Orazietti hopeful for 'fair and responsible' teacher agreements

NEWS RELEASE

DAVID ORAZIETTI, MPP

**************************
The facts on improvements to education in Ontario

Province working to reach agreements with all teacher unions, protect jobs and ensure stability for students

SAULT STE. MARIE - Since 2003, the provincial government has made improving education a top priority and over the last nine years significant investments have been made in Sault Ste. Marie to build new state-of-the-art elementary schools and secondary schools.

When combined with unprecedented increases to per-pupil funding to lower class sizes and enhance reading, writing and arithmetic skills, the results have meant significant improvements to graduation rates.

Province wide, our government has increased per-pupil funding every year for the past nine years, which has helped us to lower class sizes, increase test scores and improve graduation rates.

In Sault Ste. Marie, per-pupil funding has increased by 70 percent since 2003.

Despite a decline in enrollment of over 5000 students in the Sault and Algoma during the past nine years the Ontario Liberal Government increased funding, introduced FDJK, capped primary class sizes and created new programs that have protected 98 teaching jobs in the Sault and area.

In contrast, the provincial NDP have voted against every single proposed increase to the funding formula, as well as the investments for new schools in the community.

In 2003, it had been decades since a provincial government had made any substantial investments in school infrastructure in Sault Ste. Marie.

The Ontario Liberal Government has made building new, state-of-the art schools in the Sault a top priority and, as a result, $130 million in capital investments have been delivered for new schools in the community, as well as the modernization of numerous schools bringing the total capital investment to nearly $200 million:

• $46.7 million for the Algoma District School Board to construct Superior Heights Secondary School
• $43 million for the Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board to construct a new Secondary School
• $15.5 million for the Algoma District School Board to construct a new Francis H. Clergue Elementary School
• $14.6 million for the Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board to construct Holy Cross Elementary School
• $10.4 million for the Conseil Scolaire Catholique du Nouvel Ontario to expand Ecole Notre-Dame-du-Sault

Teachers have played an important role in the great number of improvements we have achieved in education and the Ontario Liberal Government has recognized their work with eight consecutive annual salary increases.

In fact, teacher salaries in Sault Ste Marie under the present government have increased by 28.7 percent while under the Conservative government salaries increased by 17.7 percent and under the NDP they increased by only 4.9 percent.

When grid increases are included, the average teacher salary in Ontario has risen by 34 percent over the past eight years and for 60 percent of teachers that means a salary of over $94,000 which is the highest in Canada.

The fiscal reality is that a ninth consecutive salary increase is unaffordable in the current economic climate, but neither the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) nor the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF) will agree to a two year contract with a two year wage freeze.

However, after more than 300 hours of discussion the province and the Ontario English Catholic Teaching Association (OECTA) have successfully negotiated an agreement that includes a two year pay freeze for its 45,000 teacher members.

During the most recent four year agreement the province continued to honour all terms and salary increases of collective agreements even though the province’s ability to pay has been greatly reduced by the recession and job losses in the private sector.

By comparison, in the early 1990’s under less severe economic conditions the NDP ripped up collective agreements with nearly 1 million public service workers including teachers and imposed 12 unpaid days.

In regard to sick day benefits, the province has proposed 10 non-bankable sick days paid at 100% salary and additional sick days paid at 66 percent.

The province has also proposed a new 120 day short term disability plan paid at 90 percent of salary for all teachers until long term disability benefits begin.

In the Ontario Public Service (OPS) employees are limited to six sick days and the private sector, which employs approximately 70 percent of working people, provides few if any paid sick days.  

While banked sick days are not paid out in Sault Ste. Marie, they are paid at 59 school boards throughout Ontario.

The teacher banked sick day liability that has accumulated to $1.4 billion with full gratuity payments costing over $45,000 per person upon retirement is unsustainable.

In Ontario, wages and benefits form approximately 80 percent of the provincial budget and in order to eliminate a $13 billion deficit by 2017-2018, caused by the recession, the province must take steps to contain costs.

This will involve working with all public sector employees so that we can continue to protect jobs and maintain the quality of services that all Ontarians want and deserve.

In regard to collective bargaining, the province began discussions in February, 2012 however both ETFO and OSSTF left the bargaining table shortly after the process began.

It is important to note that local bargaining groups continue to maintain their right to collectively bargain with each school board and continue to maintain their right to strike.

Section 8 (6) of Bill 115 allows for a strike to occur should a union make that decision.

The Ontario government recognizes that many of the province’s employees understand the current fiscal constraints and are doing their part.

Moving forward, the province will be addressing compensation in many other areas of the public sector.

MPP’s made a decision to freeze their own wages nearly three years ago for a five period.

Pension plans for MPP’s are not paid as they were eliminated in 1996.

“Having worked as a teacher for ten years I know first hand the tremendous contributions teachers make to education, not only to the betterment of their students in the classroom, but to countless extra-curricular activities and to the overall quality of the school community,” said David Orazietti, MPP. “We have come a long way in nine years in improvements to our education system and I am hopeful that all parties will work together to reach agreements that are fair and responsible to teachers and to Ontarians.”

**************************

Tweet