TORONTO, ON – CUPE education workers in Ontario served notice yesterday that province-wide job action will begin on September 10th.

“Our members’ work is important to student success in our schools,” said CUPE’s Ontario School Boards Coordinating Committee (OSBCC) Chair, Terri Preston. “We need all parties to understand how serious our members are about the services we provide and being treated with respect at work.”

The OSBCC, negotiating on behalf of the 55,000 workers of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), filed their intentions with the province and the Council of Trustees Association (CTA) Thursday evening. Under the new School Board Collective Bargaining Act the Union has to provide five days’ notice prior to any job action.

On August 29th, CUPE locals representing education workers across four School Board systems in Ontario, voted on a plan of escalating job action beginning the first week of school. “We’re moving forward with this plan and the first step begins with work-to-rule on September 10th,” said Preston.

Education workers represented include educational assistants, office administrators, custodians, tradespeople, instructors, library technicians, early childhood educators, IT specialists, speech pathologists and many others. CUPE represents education workers in elementary and secondary schools, in public and Catholic boards and in both the French and English systems. They help keep the schools safe, clean and well organized while providing extra support to ensure all students have the opportunity to reach their potential.

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For more information, please contact:

Mario Emond, CUPE Communications, 613-237-9475
Kevin Wilson, CUPE Communications, 416-821-6641

School support staff push for labour deal before fall

CUPE files for conciliation in talks with school boards, province in bid to avoid labour turmoil when school starts.

FRED CHARTRAND / PHOTO

Terri Preston, chair of the bargaining committee for the Canadian Union of Public Employees, said CUPE members, from educational assistants to early childhood educators in full-day kindergarten classrooms to school caretakers, in all English, French and Catholic public boards across the province — want to get a deal before the school year starts.

By:Kristin Rushowy Education Reporter, Published on Mon Jul 27 2015

The union representing 55,000 support staff in Ontario schools says it has asked for the help of a provincial conciliator after being slotted just four dates to bargain with the province and school boards — and with two of those dates after the start of the school year.

After receiving a decision June 29 from the labour board about what could be bargained centrally, “we got in touch right away both with the government and with the Council of Trustee Associations and we wanted to meet and get bargaining started,” said Terri Preston, chair of the bargaining committee for the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

“We met on two days, which essentially was an exchange of proposals. We’ve have only been given two days toward the end of August and two days in mid-September for bargaining … we were surprised we didn’t get more dates … we were told that’s all they had available.”

Preston said CUPE members — from educational assistants to early childhood educators in full-day kindergarten classrooms to school caretakers, in all English, French and Catholic public boards across the province — want to get a deal before the school year starts, and warned they “are not prepared to go another school year without a deal.”

Job action is possible in September, she added.

The labour board ruling outlined what matters should be negotiated at provincial tables, with the government and school board/trustee associations, as well as what could be handled in separate talks with individual boards. Under new provincial bargaining legislation, big items like workload and salary must be hammered out at central talks, leaving non-monetary items to local talks.

Provincially, only the French teachers’ union remains at the bargaining table, after the public elementary, secondary and Catholic unions walked away from talks.

Teacher unions have warned of labour turmoil should they not have a deal by September.

Preston said CUPE is “asking for conciliation to help us move the talks along — having a conciliation officer assigned is part of the criteria to move into strike position.

“But it is our hope that with having a conciliation officer, we can actually get some serious bargaining happening.”

Among the issues she cited is workload, especially “ensuring that kids have the staff they need to support them in their education … there is frustration on the part of many parents about classroom support for their children with special needs, and it’s a key issue for us as well.”

Education Minister Liz Sandals said in a written statement that the government “knew this round of negotiations would be challenging in this fiscal environment, but we remain committed to working through the difficult issues to reach a negotiated agreement.

“We are committed to working with all our partners including CUPE to set bargaining dates as soon as possible” this summer.

CUPE files for conciliation in talks with school boards, province in bid to avoid labour turmoil when school starts.

FRED CHARTRAND / PHOTO

Terri Preston, chair of the bargaining committee for the Canadian Union of Public Employees, said CUPE members, from educational assistants to early childhood educators in full-day kindergarten classrooms to school caretakers, in all English, French and Catholic public boards across the province — want to get a deal before the school year starts.

By: Kristin Rushowy Education Reporter, Published on Mon Jul 27 2015

Toronto Star

The union representing 55,000 support staff in Ontario schools says it has asked for the help of a provincial conciliator after being slotted just four dates to bargain with the province and school boards — and with two of those dates after the start of the school year.

After receiving a decision June 29 from the labour board about what could be bargained centrally, “we got in touch right away both with the government and with the Council of Trustee Associations and we wanted to meet and get bargaining started,” said Terri Preston, chair of the bargaining committee for the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

“We met on two days, which essentially was an exchange of proposals. We’ve have only been given two days toward the end of August and two days in mid-September for bargaining … we were surprised we didn’t get more dates … we were told that’s all they had available.”

Preston said CUPE members — from educational assistants to early childhood educators in full-day kindergarten classrooms to school caretakers, in all English, French and Catholic public boards across the province — want to get a deal before the school year starts, and warned they “are not prepared to go another school year without a deal.”

Job action is possible in September, she added.

The labour board ruling outlined what matters should be negotiated at provincial tables, with the government and school board/trustee associations, as well as what could be handled in separate talks with individual boards. Under new provincial bargaining legislation, big items like workload and salary must be hammered out at central talks, leaving non-monetary items to local talks.

Provincially, only the French teachers’ union remains at the bargaining table, after the public elementary, secondary and Catholic unions walked away from talks.

Teacher unions have warned of labour turmoil should they not have a deal by September.

Preston said CUPE is “asking for conciliation to help us move the talks along — having a conciliation officer assigned is part of the criteria to move into strike position.

“But it is our hope that with having a conciliation officer, we can actually get some serious bargaining happening.”

Among the issues she cited is workload, especially “ensuring that kids have the staff they need to support them in their education … there is frustration on the part of many parents about classroom support for their children with special needs, and it’s a key issue for us as well.”

Education Minister Liz Sandals said in a written statement that the government “knew this round of negotiations would be challenging in this fiscal environment, but we remain committed to working through the difficult issues to reach a negotiated agreement.

“We are committed to working with all our partners including CUPE to set bargaining dates as soon as possible” this summer.

 

It Takes a Village……

Posted by: Content Team in Community, Opinion, People July 25, 2015 0

The current, very public battle between education workers and the Ontario government involves more than just the teachers. There are 55,000 education support workers province-wide who are also included in this battle. We are the caretakers and maintenance personnel, the secretaries, the early childhood educators, and the educational assistants employed at Ontario’s schools and school boards.

CUPE workers are vital to the functioning of our schools. We are the people who keep our schools clean. We keep the lines of communication open between the schools and our parents. We work directly with our most vulnerable students, providing the nurturing environment necessary for a child’s development.

We have been working without a contract since last August. On Friday, July 17th the Ministry of Education and our Trustees Associations finally exchanged contract proposals with our union’s provincial negotiating committee. They are proposing another three years of zero wage increases on top of the zeroes we have had since 2012. Every proposal in the document involves a concession or a claw-back.

I am afraid for the physical and mental well-being of my members and our students. For the past few years education support staff have been struggling with excessive workloads. With the cuts to education funding for this September, many of our workers have lost their full-time employment. Our work environment has become unsafe in many circumstances. Unfortunately, our working conditions are also the students’ learning conditions.

Our schools cannot afford another cut to education support staff. With the implementation of a full-day kindergarten program and the dramatic increase in cases of behavioral issues, autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities, the level of student needs has increased dramatically. Too many of our students are unable to get the time and attention they need. The learning environment has become chaotic in many of our schools.

CUPE Education Support Workers work hard every school day in very difficult work environments with very little appreciation and respect. Our members have a passion for working closely with our young people and ensuring they have a welcoming, safe, and nurturing learning environment. They deserve the appreciation and respect of our province’s parents, school boards, and government!

Vicky Evans,
President, CUPE Local 4148

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MOL cuts grant to WHSC

Young Worker Awareness Program 

After 22 years of funding a lifesaving prevention message for Ontario high school students, the Ontario government has shut down the WHSC Young Worker Awareness Program (YWAP). 

The Workers Health & Safety Centre’s 2015/16 application to deliver YWAP through the Ministry of Labour’sOccupational Health and Safety Prevention and Innovation Program (OHSPIP) was denied on the basis it supposedly did not fit the MOL’s Strategic Plan. Nor was it deemed by the Ministry to offer ‘value for money’. 

YWAP success

Almost 30 years ago, WHSC saw the need to develop and deliver health and safety awareness resources for new and young workers. This included information on rights and responsibilities, especially the right to employer-provided health and safety training, and on common work hazards. In a unique partnership with the Ontario Teachers’ Federation, WHSC-trained, Ontario-qualified teachers delivered these awareness programs to high school students across Ontario.

 

This early, repeated success was recognized in 1993 with a separate grant from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (then WCB). Year after year demand for this popular program outstripped its resources. In the final report to the Ministry covering January 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015, WHSC conveyed YWAPachievements consistent with past years. These included:

·      Presentations to 42,797 students, in 1,721 mostly small classroom-style presentations, and delivered in some 80 communities throughout the province.

·      Outreach to students from vulnerable populations and attending alternative schools, aboriginal schools, schools for the disabled, schools in correctional facilities and other vulnerable students through social agencies working with homeless, at-risk youth and recent immigrants to Canada.

·      Ninety-eight per cent and more of educators who booked the presentation rated the program as excellent or very good, said it helped them achieve curriculum objectives and would recommend the presentation to other schools.

·      Some 88 per cent of responding students said it was very important or important to attend this presentation.

·      Among other resources, each student benefited from a resource booklet, and a wallet card with helpful questions to ask their boss about workplace health and safety, and others explaining WHMIS and the worker right to refuse unsafe work.

·      Most important, each student had face-to-face access with a WHSC-trained, Ontario-qualified teacher – a trusted source, there to share their knowledge and answer student questions.

·      All of this was delivered at a cost of $7.00/student. 

Meantime, Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) reports the average cost of a single lost-time injury to be more than $106,500 (2007 data).

 

Reaching vulnerable workers 

New and young workers are three times more likely to be injured during their first month of work. Communicating with students about health and safety before they enter the workplace becomes even more crucial says Rhonda Kimberley-Young, OTF secretary-treasurer. In a letter supporting the WHSC’s YWAP funding application, she wrote, “This is a critical entry point at which to reach them; schools provide the best opportunity.”

The value of leveraging the public education system to reach a large segment of new and indeed vulnerable workers was also acknowledged by the government-appointed Expert Advisory Panel on Occupational Health and Safety. Their 2010 report reported a 45 per cent drop in lost-time injuries among young workers from 2000 to 2008, a success they largely attribute to the prevention systems’ young worker education efforts—efforts they recommended should continue.

The MOL’s newly funded projects, some very narrow in scope and others which only address groups of 200 or more, will reach too few of Ontario’s vulnerable young workers. Moreover, judging by the organizations sponsoring these groups, the message students will receive will be come from a corporate perspective, rather than the worker perspective central to all WHSC programs. 

Cuts at odds with stated gov’t priorities

The move to cut funding to WHSC YWAP is out of step with the province’s stated commitment to identify and address the health and safety needs of vulnerable workers. For example, they recently expanded theOccupational Health & Safety Act’s definition of worker to include unpaid co-op students and other learners and trainees. For an eighth consecutive year they are also running a fourth month long new and young worker summer inspection blitz. Key among its goals—checking that these workers are properly informed, instructed and supervised.

With the loss of a separate YWAP grant and recent cuts to the WHSC’s core budget, the WHSC is unable to honour future requests for YWAP presentations. Dave Killham, WHSC executive director concludes, “All indicators suggest the well-being of new and young workers is far from secure. We believe WHSC’s YWAP did and can still play an important role in informing and protecting Ontario’s new and young workers. It is our sincere hope the government reconsiders their position and reinstates funding for this popular and proven program.

”WHSC offers a wide range of training programs and resources to support all workplace parties, including new and young workers. 

For more information:

Call:     1-888-869-7950 and ask to speak to a training service representative

Visit:    www.whsc.on.ca

Email:  contactus@whsc.on.ca

Way to go U12 Quinte Wolverines!

Quinte West soccer team CUPE Local 1479 takes championship at Lancaster tournament in New York winning 5-1 in the final.  CUPE Local 1479 spent $250 to sponsor a travelling rep soccer team this year to help get our name out into the community as a group that feel childhood sports is important.  Each uniform has the CUPE 1479 logo on the sleeve and our banner goes to the games.  Getting our name into communities will prove to be beneficial when bargaining becomes a forefront in the media with job action.

CUPE supports Belleville Pride Celebrations!

Join us for Belleville Pride in the Park on Saturday, July 4 at Lion’s Pavillion and Zwick’s Park. Look for the CUPE information booth.

Saturday, July 4
12:00 Noon – 4:00 p.m.
Lion’s Pavilion and Zwick’s Park
Belleville
For directions, visit http://www.bellevillepride.ca/

Public education workers protest local, provincial cuts; Public board passes budget worth $415.3M
Windsor Star
Wed Jun 17 2015
Byline: Dane Wanniarachige
Source: The Windsor Star

Public education workers rallied outside the Greater Essex County School Board office Tuesday to protest local and provincial cuts to education, moments after the 2015-16 public school board budget was passed.

“They’ve now just passed a budget that eliminates the 21 support workers and seven deaf and hard of hearing support workers,” said Martha Hradowy, president of educational support staff of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation.

“All of the cuts they’re proposing to find efficiency directly affect our youngest learners and students with special needs,” Hradowy said.

The cuts come after a projected decline of more than 400 elementary students in the GEDSB for the upcoming school year, amidst mounting empty student spaces already in the system.

The cuts are expected to eliminate jobs for close to 40 early childhood educators and special needs support workers.

Minutes after trustees passed the $415.3-million budget – including a rise in senior administration costs by $55,000 to $7.16 million – picketers representing CUPE, ETFO and OSSTF listened to speeches and were vocal about their discontent.

“We’re here to say that we’re tired of this. It is always the front-line workers that are cut while administration increases,” said Dianne Serran, a CUPE member.

Demonstrators also opposed tabled demands by the Ontario School Boards Association and provincial government that would “allow increased class sizes and compromise teacher working conditions and students’ learning conditions.”

Adelina Cecchin, president of the Greater Essex local for the province’s elementary public school teachers union, says that the proposal is not solution-oriented and has not been fairly negotiated.

“OPSBA and the government have not changed their position at all or negotiated in any meaningful way since February,” she said.

Cecchin said the lack of movement is behind the recent elementary school teachers work-to-rule campaign.

“We are rallying to ask our trustees to speak up against OPSBA contract strips, and to put pressure on the provincial government to support small class sizes and learning conditions for all students including those with special needs,” she said.

dwanniarachige@windsorstar.com<mailto:dwanniarachige@windsorstar.com>

(c) 2015 Postmedia Network Inc. All rights

 

Solidarity Against Austerity – CUPE Ontario Division Conference

CUPE Ontario Secretary-Treasurer Candace Rennick greeted delegates in dramatic fashion Thursday morning.

Holding a copy of our loan agreement, Sister Candace informed delegates that every penny of CUPE Ontario’s debt has been paid off. Then, with a flourish, she tore up the agreement.

“The good news I bring to you is that we did it … together. CUPE Ontario is now debt free,” Sister Candace said to loud applause from the convention floor.

She added that with the debt fully paid off, CUPE Ontario will be able to devote more resources to fighting the austerity agenda.

“For the first time in a while, we have real resources to fight back…we can focus our resources on resisting the Austerity Agenda, to stop the sale of Hydro One and other public assets. We can put boots on the ground where they are needed,” she said.

Continuing the good news, she noted in the past year CUPE Ontario has grown by 2600 members as more locals chose to affiliate.

Reflecting on a year which saw the birth of her son Jackson, Sister Candace closed by telling delegates she looked forward to even more dramatic changes in the coming year.

“I want my child and your children to grow up in a province where all the wealth that we and other workers generate through our labour is put to the common good, not into the hands of profiteers,” she said.

Cupe
IMG_0198

ON-2015-Conv-Thur-1.jpg.download

 

From the Ontario Federation of Labour website  www.olf.caIt is shaping up to be a summer of action, as workers and community members come together to defend the public interest, stop Premier Wynne’s austerity and defeat Stephen Harper in the October election. Your support is vital for protect Ontario for future generations!

May 28 Rally to Keep Hydro Public

The provincial government plans to sell Hydro One and further privatize our local electrical utilities. Premier Wynne did not run on a hydro privatization campaign and has no mandate to sell-off vital public assets. Join a mass rally at Queen’s Park on May 28 to tell our government to Keep Hydro Public.

For more information on the Keep Hydro Public campaign, visit KeepHydroPublic.ca and sign up for daily updates.

June 6 Rally to “Stand Up for Ontario” takes on Ontario Liberals

On Saturday, June 6, the Ontario Liberals will be meeting at a resort in Collingwood but labour and community groups will be sending the message that it won’t be business as usual as long as Premier Kathleen Wynne pursues her austerity agenda and privatization plans.

Meet at the Wintergreen Parking Lot at 12:30 pm on Saturday, June 6, across from the Blue Mountain Village Convention Centre (156 Jozo Weider Blvd, Collingwood, Ontario).

Bring megaphones, flags and signs to Stand Up for Ontario! Contact your local union to arrange for buses and car pooling.

July 5 Rally for Jobs, Justice and the Climate

Renowned activist and author Naomi Klein and a broad coalition of Aboriginal, labour, environmental and community groups have come together to mobilize a mass rally for “Jobs, Justice and the Climate” in Toronto on eve of the Climate Summit of the Americas and Pan American Economic Summit.

Take action on July 5, 2015 to join the call for a justice-based transition ensures that those most impacted by the climate crisis – Indigenous, racialized, poor and working people – are the first to benefit from this new economy.

Join the action at: JobsJusticeClimate.ca

Email Premier Wynne to save good jobs at Crown Holdings

Over 120 United Steelworkers in Toronto were forced on strike over 20 months ago because they would not accept a demand by Crown Holdings, one of the largest can manufacturers in the world, that new workers be paid up to 42% less for doing the same job.

Send an email to Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Labour Minister Kevin Flynn asking them to take further action on the side of workers and stop a new era of union busting in Canada from emerging.

Brothers and sisters this is a fight that effects each of us personally! The increases that we will see in our own homes as well as the employer costs increasing due to the sale of Hydro One makes this something that we can not ignore.  It will make this harder for us all to put food on our tables for our families. Hydro is expensive enough as it is, can you imagine if we have another 0% wage increase what will happen to us?

 

Go to keephydropublic.ca for more information on fighting the sale of Hydro One.

 

Teachers ponder big September walkout; Provincewide school shutdown would be a first

The Globe and Mail
Thu May 28 2015
Page: A5
Section: News
Byline: SELENA ROSS, JANE TABER

Ontario’s teachers unions are increasingly synchronized, with some threatening that their individual frustrations could snowball into an unprecedented mass strike in September.

Catholic and public, elementary and secondary, English and francophone – if all the unions’ worst-case scenarios come to pass, two million students could be out of school in the fall.

“We would be looking at September as not being a normal school year,” said James Ryan, president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association.

“Likely, we would …proceed to work-to-rule action in early September … and probably a full withdrawal of services before the month of September is over.”

Teachers’ contracts all expired last August and the four unions have been negotiating simultaneously. Now, each union is laying groundwork to be able to walk off the job in the next few months if talks don’t go well.

Some unions have acted earlier than others and the results have helped fuel their counterparts’ anger.

On Monday, the province moved to force striking high school teachers back to work in Durham, Sudbury and Peel. The legislation is expected to pass on Thursday.

In the meantime, the Ontario Labour Relations Board ruled Tuesday that the teachers had walked out illegally, since they were striking at the local level while talking mostly about bargaining issues that their union must negotiate centrally with the province.

That ruling reopened schools on Wednesday, but the labour board’s ruling is in effect for only two weeks, prompting the province to push ahead with its backto-work legislation in order to save the final two weeks of school. Nonetheless, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) could be in position to strike provincewide before September. President Paul Elliott says a major issue is a proposal to increase class sizes, while Education Minister Liz Sandals says class sizes are not on the table.

Ms. Sandals said this week she won’t speculate about September, but she said a lot can be accomplished in three months of bargaining.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) is in a provincewide strike position now.

ETFO teachers are currently on a work-to-rule job action and are adding incremental service withdrawals, with the next level starting Monday.

“Any actions that we take from now into the fall would be a coordinated provincewide action,” union president Sam Hammond said.

Outlawing the OSSTF’s approach may have helped up the ante for future strikes, said Brendan Sweeney, who teaches in the School of Labour Studies at McMaster University.

That ruling clarified the province’s new two-tier bargaining system, perhaps discouraging unions from smaller, targeted strikes.

“I wonder if that can be perceived as a challenge: ‘If you’re going to go on strike make it a province strike, and then we’ll sort something out,’ ” he said.

“And that would be extremely disruptive, and that would be a September-October thing.”

Ontario’s teachers unions have more in common these days than ever, partly as a result of newly harmonized bargaining, Mr. Sweeney said.

“Working conditions are relatively similar compared to 20 years ago across Catholic boards, between elementary and secondary teachers,” he said.

(c) 2015 The Globe and Mail Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

Central negotiations resume as high school teachers in one Ontario board walked off the job Monday

Canadian Press | April 20, 2015 10:23 AM ET

Canadian PressTeachers are still upset at the treatment they received from former premier Dalton McGuinty.

Central negotiations have resumed between Ontario high school teachers and the government, but classes are still cancelled for about 24,000 students east of Toronto today.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young/FilesOntario Education Minister Liz Sandals is hoping to avoid a province-wide teachers strike in public high schools.

Talks at the local level with the Durham District School Board broke down over the weekend ahead of their legal strike date today, leaving schools in that region closed.

This is the first round of negotiations since the province brought in a new bargaining system, with both local and provincial talks.

CUPE-OSBCC has sent a press release out to all the locals and media explaining our current position in bargaining.  The results are clear from across the province, we will not except what the government is trying to do.  The OLRB is involved and hopefully we can come to a resonable understanding soon.

CUPE-OSBCC News Release_Strike vote results_08Apr15 (2)

 

 

************ STRIKE VOTE RESULTS**********

It was so great to see all the members out for our information session and vote today!  What a great turn out.  I know that the meeting ran a little long, but it was all important information.  We can not let the government away with no contracting out language!  We are all at risk of losing our jobs if that happens. A big thank you goes out to Kathy Todd and Jim Morrison for making the treck to Napanee to share the information and ask questions.  Hopefully it will not come the point of a strike, but here are the results from today’s vote.

Unit 1 (EA, Custodial, IT, LRA, Clerical, Secretary, Maintenance, YW)

Local 93% in favour of a strike

Central 94% in favour of a strike

Unit 2 (Instructors, ECE)

Local 93% in favour of stike

Central 93% in favour of strike

CUPE Supports ONA CCAC Workers!

As you may have noticed ONA (Ontario Nurses Association) members are strike for the last 6 days when driving by the east end plaza.  They are striking over raises received by CEOs and fair working conditions.  This could be us shortlly.  We are encouraging members to show support with honking and waving or walking the picket line with them to show solidarity. Striking ONA members will be present from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the CCAC Office 470 Dundas St. Belleville.

Thaddeus Baklinski

GENDER, HOMOSEXUALITY, POLITICS – CANADAMon Feb 2, 2015 – 4:23 pm EST

Ontario school board aims to eliminate non-inclusive terms—like ‘husband and wife,’ ‘mother and father’

Hastings & Prince Edward District School Board , Homosexuality , Inclusive Language

BELLEVILLE, Ontario, February 2, 2015 (LifeSiteNews.com) — A poster campaign by an Ontario public school board advises its 15,000-or-so students that it is not appropriate for them to use words such as mother and father, husband and wife, or even Mr. and Mrs.

Instead, the Hastings & Prince Edward District School Board located in Belleville, Ontario, says that students should say “parents/guardians,” “partner or spouse,” and call adults by their first names rather than say “Mrs. Smith.”

The posters put up in the board’s schools run the gamut of politically correct speech, from “gender inclusive language” to “sexual orientation and sexual identity inclusive language,” with the admonitions that “inclusive language uses terms that include a range of possibilities in relationships and families,” and “language that depicts all relationships as heterosexual denies the complexity of human relationships.”

The series of posters also includes inclusive language suggestions for more universally applicable subjects such as disability, economic status, race, and faith.

The poster on gender tells students to avoid all use of the word “man” in conjunction with other descriptors, so they are enjoined to say human beings or people instead of mankind, while chairman, policeman and “manning the display booth” are also forbidden, apparently even if the person referred to is a man.

Under a rainbow marker, the sexual orientation poster offers the definition of “gender identity” as being an “internal sense or feeling of being male or female” that may be at odds with a person’s actual sex as determined by their chromosomes.

A request by LifeSiteNews to Kerry Donnell, the board’s communications officer, for a comment on how the poster campaign has been received by parents with children in the board’s schools was not responded to by press time.

However, the board is currently soliciting community members in Hastings County and Prince Edward County to take its 2015 Public Survey to collect input for its next 5-year plan.

“We’re looking for input from everyone,” said Director of Education Mandy Savery-Whiteway. “As the local public school board, we want to hear from community members, students, employees and families as we review our goals and priorities for the coming years.”

The electronic survey will be live only until February 8, 2015, so the opportunity to comment on this poster campaign or any other concerns about the education provided in the board’s schools is limited.

Contact:

Hastings & Prince Edward District School Board
Director of Education Mandy Savery-Whiteway
Phone: 613 966-1170
Fax: 613 962-1048
Email: directors.office@hpedsb.on.ca

Support Staff Workers at St. Michael Catholic School in Belleville

Feel Appreciated!

The SERT team (Mike Walsh, Brenda Dillon, Christina Ackerman and Kate Jordan) prepared a lovely breakfast to say “Thank You” to the secretaries, EAs, LRA and ECE’s at the school.  They notice how hard we all work and wanted to let us know how much they appreciate us as a valuable part of the staff.  The custodians we treated to a lovely dinner at the school during the evening to say “Thank You for going above and beyond” as well.

CUPE Bulletin Boards

Every school should have a CUPE board where job postings, seniority lists and any other information that effects CUPE members should be posted.  If your site does not have a board perhaps you could take the lead on it.  Thank you so much to Dianne Noack for taking the lead and revamping the board at St. Michael!

Ontario government planning $500M cut to education funding: NDP

Is the government looking at eliminating funding to the education system to balance the books? Paul Bliss explains.

Keith Leslie, The Canadian Press Published Tuesday, November 18, 2014 2:26PM EST Last Updated Tuesday, November 18, 2014 7:50PM EST

TORONTO — Some schools in Ontario will be shut down as the Liberal government makes education funding cuts to help eliminate a $12.5-billion deficit in three years, Education Minister Liz Sandals admitted Tuesday. The planned cuts are included in the government’s 2015-16 education funding guide, which was obtained by the New Democrats and calls for permanent savings of up to $500 million by 2017-18. “Lets face it,” Sandals told reporters. “We do have a deficit, so we’re going to have to look at every government program and make sure that we’re managing it efficiently.”

Photos

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne (right) stands with Education Minister Liz Sandals as she addresses the media at Westwood Public School in Guelph, Ontario on Wednesday, May 14, 2014. (Chris Young / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

The real issue is that the number of pupils is declining, added Sandals. “So yes, there may be from year to year sometimes a slight decrease in funding, but the funding per pupil actually continues to rise,” she said. The document, copies of which were released by NDP education critic Peter Tabuns, says the plan is challenging as it represents a potential reduction of one to two per cent in total revenue. “These cuts will hurt an education system that’s already hurting from being underfunded,” said Tabuns. “It could mean ballooning class sizes, teacher layoffs and even more school closures.” Sandals didn’t dispute the funding guide’s authenticity, and said there are over 600 schools in Ontario that are more than half empty, and some will be closed. “We want to make sure that money is being spent on educating the students who are there and not on funding empty seats,” she said. The New Democrats said the planned reduction flies in the face of Premier Kathleen Wynne’s pledge in the legislature just four months ago not to cut education funding. “Her budget promised increased funding to school boards,” Tabuns told the legislature. “She’s on the record promising no cuts to schools, and yet the Ministry of Education is spelling out $500 million in cuts to our classrooms and says annual increases are things of the past.” The Progressive Conservatives said school closings would inevitably be in small-town and rural Ontario, where schools are often the hub of the community, and warned that shutting down some of them would not result in huge savings. “Shutting them down and busing kids 15, 20 or 30 kilometres away, I don’t think is an option,” said PC education critic Garfield Dunlop. “And I don’t think it’s going to save her $500 million either.” Sandals said education funding this year hit $22.5 billion, an increase of 56.5 per cent, or over $4,000 per pupil, since the Liberals were elected in 2003. “We have increased spending in education more than any other government has ever done,” she said. The education minister also dismissed the idea of eliminating Ontario’s Roman Catholic school system and combining it with the public system, which the provincial Green Party has advocated. The Liberals will abide by the Constitutional requirement for Ontario to have a separate system for Catholic education, added Sandals “The economic arguments are not strong arguments for school board amalgamation,” she said.

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/ontario-government-planning-500m-cut-to-education-funding-ndp-1.2107704#ixzz3JTo9HLgs

Ontario privatization plan threatens to drive up hydro rates

TORONTO, ON – Initiatives announced in today’s economic update at Queen’s Park and the Ed Clark report tabled Thursday will not fix Ontario’s serious revenue problem, said the president of the province’s largest union. In fact, they are expected to end up costing the public money.

“The government’s plan to sell off large parts of Ontario’s electrical transmission and distribution networks, such as the one in Brampton, will end up costing regular working people more money,” said Fred Hahn, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario. “This plan will transfer profit to private corporations, but the public will still be on the hook for all the financial risk.” Ontarians already pay higher hydro rates than residents of neighbouring jurisdictions. A complex plan to partially sell-off many public assets means that people will end up paying for the added profits taken by corporations. At the same time, the so-called “partial privatizations” leave the public holding the bag for long-term infrastructure costs and financial risk. “The Liberals say they’ll make money by selling off local hydro distribution in places like Brampton. It’s the same line they fed us before losing the province billions on privatization initiatives like eHealth, Ornge Air Ambulance and the gas plants,” said Hahn. “People in Brampton have certainly heard these lines before – with the Brampton Civic Hospital’s multi-million dollar boondoggle. Ontario has a long history of failed privatization schemes that have cost the public billions.” Building the Brampton Civic Hospital would have saved more than $200 million in cost overruns if it had been done publicly. And the public-private partnership continued to lose millions because of contracting-out services that would be cheaper to provide in-house, according to an auditor’s report. “It’s time to stop the privatization madness and look at the real problem,” said Hahn. “This government slashed corporate tax rates, and to pay for them they’re increasing costs to working people and selling off our province’s future. Our province would be in much better shape if the government just restored corporate tax rates and let the wealthy pay their fair share.” CUPE is Ontario’s community union, with members providing the quality public services we all rely on, in every part of the province, every day. CUPE Ontario members are proud to work in social services, health care, municipalities, school boards, universities and airlines.

For more information on the Stand Up For Fairness campaign please click the link below.

http://www.standupforfairness.ca/

Invest in jobs not war

CUPE is deeply concerned at the prospect of Canadian involvement in military operations in Iraq. Today, in the House of Commons Members of Parliament will debate a motion that, if passed, will send Canada into war with Iraq. Despite the NDP’s leadership in opposing this war, it is expected that the Conservative government will use its majority to pass the motion.

Military force appears to be the only option for our government in Iraq. Recent history shows us that war and western military aggression in Iraq and elsewhere, have done nothing to better the lives of the people who live there. Canadians have participated in missions for years which, after bombing civilians and occupying communities, have not provided a better life for the ordinary people we claim to defend. Over the past decade, the Canadian government has diverted billions of dollars away from the public system in favor of foreign military operations. Yet we know public investment in infrastructure, education, health care, social services and jobs are a precondition to peace and stability everywhere in the world.  Instead of military operations, Canada should invest in efforts to create the conditions for peace. Otherwise we are part of the problem, not the solution. “It is outrageous and irresponsible for the Canadian government  to send Canada into a war zone while refusing to provide details about the purpose, our role and our exit strategy,” said Paul Moist, national president of CUPE. “Our soldiers cannot be put on the line for a war the government cannot justify.” The Canadian Peace Alliance points out that the government has the wrong priorities at home and internationally. “Most of the countries lining up for the latest international assault are the same countries that are using the fabricated and heavy hand of austerity against their own citizens. While claiming that there is no money for public services, women’s programs, the environment, schools, health care, and living wages, Stephen Harper is now actively directing resources into activities which will, in no way, provide for long term economic and human prosperity – either in Iraq or Canada.” Read Stephen Harper’s speech this past Friday in the House of Commons and the opposition responses.

Our Best Line of Defence: Taking on privatization at the bargaining table

Picton Pirates and Child Abuse Month https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzHFqOCrPF4&feature=youtu.be

Three Labour Lessons from the Teachers’ Strike

Latest round showed the power of solidarity, public support, and striking first.

Student Supports: Portraits of CUPE School Board Workers in Ontario

Click the link above to watch videos produced by Paul O’Donnell from CUPE Ontario. Paul does a good job informing the public about all the different Support Staff jobs in a school board and the role they play.  You can even share your job category on your Facebook.

Educational Support Staff Worker…What’s that?

Are you proud to be a school board support staff worker?  Would you like the general public to know that we are not teachers?   Make the same high wages?  Are not paid at Christmas, March Break or summer vacation? With this up coming round of bargaining it is important that we get the message out to the public about all the important non-teaching roles that we all do on a daily basis.  Every day we are making our schools safe, clean and an excellent place to have our children educated.  Our schools work because we do! One idea that Josie Fitzgerald came up with at the Mobilization Information Meetings held last week is making your Facebook status about your specific job. For example, my status could be “I’m a Learning Resource Assistant in a K-8 French Immersion school and my role is more important than ever!  With the amount of information being provided to students through media and books it is essential that they always have someone to help them gain access to, evaluate, ethically use, create, share and integrate this information into their daily lives and their educational tasks.” We can’t wait to see what you all come up with on your own about your own support staff positions!

Why School Board Trustee Elections Matter: Fact Sheet click link to see the video

The Ontario School Board Coordinating Committee unites CUPE members in the Education sector who do the work that makes learning and teaching possible. They are the custodians and stationary engineers, administrative assistants, bus drivers, cafeteria employees, education assistants, English as a second language and literacy instructors, community advisory and clerical staff, both in the schools and at the board office. CUPE represents 45,000 members in this sector in Ontario. The committee allows education workers from across the province to share information and strategies for bargaining and to discuss issues and policies of concern. With 300 CUPE locals organized into 24 regions, this committee helps locals to fight against contracting out and to defend public education in the face of cutbacks to education spending.

 Are elementary classrooms becoming more violent?

Happy Summer from CUPE 1479

Any one interested in attending any PRIDE events the schedules are below.

2014 Ontario Pride Events Final

OFL LET 2014 05 29 WorldPride2014

World Pride Schedule of Labour and Community Events

Thank you to everyone for going out and casting your vote on

June 12th, 2014!  Let’s see what the Liberal’s do for educations!

News Local

By Jerome Lessard, The Intelligencer Tuesday, June 3, 2014 8:41:42 EDT AM

BELLEVILLE – The Ontario Progressive Conservatives’ plan to cut 100,000 public sector jobs is more than a couple punchy capitalized anti-Tories slogans penned on picket signs for Kevin French. It’s his 13-year old son who has developed a delayed disability and has just got access to front-line support. Due to Tim Hudak’s plan, French’s son could lose services he now receives through a support worker in his Grade 7 class who helps him read at a Grade 3 level. French is the president of Local 1479 of Canadian Union of Local Employees (CUPE) at Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board. He, a handful of his Local 1479 members and about 30 other CUPE members from 1022, Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board rallied in front of Hastings-Prince Edward PC incumbent Todd Smith’s campaign office on North Front Street Monday afternoon. “My young lad has just developed with DD and he’s just got support. Hudak wants to take these people out of the classrooms and my son needs these people. We can’t have it. It would touch me firsthand,” said an emotional French. Though Smith was out of his campaign office “canvassing”, as a hand-written note taped inside the front door stated, French already had a chance to speak with the local MPP about his son and the PC’s intention of cutting public service jobs. Hudak’s proposed cuts would also include 9,700 non-teaching school board positions. “He told me over a phone call that they are not going after front-line workers, but that is not what his boss is saying on the radio and on the TV,” said French. “As far as I am concern, Todd Smith is just a huge liar.” CUPE 1022 represents 735 school board support workers in 48 elementary and secondary schools in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties. These workers, like Lee-Ann Evans, Jennifer Connor and Laura Walton are maintenance and custodians, secretaries, administration staff, IT workers, educational assistants and early childhood educators. “The Progressive Conservative party plans to crush public services that our children rely on in our schools,” said Evans, president of CUPE 1022. Evans noted CUPE members are “dedicated” front-line workers who make area schools safe and clean, help children arrive safely at school and provide much needed care and services to special needs students like French’s son. “School board support workers are the backbone of our schools,” she said. “How can they trash these vital services that our students and community rely on?” asked Evans. Smith noted he was up canvassing in Thurlow, just north of Belleville, while CUPE members were voicing their concerns. Had he been at his office at the time, he said he would have told French that they were protesting in front of the wrong office. “They should have been protesting in front of the Liberal campaign office,” he said. “It’s because of 10 years of Liberal mismanagement and waste that the economy is the state that it is,” Smith said. “Just a failure to manage the province’s finances properly that put us in the situation that we are in. We have to turn the province around … reducing the size of the government back to 2009 levels.” jerome.lessard@sunmedia.ca BELLEVILLE – The Ontario Progressive Conservatives’ plan to cut 100,000 public sector jobs is more than a couple punchy capitalized anti-Tories slogans penned on picket signs for Kevin French. It’s his 13-year old son who has developed a delayed disability and has just got access to front-line support. Due to Tim Hudak’s plan, French’s son could lose services he now receives through a support worker in his Grade 7 class who helps him read at a Grade 3 level. French is the president of Local 1479 of Canadian Union of Local Employees (CUPE) at Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board. He, a handful of his Local 1479 members and about 30 other CUPE members from 1022, Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board rallied in front of Hastings-Prince Edward PC incumbent Todd Smith’s campaign office on North Front Street Monday afternoon. “My young lad has just developed with DD and he’s just got support. Hudak wants to take these people out of the classrooms and my son needs these people. We can’t have it. It would touch me firsthand,” said an emotional French. Though Smith was out of his campaign office “canvassing”, as a hand-written note taped inside the front door stated, French already had a chance to speak with the local MPP about his son and the PC’s intention of cutting public service jobs. Hudak’s proposed cuts would also include 9,700 non-teaching school board positions. “He told me over a phone call that they are not going after front-line workers, but that is not what his boss is saying on the radio and on the TV,” said French. “As far as I am concern, Todd Smith is just a huge liar.” CUPE 1022 represents 735 school board support workers in 48 elementary and secondary schools in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties. These workers, like Lee-Ann Evans, Jennifer Connor and Laura Walton are maintenance and custodians, secretaries, administration staff, IT workers, educational assistants and early childhood educators. “The Progressive Conservative party plans to crush public services that our children rely on in our schools,” said Evans, president of CUPE 1022. Evans noted CUPE members are “dedicated” front-line workers who make area schools safe and clean, help children arrive safely at school and provide much needed care and services to special needs students like French’s son. “School board support workers are the backbone of our schools,” she said. “How can they trash these vital services that our students and community rely on?” asked Evans. Smith noted he was up canvassing in Thurlow, just north of Belleville, while CUPE members were voicing their concerns. Had he been at his office at the time, he said he would have told French that they were protesting in front of the wrong office. “They should have been protesting in front of the Liberal campaign office,” he said. “It’s because of 10 years of Liberal mismanagement and waste that the economy is the state that it is,” Smith said. “Just a failure to manage the province’s finances properly that put us in the situation that we are in. We have to turn the province around … reducing the size of the government back to 2009 levels.” jerome.lessard@sunmedia.ca BELLEVILLE – The Ontario Progressive Conservatives’ plan to cut 100,000 public sector jobs is more than a couple punchy capitalized anti-Tories slogans penned on picket signs for Kevin French.   It’s his 13-year old son who has developed a delayed disability and has just got access to front-line support.   Due to Tim Hudak’s plan, French’s son could lose services he now receives through a support worker in his Grade 7 class who helps him read at a Grade 3 level.   French is the president of Local 1479 of Canadian Union of Local Employees (CUPE) at Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board.   He, a handful of his Local 1479 members and about 30 other CUPE members from 1022, Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board rallied in front of Hastings-Prince Edward PC incumbent Todd Smith’s campaign office on North Front Street Monday afternoon.   “My young lad has just developed with DD and he’s just got support. Hudak wants to take these people out of the classrooms and my son needs these people. We can’t have it. It would touch me firsthand,” said an emotional French.   Though Smith was out of his campaign office “canvassing”, as a hand-written note taped inside the front door stated, French already had a chance to speak with the local MPP about his son and the PC’s intention of cutting public service jobs.   Hudak’s proposed cuts would also include 9,700 non-teaching school board positions.   “He told me over a phone call that they are not going after front-line workers, but that is not what his boss is saying on the radio and on the TV,” said French.   “As far as I am concern, Todd Smith is just a huge liar.”   CUPE 1022 represents 735 school board support workers in 48 elementary and secondary schools in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties. These workers, like Lee-Ann Evans, Jennifer Connor and Laura Walton are maintenance and custodians, secretaries, administration staff, IT workers, educational assistants and early childhood educators.   “The Progressive Conservative party plans to crush public services that our children rely on in our schools,” said Evans, president of CUPE 1022.   Evans noted CUPE members are “dedicated” front-line workers who make area schools safe and clean, help children arrive safely at school and provide much needed care and services to special needs students like French’s son.   “School board support workers are the backbone of our schools,” she said. “How can they trash these vital services that our students and community rely on?” asked Evans.   Smith noted he was up canvassing in Thurlow, just north of Belleville, while CUPE members were voicing their concerns. Had he been at his office at the time, he said he would have told French that they were protesting in front of the wrong office.   “They should have been protesting in front of the Liberal campaign office,” he said.   “It’s because of 10 years of Liberal mismanagement and waste that the economy is the state that it is,” Smith said. “Just a failure to manage the province’s finances properly that put us in the situation that we are in. We have to turn the province around … reducing the size of the government back to 2009 levels.”   jerome.lessard@sunmedia.ca rally flyer See you tonight at Todd Smith’s Office! 4:00-5:00 pm   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                        May 22, 2014

Media Release

Expanded research on local impacts of Hudak’s reckless cuts highlights devastation that would be caused in smaller communities across Ontario

(TORONTO) – New and expanded research shows that Hudak’s proposed cuts of 100,000 public sector jobs would have devastating effects across the province and lead to skyrocketing unemployment rates for many communities.

Smaller communities outside of Toronto and Ottawa that rely disproportionately on public sector jobs to keep their economies moving will be hit hardest by Hudak’s cuts. In some communities already reeling from the recent recession, the cuts will deepen economic hardship.

The summary below documents the estimated impacts of Hudak’s proposed 100,000 public service job cuts in an expanded list of towns and cities across Ontario:

(Census Metropolitan Area)Estimated job losses Cornwall 787 Hawkesbury 137 Brockville 537 Pembroke 386 Petawawa 100 Belleville 1,146 Cobourg 251 Port Hope 258 Kawartha Lakes 1,196 Centre Wellington 418 Ingersoll 166 Brantford 1,782 Woodstock 439 Tillsonburg 144 Norfolk 755 Guelph 2,480 Stratford 427 Chatham-Kent 1,277 Leamington 452 Sarnia 1,032 Owen Sound 551 Collingwood 222 Orillia 489 Midland 517 North Bay 1,254 Elliot Lake 131 Temiskaming Shores 223 Timmins 748 Sault Ste.Marie 1,349 Kenora 339

The original research highlighted estimated job losses and unemployment figures in fourteen primarily larger communities.

For further information:

Sid Ryan, OFL President: 416-209-0066 or @SidRyan_OFL

LynnSimmons,OFLCommunications: 416-795-1427 or lsimmons@ofl.ca

Craig Saunders, CUPE Communications: 416-576-7316 or csaunders@cupe.ca

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                        May 22, 2014

Media Release

New research shows that Hudak’s proposed cuts of 100,000 public sector jobs would have devastating effects across the province and lead to skyrocketing unemployment rates for many communities.

The job cuts will introduce new and substantial threats to cities, such as London and Ottawa, which will face an estimated 7,116 and 11,159 job losses respectively, propelling them toward worsened economic outlooks. In other communities already hit hard by the recent recession, the cuts will deepen economic hardship by driving unemployment up by 2.5 percent in Niagara and 2.4 percent in Windsor.

Badly hit will be Peterborough with estimated job losses of 2,057. This would drive the unemployment rate up by 3.2 percentage points to 14.8 percent, based on the latest unemployment figures. Kingston would suffer estimated job cuts and losses of 3,333, pushing its unemployment rate up to 10.2 percent; and Thunder Bay would lose 2,460 jobs, driving unemployment up to 9.6 percent.

“This research points to the danger of Hudak’s brash schemes. Especially in smaller- and medium-sized communities outside Toronto, economies and peoples’ futures will be seriously threatened; it will take years to recover,” warned OFL President Sid Ryan.

“Hudak’s plan will devastate families and communities that are already struggling,” said CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn. “They’ll mean more hospital bed closures and fewer supports in schools for children. They will mean longer wait lists for vital public services such as child care, developmental services and long-term care beds. We need more jobs and public services, not Hudak’s cuts.”  said Ryan

The research was conducted by CUPE Senior Economist Toby Sanger. The job loss and unemployment numbers were calculated using the most recent detailed data on employment by industry and occupation for Ontario communities from the National Household Survey and the Labour Force Survey, excluding sectors that would not be affected. It also takes into account the spinoff job losses that would be experienced in the private sector using a standard economic jobs multiplier of 0.67.

The summary below documents the estimated impacts of Hudak’s proposed 100,000 public service job cuts in towns and cities across Ontario:

(Census   Metropolitan Area) Estimated Job losses   Change in Unemployment Resulting   Unemployment based on April 2014 rates Peterborough 2,057   3.2%   14.8% St Catherines –Niagara  5,301  2.5%  10.7% Windsor  3,964  2.4%  10.8% Thunder Bay  2,460  3.8%  9.6% Ottawa  11,159   1.9%   8.8% Kingston  3,333   3.8%  10.2% Oshawa 6,134  2.9%   9.9% Toronto  62,892  1.8%  9.6% Hamilton  10,555  2.6%   9.0% Kitchener – Cambridge – Waterloo   6,142  2.0%   8.8% Guelph  2,480  3.2%   10.4% London   7,116   2.7%   10.7% Barrie   2,547   2.2%   9.4% Greater Sudbury   2,785   3.2%   9.4%

For further information:

Sid Ryan, OFL President: 416-209-0066 or @SidRyan_OFL

Lynn Simmons, OFL Communications: 416-795-1427 or lsimmons@ofl.ca

Craig Saunders, CUPE Communications: 416-576-7316 or csaunders@cupe.ca

   Unions mobilizing against Ontario PC leader Tim Hudak

Similarly the Common Sense Resolution — Harris’ election platform in 1995 — emanated from Harris’ desire to create 725,000 jobs.

As you can see from the top-line policies, there are a lot of similarities in both plans. There are also some differences, however: Harris’s plan aggressively tackled welfare reform and pushed city governments to find efficiencies and eliminate duplication. [ Related: Hudak’s aggressively-conservative policies showing signs of support from public ] While Harris wasn’t able to implement all of his policies, voters in this current election might want to check to see how the Harris plan worked in practice. This 2011 explanation by the Canadian Press sums of the Harris era perfectly:

What followed [Harris’ 1995 election victory] were some of the most divisive, in-your-face politics the province had ever seen, as Harris — dubbed Chainsaw Mike — took an axe to taxes as well as to spending on welfare and a host of other government programs and services. Detractors loathed him with a passion that at times sparked violent protests. Supporters loved the approach, re-electing him in 1999 with a slightly increased share of the popular vote. Ultimately, a powerful anti-Tory backlash — fuelled partly by the Walkerton water tragedy of May 2000 — thrust the Liberals under McGuinty into office in 2003.

For his part, Harris has a few regrets. “If I had to do it all over again, I would have tried to do more and I would have tried to do it more rapidly,” the former premier told a business audience in 2002, according to the National Post. “I wish we had cut taxes faster. I wish we had balanced the budget sooner. I wish we had increased education standards higher, changed labour law more rapidly, lowered workers’ compensation premiums even more dramatically while improving workplace safety standards.” Ontarians go to the polls on June 12. cupevotes.ca

Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak says he would reduce the number of public sector workers in Ontario by 100,000 if he wins the June 12 election, and do it without affecting “vital” services performed by nurses, doctors and police.

 Ontario heading to polls, Horwath won’t support budget

The stage has been set for a June election in Ontario after NDP Leader Andrea Horwath announced she has lost confidence in Premier Kathleen Wynne and the province’s minority Liberal government. Horwath said she can’t continue to prop up a government that has been the focus of scandal after scandal and her party will vote against Thursday’s budget. “I cannot in good conscience support a government that people don’t trust anymore,” she said Friday. “This budget is not a solid plan for the future. It’s a mad dash to escape the scandals by promising the moon and the stars.” Wynne will speak to the media at 2:30 p.m. at Queen’s Park. The Liberals haven’t kept the promises they made to the NDP in last year’s budget, so she can’t trust them to keep the 70 new promises made in this year’s spending plan, Horwath said. She said the scandals surrounding the costly cancellation of two gas plants, the Ornge air ambulance service and potentially unsafe girders that were installed on a parkway in Windsor proved too much for her caucus. The Progressive Conservatives vowed to vote against the budget even before they saw it, and Horwath said the NDP will join them to defeat the fiscal plan on a confidence vote. However, Wynne could decide not to wait for the budget votes — there will actually be two — and ask Lt.-Gov. David Onley to dissolve the legislature and call an election. Wynne said she will make an announcement later this afternoon on whether the Liberals will drop the writ immediately, or whether they will force a vote on the budget in the legislature. “I’m disappointed that (Horwath) wouldn’t have a meeting with me. I think there’s a lot in this budget that needs to be implemented in this province,” she told Belleville radio station CJBQ. “But I’ve said all along … if we didn’t have a partner in the legislature, then we would take this budget to the people of the province, and we will do that.” The New Democrats propped up the Liberals in the last two budgets, but negotiated major changes in each including a tax on incomes over $500,000 and a 15 per cent average cut in auto insurance premiums. Several large labour groups, including the Unifor union and the Ontario Federation of Labour, urged the NDP to pass the budget and avoid an election, but public sector unions complained the fiscal plan puts jobs at risk. The Ontario Public Service Employees Union — which has been in a tough labour fight with the Liberals — said they support Horwath’s call to go to the polls. Despite the left-leaning goodies in the budget, such as a proposed Ontario pension plan, the Liberals can’t be trusted, said OPSEU president Warren “Smokey” Thomas. There needs to be an election, even if it runs the risk of producing a right-wing Progressive Conservative government that “hates unions” and will tear down the province’s public services, he said. Thomas said he won’t tell his members how to vote, but he believes some will support the NDP while others will vote Liberal. Thursday’s document also included levies to raise billions of dollars for public transit, roads and bridges, billions more for corporate grants, a minimum wage hike and higher taxes for individuals earning more than $150,000. Wynne was chosen leader of the Ontario Liberal Party in January 2013 after Dalton McGuinty resigned. She was sworn in as premier on Feb. 11, 2013. With files from Marcia Chen

Ontario Budget 2014: Horwath shouldn’t have a hard time rejecting this

BILL 122 Update! IMPORTANT

As most of you are now aware Bill 122 is now law. It went through the third and final reading on April 8^th and has gone through Royal Assent.   As a part of Bill 122 CUPE is required to inform the provincial government if 2/3 of the CUPE Membership wish to bargain at the central bargaining table.  If CUPE does not have 2/3 member support then they will negotiate locally.  OECTA, ETFO, OSSTF and AEFO and their support staff members will be bargaining at the central bargaining table. Central vs. Local Bargaining Issues with province-wide impacts will be bargained at a central table that includes the government and school board representatives as part of the management team, and federations or unions representing employees. A matter will be considered for central table bargaining if it could result in a significant impact on the implementation of education policy, or if it could result in a significant cost for one or more school boards. All other issues will continue to be bargained by local school boards and local employee representatives and can happen concurrently with central bargaining. The provisions of a central agreement combined with locally negotiated provisions will make up the final collective agreement. Support Staff Central Bargaining Support staff unions will also have access to central tables. The minister would have the authority to designate a union bargaining council that represents support staff in schools (e.g. office staff, early childhood educators, educational assistants, library technicians, custodial and maintenance workers), as long as the council represents a minimum of 2/3 of the members.

We have been asked by CUPE Ontario to have all voting results to them as of May 1^st.  Due to this, CUPE Local 1479 has set up two different dates and locations for our members to be able to voice their opinion whether we want to negotiate at the central or local tables.  Remember in a central table that issues that affect the whole province will be negotiated together, then we would return to the local table to negotiate items that are unique to our local.  At a local table we would only have the option to negotiate with our employer.  If we vote for the local bargaining option then there will be no opportunity for us to join the central table once it begins and there will be no “me too” clause.  Similarly, once we are at the provincial table we must remain, even if we don’t like what is being offered.

The one big thing that will impact the central table is the possibility of a spring election.  If the budget falls, Bill 122 will still be law, but we may not ne negotiating with the Liberal Education Minister.  This is where the uncertainty lies and it is difficult to be able to give members specific information at the current time. On our voting days we will have more information provided to us by our CUPE Ontario Representative, Kathy Todd. In the mean time if you would like more information contact Kevin French or Jennifer Connor by email.

CUPE Local 4400 – Transit Ads on the importance of School Board Workers

CUPE Local 4400 in Toronto is running transit ads that highlight the importance of school board workers to a quality education system. Check out their great new ads!

Ontario schools facing guillotine The Sudbury Star Mon Apr 14 2014 Byline: KELLY PEDRO, KELLY.PEDRO@SUNMEDIA.CA, QMI AGENCY

The math is grim: With more than 600 half-empty schools in Ontario, a province with an $11.3-billion budget shortfall, even more gut-wrenching school closings are coming. After a generation of closings driven by the loss of 100,000 kids, the equivalent of a small city, Ontario Education Minister Liz Sandals says the province can’t afford to keep on spending “hundreds of millions” keeping half-empty schools alive. Not even pushes to save schools by pitching them as neighbourhood resource centres, combining school and other services, is likely to work –not without someone ponying up the money. “I think we do need to recognize that often when people say, ‘Turn the school into a community hub,’ that what they have in mind is that the school board will continue to fund the space and a bunch of other people will use it for free,” said Sandals, a former school trustee herself. “That doesn’t solve my problem or, frankly, the (school) board’s problem–which is that there is a lot of space being used that isn’t going toward education, so in essence, I’m still funding empty seats,” she said. It gets worse: Boards that rely on provincial top-up money to keep dying schools on life-support will see that funding cut this fall, forcing even more schools to be shut down. The silver lining, if there is one? The province is also looking at how schools are reviewed for closings. For the last decade, schools thrust under the threat of closing — either because they don’t have enough kids, are too old to upgrade or could be merged with other schools — have been put before “accommodation review committees” that were meant to give communities more say in the ultimate decisions. Instead, the panels, known as ARCs, have become frequent flashpoints–pitting neighbourhoods trying to save schools against one another, alienating many and dragging the fate of doomed schools out for months, even years, at a time. Worse, some say, boards can simply ignore what ARCs recommend, delivering the death knell to schools put under review no matter what the community groups suggest. “It divides communities — it makes people believe that they’re part of the decision-making when, in the end, they can recommend whatever they want in the ARC process and the board doesn’t have to take the (recommendation),” said Annie Kidder of People for Education, an umbrella parent advocacy group. “It’s left a bad, bad taste in many mouths across the province.” Sandals said a group of board administrators from across Ontario is studying the process and will recommend changes this spring, to be in place by the fall. Before 2003, boards could close schools with little public input. Then came a three-year moratorium on closings, followed by the new guidelines that included consultation for at least seven months before shutting a school. While some boards have actively closed schools — the London-area public board, Thames Valley District, has closed 39 schools since 2009 — other large boards have been slow, subsisting on provincial top-up funding for low-enrolment schools. But the province is cutting that funding. Schools using 65% or less of their space will get less money, while those using more than 65% of their space will get more. ONE PARENT’S VIEW While she had no issue with the school-closing process itself, Ealing public school council chair Louise DiGirolamo–who was a member of the accommodation review committee — called it “traumatic.” “It’s not something I would ever want to do again … It’s not about any one specific school, it’s about the children, it’s about the community and what it’s going to do the entire community, not just the immediate one around the school. “Once you realize that it becomes very heart-wrenching because you have to consider every aspect,” said DiGirolamo, who didn’t agree with the recommendation to close Ealing and Aberdeen and create one large school on the Trafalgar site. Instead, she thought it better to keep Ealing and Aberdeen open and close Trafalgar and presented a minority report to trustees to consider that option instead. ONE CRITIC’S VIEW “We think that there are ways that we can help schools stay open by using the empty space for other purposes, whether it’s tutoring, whether it’s community purposes …government policies are geared toward closing and consolidating schools.” — MPP Rob Leone, Ontario PC education critic (c) 2014 Osprey Media Group Inc. All rights reserve

WOW- What a turn out! 

What an amazing turn out for our union meeting today!  It was so great to see so many familiar faces as well as so many new ones.  The more members we have attending the stronger we will be.  This is especially important as we are coming into negotiations and there will be new information all the time.  Please forward your personal email to lizjamescupe1479@gmail.com if you would like updates or the monthly newsletter sent to you.

Bill122 Update

On April 8th, 2014 Bill 122 passed its third and final reading. This is major news for CUPE Local 1479, as well as all locals across the province in the education sector.  In January, CUPE vowed not to support Bill 122 in the current state.  After talking with the government they were able to get a few amendments made to some sections that were concerning to our members.  There will be more updates as they occur.

 If you haven’t heard of Bill 122 you can read about it at

http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&BillID=2882&isCurrent=&BillStagePrintId=5828&btnSubmit=go

Acts affected with the passing of Bill 122 Most Ontario public acts are available electronically; to view copies of the Acts to be amended by this bill visit e-laws Education Act Employment Standards Act, 2000 Fairness for Parents and Employees Act (Teachers’ Withdrawal of Services), 1997 Labour Relations Act, 1995 Provincial Schools Negotiations Act Public Sector Compensation Restraint to Protect Public Services Act, 2010 Public Sector Labour Relations Transition Act, 1997 Teaching Profession Act

New Video Featuring CUPE Education Support Workers on YouTube Paul O’Donnell, Senior Research Officer for Canadian Union of Public Employees, has been working for the last year producing a video documenting the various roles of Support Staff in the School Board Sector.  Click the link below to view individual interviews or the entire 45 minute documentary.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5Gdc7xxn0BxDiBbUgtNQWA

Student Supports: Portraits of CUPE School Board Workers in Ontario     

Brief portraits of school support staff in Ontario, all members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).

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Important News for CUPE…….

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/tim-hudak-backs-off-pc-right-to-work-plan-1.2546068http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/tim-hudak-backs-off-pc-right-to-work-plan-1.2546068

Tim Hudak backs off PC ‘right to work’ plan

Tim Hudak says controversial policy was an idea that ‘didn’t make the cut’

The Canadian Press Posted: Feb 21, 2014 9:38 AM ET Last Updated: Feb 21, 2014 12:02 PM ET

Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak says the party’s “right to work” policy was an idea that “didn’t make the cut.” (CBC)

Related Stories

• Tim Hudak’s ‘Right To Work’ plan rankles some in PC party: Mac prof
• Hudak says PC plan would create 1 million jobs in Ontario

Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak announced a major policy reversal Friday, saying he would not campaign on making Ontario a so-called right-to-work province.

• Ontario election looms as NDP threatens to vote against Liberal budget
• NDP takes Niagara, Tories keep Thornhill in Ontario byelections

The issue of making union membership and payment of dues optional caused public rifts with Conservative candidates and internal dissent within Hudak’s caucus, as many feared the anti-labour policy could cost the party the next election. “Only 15 per cent of the private sector is unionized in Ontario [so] this right-to- work issue just doesn’t have the scope of power to fix the issues for the 100 per cent of manufacturing jobs threatened in Ontario,” Hudak said in a speech to the Toronto Region Board of Trade. “If we’re elected, we’re not going to do it. We won’t touch the Rand formula.” The Rand formula requires all employees in a unionized workplace to pay dues, even if they don’t join the union. The right-to-work ideas still have merit, but aren’t widely supported, admitted Hudak.

‘We won’t touch the Rand formula’– Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak

“The arguments make sense. Why should anybody be forced to join a union that they don’t support?” he asked the business audience. “My own party raised these measures as an option for Ontario, and when I talk to employers, to workers, some of them tell me that they do want right-to-work laws in Ontario, but not very many.” The right-to-work policy, which U.S. President Barack Obama famously called “the right-to-work for less,” was a key part of a Conservative policy discussion paper and was narrowly approved by party delegates at a convention last fall. But veteran Conservative John O’Toole was applauded at the convention when he warned that the party could be “screwed” in an election if they campaigned on the policy. Travelling across Ontario to promote right-to-work showed the Conservatives that the policy wasn’t right for the party at this time, said Hudak. “Quite frankly, for every one person, worker or business owner I heard say they like this policy, I literally heard from a hundred who said ‘focus on getting hydro rates under control, get taxes down, do something about the skilled trades,”‘ he said.

Policy reversal not affected by byelection results, Hudak says

Hudak insisted his change of heart had nothing to do with losing the Niagara Falls byelection last week to the New Democrats, who were supported by union activists that flooded the riding to rally against the policy. “We can’t run on 15 different white papers. We can’t run on 300 different things,” he said. “You’ve got to focus on what’s going to have the most impact on jobs and the economy, and it didn’t make the cut.” However, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union said Hudak’s about face “had quite a bit to do with” the Conservatives loss to the NDP in Niagara Falls. “That’s when they began to realize right-to-work was a non-starter,” said OPSEU president Warren (Smoke) Thomas. The Liberals warned that Hudak’s backpedalling could not be trusted, and said he had a “hidden agenda” to bring back right-to-work if the Conservatives form government. “I think it’s a stunning alleged reversal, but he’s still talking about this notion of modernizing labour laws,” said Liberal MPP Steven Del Duca. “The bottom line is he has put so much of his time, energy and resources into right-to-work-for-less policy that it’s not believable or credible that he would suddenly change his mind.” OPSEU was glad to see Hudak step back from right-to-work, but doubted the Tories will suddenly become pro-union. “I thought he might have to back down given early on the divisions within his party, however I don’t believe for one minute that Hudak is going to give up his fight against organized labour,” said Thomas. “They will come back at us another way.” Hudak had publicly waffled on the controversial issue for several weeks after firing a Conservative candidate in the Windsor area who publicly criticized right-to-work. The party said the candidate was fired for publicly criticizing PC labour critic Monte McNaughton on Twitter, not for his opposition to the policy.     ——————————————————————————————–

You MUST watch this video!!  This video below will show you why we DIDN’T want “The Right To Work” plan that Hudak wanted to put through!!  

Now we just have to get rid of Bill 122 and Bill 377.

http://madeinusamovie.ca/

 ——————————————————————————————- SCHOOL BOARD SECTOR Ontario School Board Coordinating Committee

The Ontario School Board Coordinating Committee unites CUPE members in the Education sector who do the work that makes learning and teaching possible. They are the custodians and stationary engineers, administrative assistants, bus drivers, cafeteria employees, education assistants, English as a second language and literacy instructors, community advisory and clerical staff, both in the schools and at the board office. CUPE represents 45,000 members in this sector in Ontario. The committee allows education workers from across the province to share information and strategies for bargaining and to discuss issues and policies of concern. With 300 CUPE locals organized into 24 regions, this committee helps locals to fight against contracting out and to defend public education in the face of cutbacks to education spending.

Liberals’ refusal to honour deal with CUPE threatens Bill 122

On January 13, 2014 the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) announced that, because of the Liberal government’s failure to honour its year-old agreement with school support workers, the union cannot support the government’s Bill 122, the School Boards Collective Bargaining Act. CUPE also called on MPPs from all parties to withdraw their support for the Bill. CUPE National President Paul Moist joined Fred Hahn, President of CUPE Ontario, and Terri Preston, CUPE’s School Board Coordinating Committee Chair, at a news conference at Queen’s Park today to make the announcement. Click Here to read the January 13 press release

Democracy and solidarity in the mix at OSBCC Bargaining Conference

Elections were on the agenda and solidarity in the air as school support workers gathered for the OSBCC bargaining conference in Scarborough over the weekend (22 to 24 November). Members came from across the province to elect a new executive and alternates as well as a new bargaining committee. The conference kicked off Friday evening with an address by renowned Canadian economist and academic Sam Gindin. He warned CUPE members against government and corporations that increasingly see public services as a source of profits and urged unions to become leaders in the fight for broader public values. Over the course of the weekend, members heard from Fred Hahn, President of CUPE Ontario, and Paul Moist, national president of CUPE, as well as fellow members offering for elected posts in the OSBCC. By far the hottest topic for discussion, in breakout sessions and at the microphones, was Bill 122, the School Boards Collective Bargaining Act, 2013. Members expressed opinions ranging from cautious optimism to outright mistrust of the proposed legislation. Also under examination was the government’s continuing failure to compel certain school boards to comply with the signed MOU; members working for boards in compliance urged the OSBCC to expand their e-campaign of letters to Premier Wynne so that they could send letters in support of their affected sisters and brothers – the OSBCC was eager to oblige

Video: CUPE withdrawing support for Bill 122

 From 680 News – January 13, 2014    The province is currently debating Bill 122, the School Boards Collective Bargaining Act. If approved, it would create a two-tier bargaining process. CUPE National President Paul Moist and CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn announced that their union can’t support the bill.

http://www.680news.com/2014/01/13/cupe-wont-support-bill-122/

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Please take a few minutes to visit the campaign website for the Cover Me, WSIB campaign for universal coverage and watch the very moving video, and sign the petition: http://covermewsib.ca/

 FROM THE TORONTO STAR January 13, 2014

CUPE complains Ontario’s school boards ignoring new deal for non-teaching staff

The province’s failure to enforce terms of the latest agreement across all boards jeopardizes future bargaining, the union says.

The OSBCC Committee for CUPE Ontario School Sector Negotiation Team are Rod Magee, Slyvain Piche, Laura Walton, Bonnie Deine, Vern Andrus, Chris Wilson, John Tompa and the two at large are Athony Cuntrone and Heather Scully. _________________________________________________________

Next General Meeting – J.J. O’Neill

Negotiation Committee Elected

The Negotiation Committee was elected at the November 16th union meeting for the next Collective Agreement.  Thank you to all the members who were able to attend.

The Ontario School Board Coordinating Committee unites CUPE members in the Education sector who do the work that makes learning and teaching possible.

They are the custodians and stationary engineers, administrative assistants, bus drivers, cafeteria employees, education assistants, English as a second language and literacy instructors, community advisory and clerical staff, both in the schools and at the board office. CUPE represents 45,000 members in this sector in Ontario. The committee allows education workers from across the province to share information and strategies for bargaining and to discuss issues and policies of concern. With 300 CUPE locals organized into 24 regions, this committee helps locals to fight against contracting out and to defend public education in the face of cutbacks to education spending.