FEATURE
THE LAST LINE OF DEFENCE On January 21 and February 4, OECTA members engaged in province-wide walkouts. This is the first time in our Association’s history that all members across the province have been engaged in full withdrawals of service during collective bargaining. The last time all members were out of the classroom was in 1997, during the political protest against the Mike Harris Conservative government’s drastic education reforms.
“Our students need our support.” Contrary to the claims made by Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Education Stephen Lecce, the decision to take strike action has not been made lightly. OECTA has been trying for months to negotiate an agreement at the bargaining table, and we have made progress on some key issues with the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association. But the government’s negotiators have insisted that any agreement must include significant, permanent cuts to publicly funded education. The government has also tried to undermine the process by introducing legislation and changing regulations on issues that should clearly be dealt with through collective bargaining.
Kathy Renaud Northeastern Unit
These have been landmark days for the Association. The energy and solidarity has been incredible. OECTA President Liz Stuart, local unit presidents, and OECTA members have been featured in hundreds of media stories. On Twitter, #CatholicTeachers has been trending throughout Canada, as people have shared pictures and videos of their creative signs and cheers. FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020 | CATHOLIC TEACHER 7
