Ontario teachers, school staff begin bargaining this month. Here are the unions' priorities

“The situation in Ontario is not just challenging, it is dire,” said David Mastin, president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, speaking at a press conference Wednesday morning alongside leaders from the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association, L’Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens and CUPE’s Ontario School Board Council of Unions.

“The challenges bringing us to the table have been building for years, and the consequences of inaction are becoming impossible to ignore,” added Martha Hradowy, president of the secondary teachers’ union.

On Tuesday, at an unrelated announcement, Education Minister Paul Calandra told reporters he was “quite optimistic” about upcoming talks, but acknowledged “there will be some tough negotiations.”

Emma Testani, Calandra’s press secretary, said Wednesday that “we remain optimistic that all sides can work together in good faith toward fair and responsible agreements that support students, families, educators and taxpayers.”

While “there will be important discussions ahead, all parties share the same goal of keeping students in the classroom, maintaining stability in our schools and supporting strong student outcomes across the province,” she said.

In the last round of talks, teacher unions agreed to binding arbitration to settle big items like salary increases while avoiding strikes. However, the 2022 negotiations with the support staff union were fraught, with the government passing legislation pre-emptively banning strikes using the Charter’s notwithstanding clause and imposing a contract, prompting a two-day walkout. The province later repealed the bill, and a tentative agreement was eventually reached.

In this round of talks, Mastin has said his members want class caps of 26 in kindergarten and 24 in grades 4-8, as well as a boost to funding for special-needs students.

The unions say improvements to pay will also figure prominently as they continue to urge the government to address teacher recruitment and retention. Hradowy said skilled-trades teachers are particularly needed given the government’s focus, but often make more on the job site than in the classroom.

She’s also hoping to get rid of the required two online credits for high school students. Although it is easy to opt out of them, she said they should be voluntary.

The issue of class complexity will also be up for discussion, which recognizes how many students with additional needs are in a classroom and the level of supports a teacher might require based on that.

“The complexity issues that we’re dealing with are making our jobs incredibly difficult,” Mastin said. “The supports are not there, the resources are not there. Students are falling through the cracks … It’s a topic that we’ve got to talk about and engage in, in a very serious and respectful way.”

In March, the five big education unions were rebuffed after asking the province for an early start to bargaining.

“Right now, all education workers are being stretched beyond their limits,” said Joe Tigani, president of the school boards’ bargaining council for CUPE, on Wednesday. “Across Ontario, we are seeing inadequate staffing levels, growing violence in schools, increasing student needs and not enough supports for students with special education needs.”

The government has allocated more than $40 billion for education, but boards have said it hasn’t kept up with inflation and doesn’t cover student needs, in particular for those with special needs.  

Hradowy, addressing job cuts at a number of boards, including almost 800 at the Toronto District School Board, said they go beyond what’s expected with declining enrolment and are at a level “I’ve never seen in my time in education.”