District President's Memo

October 27, 2005

President's Message

Fall is well underway and there is no shortage of issues that continue to face public education.

The Minister of Education and the Ontario government in its Throne Speech to begin the 38th legislative session continue to claim to have “achieved peace and stability in education”. However, although there are in fact contracts which run to August 31 2008 in place for every teachers’ bargaining unit in the province, there are quite a few contracts which have yet to completed for support staff bargaining units.

In our own district, the Continuing Education Instructors, who have been without a contract since August 31, 2004, have reached an impasse in their negotiations with the board, and have now taken a very strong strike vote.

Negotiations for the Continuing Education Teachers and Occasional Teachers have yet to be completed and these groups too have been without a contract since August 31, 2004. We have had two half days of negotiations for the OT’s since school began, and have requested dates for CET bargaining.

Negotiations have yet to begin for the PSSP bargaining unit; their contract expired on August 31, 2005.

Across the province, there are similar situations.

In District 12-Toronto, the PSSP unit had given notice that a full strike would begin on Tuesday October 25 with picketing at Queen’s Park beginning at 7:00 am, but at the eleventh hour, they reached a tentative agreement with the board.

The District 19-Peel PSSP is in phase two work-to-rule sanctions and held an information picket at their board office on Tuesday evening.

The District 6A-Thunder Bay Educational Assistants have reached an impasse with their board and will be meeting on November 1 to discuss the status of negotiations and possible sanctions.

I continue to monitor Hansard, the verbatim of everything said in the legislature every day, and every time an MPP says that there is “peace and stability in education”, I email him/her to disabuse him/her of that notion and to remind him/her that they cannot claim labour peace in education until all support staff contracts are also settled.

Health for Life

We would like all of our members to be aware of an amazing online resource entitled Health eLinks, available for free from Wilson Banwell (our new Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provider). You may access valuable healthcare related material that include a library of diseases, treatments and medications, as well as a health risk assessment with personalized action plan.

In addition, you will also find self directed information courses to enhance your wellness in a variety of areas. These on-line course have been developed by experts in their field and they provide practical strategies for managing stress in our lives, coping with change and other topics. To access these resources, visit Manulife's group benefits website.

Health eLinks can help you overcome challenges and help you to take good care of you and your family. Remember that personal counselling is just a phone call away through Resilience at 1-866-644-0326. All services are completely confidential and available to you 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

Acts of Nature Days

(Reprinted from HR Newsletter, Oct. 2005)

In advance of the winter season, all employees are asked to review the expectations for their employee group in the event that poor weather interferes with their ability to get to work at the expected time. There are limits to and guidelines for the use of these days and it is wise to be aware of them in advance.

Did you know?

All OSSTF District 11 contracts contain a version of the following clause: The Board further recognizes the right of OSSTF to represent a member at the member’s request at any meeting when the conduct or competence of the member is being considered. The Board or school/worksite administrator shall notify the member of his/her right to Union representation.

(See also "Your Right to Representation" in the February 2005 issue of Education Matters Online.)

Vacation Planning

Collective agreements do not include any provisions for employees to leave early for vacation or who do not return to work as scheduled following vacations. You need to be aware that principals and supervisors are asked by the board to check all absences the day before and after vacation time periods. If you are unable to report to work because of delayed flights, closed highways or any other situations not covered by collective agreement provisions, you are to report your absence through TVARRIS and/or your principal or supervisor and can expect loss for pay for the day(s) involved.

Out of Province Coverage

(Reprinted from HR Newsletter, March 2004)

Employees who have the Board’s Health plan and are planning a vacation outside the province should remember to carry
their ManuAssist card. The card provides world travel assistance in case of any medical emergency and offers a toll free 24 hour emergency contact phone number.

Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP) News

(For full text, go to OTF Communiqué, October 24, 2005)

On October 3, 2005, the OTF Executive met with the Government representatives to the Pension Partnership Committee with the support of the OTF Pension Committee. OTF President Marilies Rettig was the spokesperson for OTF.

OTF stuck to the parameters reported on September 29, 2005. They are:

• The OTF Executive is opposed to any reduction in benefits.
• The actuarial assumptions for the Plan will be reviewed.
• The best timing for teachers for filing of the valuation will be reviewed.
• OTF will minimize the impact of changes on teachers, while recognizing the necessity of a contribution rate increase.

Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) News

(Provincial OSSTF Communication)

Last spring the Ontario government introduced Bill 206 – An Act to Revise OMERS. This bill won’t reduce your pension benefits. It won’t increase your pension contributions. Your pension is secure. If it becomes law, Bill 206 will change who controls your pension plan.

OMERS is the only Ontario major public sector pension plan that government controls. Bill 206 establishes a framework to make OMERS a jointly sponsored pension plan.

For almost a decade OSSTF has taken a leadership role in a coalition of unions representing almost 185,00 about active and retired plan members. The coalition’s main focus has been to make OMERS a jointly sponsored pension plan. That means creating a governance model in which plan members and their employers are pension partners and co-sponsors.

The Liberals plan to hold public hearings on Bill 206 within the next month. But OMERS governance isn’t a matter for public or legislative debate. There are only three stakeholders: active and retired plan members, OMERS employers, and government. OSSTF believes government should create a process that gets union representatives and employers to a decision making table and keeps them there until they negotiate a pension partnership.

The OSSTF strategy is to lobby for a process that will lead to a negotiated jointly sponsored pension plan. If government decides to legislate a partnership, the Federation will attend the public hearings with amendments to Bill 206 that ensure your pensions rights and entitlements are protected and ensure you’ll have a voice when decisions are made about your pension.

Further information is posted on the OSSTF website.

Marion Drysdale Contest

Members are reminded that school level winning entires for the annual Marion Drysdale contest must be submitted to the District Office by Friday November 18. There is a link to contest information, this year’s theme, the entry form, and judging criteria on the front page of the website.

Upcoming District 11 Meeting Dates

Nov. 1: Health and Safety Committee
Nov. 3: District Executive
Nov. 8: Human Rights and Status of Women Committee
Nov. 10: TBU Collective Bargaining Committee
Nov. 12: OTIP “Walk into Retirement with a Plan” seminar
Nov. 15: Educational Services Committee
Nov. 16: Political Action Committee
Nov. 18: School level winning entries for Marion Drysdale contest due to District Office
Nov. 22: PSSP Executive
Nov. 28: CEI Executive

Call for Submissions for Education Matters Online

Submit news articles, feature articles, recognition articles, announcements, photographs, etc. by email or on disk to the Communications / Excellence in Education Rep at your Branch/ Worksite or by email or on disk to Wendy Hirschegger at the District Office by Wednesday November 30, 2005.

Click here for previous issues of President's Memos

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

Disclaimer