Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation

OSSTF/FEESO
Full name Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation
Motto Protecting and Enhancing Public Education
Founded 1919
Members 60,000
Affiliation CLC
Office location Toronto, Ontario
Country Canada
Website www.osstf.on.ca

The Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) is a trade union which represents 60,000 members across Ontario, Canada.

Founded in 1919, its membership includes public high school teachers, occasional teachers, teaching assistants, psychoeducational consultants, social workers, child and youth counsellors, speech-language pathologists, continuing education teachers, instructors and support staff from several Ontario universities.

Labour Dispute 2014 - 2015

In April 2014, the Government of Ontario passed Bill 122, the School Boards Collective Bargaining Act which implemented a new two-tier negotiation system which involves provincial negotiations, between the Government and the OSSTF, along with local negotiations, between local OSSTF and their employer, the school board.[1] The OSSTF contract expired at the end of August 2014, at this time negotiations began to occur under the new two-tiered bargaining system.

On April 8, 2015, OSSTF members employed by the Durham District School Board announced that a strike would occur if a local deal is not reached by April 20, 2015. On April 20, 2015, as talks failed, OSSTF members employed by the Durham District School Board, over 1,500 members, went on strike putting roughly 24,000 students out of the classroom.[2]

On April 10, 2015, OSSTF members employed by the Rainbow District School Board announced that a strike would occur if a local deal is not reached by April 27, 2015. On April 25, 2015, it was announced that talks have failed and as a result OSSTF members employed by the Rainbow District School Board went on strike on April 27, 2015.[3]

On April 21, 2015, OSSTF members employed by the Peel District School Board announced that a strike would occur if a local deal is not reached by May 4, 2015. In the early morning hours of May 4, 2015, it was announced that attempts at a deal were unsuccessful, as a result members of OSSTF employed by the Peel District School Board went on strike on May 4, 2015. This was the largest of the strikes, resulting in 4,200 teachers walking off the job putting roughly 42,000 students out of the classroom.[4]

On May 4, 2015, negotiations reached an impasse at the provincial level, negotiations once again resumed before reaching an impasse once again on May 24, 2015.

On May 15, 2015, OSSTF District 20, of the Halton District School Board and District 25, of the Ottawa-Carelton District School Board announced a selective withdrawal of services if a local deal was not reached by May 21, 2015. A deal was not reached by this date and selective withdrawal of services occurred until the end of the school year in June.[5]

On May 25, 2015, the Government of Ontario passed back to work legislation to put an end to the strike in Durham, Rainbow and Peel District School Boards. The following day on May 26, 2015, the Ontario Labour Relations Board ruled the teachers strike was unlawful. Classes resumed in Durham, Rainbow and Peel the following day on May 27, 2015.[6][7]

On May 27, 2015, the OSSTF announced that a full strike would resume in Durham, Rainbow and Peel on June 10, 2015, as this would be past the two week moratorium imposed by Bernard Fishbein, Chair of the Ontario Labour Relations Board.[8] A strike did not occur on June 10, 2015, as the Protecting the School Year Act, 2015 passed by the Government of Ontario prohibited another strike during the 2014-2015 school year.

On August 20, 2015, a tentative agreement was reached between the Government of Ontario, the Ontario School Boards Association and the OSSTF. The tentative agreement was later ratified on September 18, 2015.[9]

See also

References

External links

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