OSSTF/FEESO Teachers in Peel Region Ready to Strike

MISSISSAUGA, ON--(Marketwired - April 21, 2015) - The Teacher and Occasional Teacher Bargaining Units in OSSTF/FEESO District 19, Peel, will begin legal strike action on Monday, May 4 if a local collective agreement is not reached with the Peel District School Board.

"Our collective agreements expired in August of 2014, and since that time our members have shown a great deal of patience despite the slow pace of bargaining. Their work both in and outside of the classroom becomes more demanding all the time, but the employer has refused to address their concerns in any meaningful way at the bargaining table. The school board's approach to bargaining will have to change dramatically if they want to avoid a full withdrawal of services," said Mike Bettiol, District President.

OSSTF/FEESO Executive Officer Sue Doughty-Smith, Chair of the District 19 negotiating teams, said, "Our goal remains to negotiate a fair and reasonable agreement with the Board, but our members are becoming increasingly frustrated. They have given their bargaining teams an overwhelming mandate with the strike votes taken in the fall, and they have made their concerns very clear. The Board's complacency and indifference to our interest in renewing our collective agreements has done nothing but exacerbate those concerns."

"Our members' patience is now wearing thin. We continue, however, to hope that the employer responds in a constructive way, and we remain ready to negotiate at any time in an effort to prevent disruption," concluded Doughty-Smith.

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.