PSSP Bargaining Unit Newsletter:

Volume 3, Issue 1: February 1, 2005

President’s Message

Greetings to all PSSP members from your OSSTF executive. We have been meeting for some months now and would like to update you on some issues of interest.

Teacher Negotiations for OSSTF District 11

You may have heard that the teacher bargaining unit of OSSTF District 11, along with occasional teachers and continuing education teacher bargaining units, are currently in negotiations with the Board. Negotiations are proceeding slowly due to constraints placed on the negotiations by the provincial government, including legislation mandating either two or four year contracts, as well as limitations on available increases, which for this year would be somewhat below the rate of inflation. PSSP members should take note that our contract runs until August 2005, and therefore we are not yet in negotiations. However, we will of course try to support the teacher units in their efforts.

Retirement planning workshop

A workshop on retirement planning is being offered for PSSP members on Thursday, February 17, 2005 at the OSSTF office. Gerald Armstrong of OSSTF provincial office will present. As the defined benefit pension which we have negotiated with the Board is one of the important, big ticket items which members receive, it is important to understand your pension entitlement. Whether or not you are nearing retirement, you may find this workshop of considerable interest in considering issues such as, “When will I be able to retire? How much should I be saving in my RRSP’s to supplement my pension? How do gaps in service affect my future pension”, etc.

Please register with Laurie at the District office if you wish to attend (659-6588). We do need a minimum number of persons for Gerald to come out to the district.

Input into Board Policies

The PSSP executive has been active on your behalf in surveying members and providing feedback to the TVDSB administration on two policies, including the school year calendar for next year as well as the new draft policy on principal input into school-based staff evaluations. Member feedback was overwhelmingly in favour of a change to the school year calendar for 2005/2006 to have the winter vacation begin December 23rd, rather than December 16th as now proposed. We will keep you posted, or you can check the Board website for developments.

With regard to the proposed policy on principal input into evaluation of our members, input will be given soon to administration. If you have questions or concerns, after viewing the draft policy on the Board website, please contact us as soon as possible if you have not already spoken to your job class representative.

Representation and Assistance in Disciplinary Matters and Working Condition Issues

You may not be aware that you may request OSSTF representation in a meeting with your supervisor if you have any reason to think that the matter may be discipline related. You can ask that such a meeting be delayed until the OSSTF representative of your choice (e.g. your job class representative, the PSSP president, other PSSP executive member or a Federation Services Officer), can be in attendance.

Often solutions to issues can be worked out advantageously in this manner. Within OSSTF there is considerable experience and knowledge about what member rights are in terms of due process for discipline. Thus, contacting OSSTF District Office can be one of the best things to do if you find yourself in a “sticky situation”.

Individual P.D. Funding

District 11's Educational Services Committee currently sets aside money to be accessed by members for professional development to a maximum of $125 per member per year. This year six PSSP members were amongst those who were able to access these funds.

As of January 26, 2005 the Educational Services Committee has committed all of the money budgeted for individual professional development. Further requests for funding will not be accepted unless they are for conferences to be held in the summer in which case they will be considered under next year’s budget.

PSSP Seniority List

The PSSP Seniority list has been updated in agreement with the PSSP collective agreement. It is available through your employee portal. Please check the list to make sure your information is accurate.

OMERS Financial Status Update

On November 18, 2004, OMERS called a stakeholders’ meeting to announce the plan’s funding status. Union and employer representatives, in separate meetings, heard that on January 1st, 2006, contributions will increase from 1% to 2%.

OMERS has blamed low interest rates, under- performing markets, and an aging population for its financial woes. It blames the federal government for forcing the plan to hand out $5.3 billion in contribution holidays. It blames plan members for receiving $2.2 billion worth of pension improvements. According to OSSTF, however, the OMERS Board is largely responsible for the plan’s soaring contribution rate.

OMERS repeatedly invites plan members to compare their pension benefits to the benefits of other Ontario public service pension plans. Plan members pay about the same percentage of salary for pension contributions as teachers, but are not getting the comparable value for their money.

The Teachers’ Pension Plan (TPP) has a permanent 85 factor, members can retire at 50 or older, and early retirement reductions are 2.5%. OMERS is a 90 factor plan with 55 as the minimum retirement age and early retirement reduction of 5%. What’s more, on a percentage basis, teachers receive more of their pensions after age 65 because their CPP offset is less. For all these differences, teachers pay 1.3% more than OMERS members.

There is some good news! You may now call OMERS (1-800-387-0813) and receive a pension estimate over the phone and you do not have to be within your last five years before retirement in order to do so. OMERS plans to begin mailing statements and newsletters directly to members homes for employees of larger employers. Hopefully, this will begin happening for plan members at the TVDSB within the next year or so.

Let us not take thought for our separate interests, but let us help one another.
(OSSTF Motto)

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