendy Hirschegger
provided the foundation for advancement by compiling a chart
indicating where the two collective agreements are identical or very
similar. The hope was to create a document based on the common
clauses, with differentiated clauses where necessary. However, after
several meetings, the board team deemed that there were too many
areas of fundamental differences, and this priority had to be
abandoned.
Our bargaining team (Chief Negotiator Geoff Shilleto, Provincial
Secretariat liaison Karl Dean, former District President Don Rowdon,
FSO Dave Russell and I) carried on with the issues which were left.
Since we already had achieved a hard link between the TBU salary
grid and the OT pay rates, salary was not in question. After much
negotiation, we were able to keep protections against excessive
on-call duties, and pay for additional on-calls past the basic daily
job. We also achieved some enhancements to benefits and related
experience clauses.
Many thanks to the above Bargaining Team members and OTBU
vice-president Joy Hyde for their dedicated work this year.
This is my last year as an active member of the OTBU. After 5
years of retirement from the classroom, I have re-entered the work
force as a full-time Constituency Assistant for London-Fanshawe MP
(and OSSTF District 11 member) Irene Mathyssen. I have enjoyed my
years as president of the OTBU, and thank the membership and the
District and Provincial Office staffs for their support.
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 Professional
Student Services Personnel President: Sandra Miller
President's Report to the Professional Student Services
Personnel Annual General MeetingIt has been an
eventful yet good year for the PSSP Bargaining Unit. It is hard to
believe another ten months have gone by.
At this time we remain in negotiations. We meet again on June 7,8
and 9th. We have spent countless hours on new transfer
language, a big issue for our group, yet we remain apart on some key
points. As well, salary and benefits remain conscientious as the
Board is offering us next to nothing. We hope to have some movement
in the first day of our next round but if there is no movement we
may look at conciliation.
Pay Equity remains at a stand still. We will not be meeting to
discuss this issue until negotiations have come to a close.
Finally, the Board has released the PD Funds to support staff
within the Thames Valley Board. This took some negotiating and
organizing with other groups and I want to thank Nancy McDougall,
for her leadership role in this. Without her coordinating efforts
the Board probably would not have released these funds. Our members
should be receiving their cheques in the next few weeks.
I would like to congratulate Pat Pettit, Psychological Associate,
as the recipient of the Bishop Townsend Award this year. All the
best to Pat in her retirement at the end of this school year.
Unfortunately, we had no nominations for the Award of Distinction
yet a staff person from an agency that provides outsourcing
counselling services did win. As you can see outsourcing and job
security remain a very big issue and I thank the other Bargaining
Units for their support on this.
I would also like to thank on behalf of the PSSP Bargaining Unit,
all of the Federation Services Officers at District Office and the
District President, for their interest and support of our unit. I
would especially like to thank Nancy McDougall, the PSSP liaison,
for the countless hours she puts into this unit and her unique
understanding of the issue surrounding our group. Of course, none of
us would get very far without Laurie Lafraniere whose
professionalism and hard work makes what we do so much easier.
I would also like to congratulate Wendy on her position at Mobile
Drive. It has been a pleasure working with you over the past few
years and it is good to know that members from across the province
will benefit from your experience and expertise.
I will be leaving my union position next year, so I would like to
take this opportunity to thank everyone at District Office, the PSSP
Executive and the members of DEC. It has been a pleasure working
with you, raging with you and laughing with you. Keep up the great
work you do on behalf of OSSTF and its members. I have learned so
much from this experience and I wish you all the best in the years
to come.
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Teachers'
Bargaining Unit President: Wendy Anes Hirschegger
President's Report to the Teachers' Bargaining
Unit Annual General Meeting
My term as the President of the Teachers' Bargaining Unit OSSTF
District 11--Thames Valley has been an eventful one to say the
least!
Thanks to intensive bargaining in early June, led by our
provincial negotiator Karl Dean and our Provincial Exectuve liaison
Ken Coran, we began 2005-2006 with a contract in place for the
secondary teachers. We are still, however, in negotiations for the
Continuing Education Teachers' part of the contract. The pace is
distressingly slow, but we are making progress.
We are now working through the new aspects of the contract, and
other than the occasional "hiccup", things are going relatively
smoothly. After two years of several hundreds of class size
grievances, our new class size language with "real" class size caps
has proved to be entirely workable. Even though timetabling started
very late, in late June, there were remarkably few class size
violations this year, a couple of dozen or so. This tells us that
with proper direction from the board, the class size language is
entirely "doable". We expect few, if any, violations next year and,
the "leeway year" having passed, any violations will be grieved. We
are concerned, however, by the number of classes which have exceeded
the "cap" by the "flex". This is unacceptable to us and we have
communicated this to the board several times. We are also working
through the implementation of the Additional Professional
Assignments (APAs) and the Student Success Teachers in the secondary
schools. Fortunately, the board works together with us on all issues
as they arise and generally we can come to reasonable resolutions.
The TBU Executive, the Federation Services Officers and Committee
Chairs and committee members continue to work very hard on behalf of
the Members of District 11 and I thank them all for their commitment
to OSSTF. In particular, I wish to thank the Branch Presidents,
Collective Bargaining Committee reps and the In-School Staffing
reps--as the front line contacts for our members concerning
contractual and personnel issues; your assistance is invaluable and
is greatly appreciated by the District Office staff.
In my District President's report, I reported on some of the
other highlights of the year in terms of awards received by District
11 members or their students, and I wish to congratulate them once
again. Photos and/or articles about these are shared in our online
magazine, Education Matters Online.
If you have not yet browsed through that publication, I encourage
you to do so. The June issue will be published to our website
following the the Annual Retirement Dinner which will take place on
June 14. I encourage you to submit articles and ideas for
EdMatters Online in order to make it even more rich in terms of
content and information. In addition, the website contains a wealth
of information that will be of use and interest to you. I encourage
you to bookmark the page to have it at your fingertips, or better
yet, make it your homepage--that way you will always known when new
information has been added to either our site or to the Provincial
website.
I hope that the remainder of this school year will be enjoyable
for you and that you have a relaxing and enjoyable summer.
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