OSSTF/FEESO Defends Right to Bargain for Its Members

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - July 6, 2012) - Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation president Ken Coran has clearly stated that the deal reached with the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA) and the Ontario Government is not acceptable to the members of OSSTF/FEESO.

Ken Coran conveyed this message at a joint press conference with other education affiliates, which included the presidents of ETFO, CUPE and AEFO on Friday, July 6 in Toronto. All of the presidents of these unions were in agreement that the OECTA deal is bad for public education in Ontario.

"The deal may be good enough for OECTA members, but it is not good enough for OSSTF/FEESO members," said Coran. "It is not good for students, it is not good for young members, and it is not good for Ontario."

President Coran also repeated his call upon the government to reconsider OSSTF/FEESO's cost saving proposals, and noted that the government has not officially invited the Federation back to the table. "A road map is a way to get between two points. You don't necessarily have to take the same path."

"We tabled a proposal to the government back in April that would give them additional cost savings. OSSTF/FEESO offered to the government a provincial benefits plan proposal that would save the government hundreds of millions of dollars. We also offered the government a four year deal that included a two year wage freeze, and modest cost of living salary increases in years three and four. The government rejected those proposals without any consideration."

"Our members will be taking strike votes from August 27th to September 7th. They expect a deal that addresses OSSTF/FEESO's concerns. Our predecessors fought for our rights, and we intend to defend those rights."

OSSTF/FEESO, founded in 1919, has 60,000 members across Ontario. They include public high school teachers, occasional teachers, educational assistants, continuing education teachers and instructors, early childhood educators, psychologists, secretaries, speech-language pathologists, social workers, plant support personnel, university support staff, and many others in education.