Toronto Star
Monday, December 7, 2015
Byline: Michael Robinson Toronto Star

The Toronto public school board’s youngest students are being suspended at a skyrocketing rate that has jumped nearly 50 per cent over the past four years.

The surprising findings, drawn from recent safety reports from the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), show that, while suspension rates overall have gone down, students enrolled in kindergarten to Grade 3 are increasingly being sent home as punishment.

TDSB spokesman Ryan Bird said a principal’s decision to suspend a student is a “last resort,” used only after other remedial efforts have failed.

“The word ‘suspension’ may sound harsh, but this is essentially our version of a timeout, like people do with young kids at home,” he told the Star.

Released annually, the TDSB Caring and Safe Schools Reports contain a comprehensive overview of student suspension and expulsion data logged throughout the school year. In 2014-15, 12 per cent of all suspensions were doled out to primary students. The figure was pegged at 6.7 per cent just three years prior.

The increase in junior and senior kindergarten suspensions in particular, Bird explained, could be the result of the TDSB’s transition to full-day kindergarten, a shift completed last year.

Elementary Teachers of Toronto president John Smith said the report is yet another signal to Queen’s Park that government cutbacks have left teachers ill-equipped to deal with the current classroom climate.

“Educational assistants are vital in special education programming because they provide one-to-one help, yet they have been cut so viciously over the years,” he said.

Without this vital support, teachers face hazards alone in the classroom, Smith warned. “It may seem strange saying it, but 3- or 4-year-olds in kindergarten can be violent to their peers or teachers,” he said. “There have been cases of broken teeth, stabbings with pencils, pregnant teachers who are head-butted.”

Some repeat incidents have worsened to the point the union approached the Ministry of Labour on the grounds of right-to-refuse work legislation. “If you are being bit on the arm every day but provided with protective clothing to wear around your arms and legs, it doesn’t really address the problem,” he said.

This year, TDSB trustees moved to cut 23.5 special education support staff positions. The reduction was one of several cost-saving measures adopted by the board to offset a $16.5-million shortfall in this school year’s funding.

In an emailed statement, Ministry of Education spokesman Gary Wheeler said public school boards receive funding for various initiatives, such as programming for expelled and long-term suspended students.

Alexia Dyer, director of the educator consulting firm SoJust Education, said she believes one solution is to simply scrap suspensions all together.

The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education graduate has worked with various GTA school boards to develop and reshape discipline policies.

“In no way should a child be punished with such a severe consequence for a mistake, even if they had an outburst or pushed someone,” she said. “When a child acts out that way, there is a reason.

“If we are trying to train students to act in a certain way, shaming and isolating them from their classroom community isn’t helpful.”

Dyer suggests schools replace the suspensions with restorative-justice techniques instead. This “talking-it-out” approach, she said, turns incidents into teachable moments that apply to the entire class.

“It is a way to teach students they are a part of my community and how they can ally themselves and work with the individual who is struggling or acting out.”

(c) 2015 Torstar Corporation

TORONTO – In votes held province-wide, education workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) have ratified a central agreement reached with the province of Ontario and the Council of Trustee Associations (CTA) on November 2nd. The agreement was ratified by a majority of members and a majority of CUPE’s 110 bargaining units in the sector.

“We’re pleased that our members have ratified a central collective agreement,” said Terri Preston, chair of CUPE’s central bargaining committee. “But we heard them loud and clear that they were frustrated with the wage increases, and that after bearing wage freezes for the last three years, they don’t intend to continue falling behind in every round of negotiations.” Workers represented by CUPE are among the lowest paid in the education sector, and their wages have not been keeping pace with cost of living increases in recent years.

Preston also commented on challenges with the new tandem system of bargaining, whereby central and local talks happen concurrently on different issues: “We expect to participate in talks with the government about what worked under the new legislation and what didn’t – it’s pretty clear there are kinks to work out. And we still have many locals struggling to get bargaining dates with local boards who seem to feel no urgency in concluding talks. The dynamic is frustrating, when we are just a year and a half out from the next round of talks starting.”

CUPE represents 55,000 workers in the education sector, across all four school board systems (English and French, Catholic and public), including educational assistants, early childhood educators, custodians, tradespeople, school administrators, payroll and IT clerks, library technicians and more.

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For more information, please contact:

Andrea Addario, CUPE Communications, 416-738-4329

TORONTO, ON – The economic update released today by the provincial government fails to address damage done by years of Liberal austerity and misplaced priorities, says CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn.

“People will squabble about whether or not this government is on target to eliminate a deficit, but that’s all a distraction from the real problems facing this province,” he said. “The Hydro One fire sale means there will actually be hundreds of millions less in funding for public services every year, at a time when we’re already seeing schools and hospitals closing across the province.”

Years of successive cuts have left Ontario with the lowest corporate taxes since the Great Depression. That has taken billions away from public services like hospitals, schools and housing.

“Those handouts to profitable corporations have a cost, and that cost is real cuts in services that Ontarians rely on,” said Hahn. “As families struggle to get by without those services, it amounts to a pay cut for the working poor, all to give corporate tax cuts to the rich. It’s a harsh reality for Ontario’s increasingly precarious workforce.”

A report released last week by the Ontario Common Front found that the share of the workforce earning minimum wage has increased five-fold since 1997, that precarious and part-time work is becoming the norm, and that income inequality is rising sharply, with the distance between the wealthiest and poorest 10 percent of the population nearly doubled.

“This government’s economic approach is failing Ontarians. Now they’ve introduced Bill 144, a surprise, omnibus budget bill, right before the holidays. Introducing a budget bill in December is highly unusual and suggests it contains something the Liberals don’t want people to see, like its measures to reduce public accountability,” said Hahn. “Instead they should focus on restoring revenue, keeping important economic levers like Hydro One fully public and investing in good jobs and vital public services.”

CUPE is Ontario’s community union, with more than 250,000 members providing quality public services we all rely on, in every part of the province, every day. CUPE Ontario members are proud to work in social services, health care, municipalities, school boards, universities and airlines.

 

For more information, please contact:

Craig Saunders
CUPE Communications
416-576-7316

By Ricardo Veneza on November 6, 2015 10:37pm   OSSTF members and labour supporters hold a protest outside of the Greater Essex County District School Board building in Windsor on November 6, 2015. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)

Local education workers and labour supporters are sending a message of “solidarity” in response to the Liberal government’s “bullying” at the bargaining table.

Members of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation and other labour supporters turned up with flags and signs outside of the public school board headquarters in Windsor on Friday afternoon, to protest Education Minister Liz Sandals’ move to allow pay cuts of up to 10% for education workers.

“It hasn’t sat well,” says Martha Hradowy, president of the education support staff bargaining unit. “The school board has not acted on that permission, so I think that’s important to note. However, just the threat is unacceptable to OSSTF.”

Hradowy addressed about 100 supporters at the rally.

“This government is trying to salvage itself on the backs of the lowest paid workers in the province of Ontario and I find that shameful,” says Hradowy. “We are fighting for respect as an integral part of the education team. We’re fighting for fairness. We’re fighting for the same benefits that others in the education sector receive and we’re fighting to keep our jobs. It’s as simple as that.”

OSSTF President Paul Elliott has said the union has no plans to withdraw its current job action and warned the action would escalate if wages were cut. He also called on the province to return to the bargaining table.

“The struggle we’re engaged in right now is of pivotal importance,” says Hradowy. “Whether we back down now to the threat of pay reduction will determine the future of our jobs going forward.”

Support staff represented by OSSTF are the only local group still without a deal at the provincial level of the new two-tiered bargaining process as all other unions either have tentative or ratified agreements.

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By Jason Viau on October 28, 2015 5:47am

CUPE 1358 President Darlene Sawchuk attends a protest, October 27, 2015.

Education support staff in Windsor-Essex want the government and board trustees to “get serious” about hammering out a deal.

Social workers, education assistants and custodians with CUPE 1358 held a protest outside the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board office Tuesday.

President Darlene Sawchuk says her members have been without a contract since August 2014.

“What it’s going to take to get a deal is for people to actually be serious at the table,” she says. “People have not been serious at that table from the Crown and from the trustees council. They need a strong mandate to actually sit and bargain a collective agreement.”

Many of the members feel frustrated and disrespected, she says, with how bargaining has unfolded.

“It sends a clear message that we are not respected for the work that we do,” she says. “The work that EAs and ECEs do (is) some of the lowest paid work, yet if this was about the money we’d all be doing something different — it’s because we love the work that we do.”

Under CUPE’s job action, education workers currently aren’t coaching teams, developing extra programs, planning field trips, handling money and have stopped some supervising duties.

However, last week, Premier Kathleen Wynne announced that if a contract isn’t reached by November 1 and job action continues, school boards will have the power to dock pay for those not performing their duties.

“I’m sure there will be further job action if an agreement is not made and Wynne follows through on her ultimatum,” says Sawchuk.

 

I’m an educational assistant in your child’s school. I’m working with a violent student. He’s punching, kicking, hitting, biting, spitting. He’s throwing things at me. Your daughter is there. She sees all of this too. She’s learned to get out of the way when things start flying.

TORONTO – Premier Wynne’s promise to grant requests from the Council of Trustees Association (CTA) to respond to job action by CUPE’s 55,000 education workers could make an already difficult labour situation worse, said the president of CUPE Ontario.

“The Premier entertaining the CTA’s request won’t improve labour relations in Ontario’s schools,” said Fred Hahn. “Our members are sick and tired of the lack of respect from this government for their critical work in our schools. They’ve seen the services they provide to students cut by this government. CUPE education workers have been without a fair collective agreement for well over a year because of this government. And now, when the government should be resolving this labour dispute, we get ultimatums.”

The 55,000 education workers represented by CUPE in Ontario have been without a collective agreement since August 31, 2014. Only on September 10, 2015, did members begin a province-wide job action, after the provincial government and CTA failed to negotiate a fair collective agreement.

“We’ve been working hard to get the CTA to get serious about negotiating an agreement that respects our members and addresses their specific working conditions, which are not that same as other workers’ in our public education system,” said Terri Preston, Chair of CUPE’s Ontario School Board Bargaining Committee (OSBCC).

“We were already scheduled for two days of bargaining next week and we were clear with the CTA, before this meeting happened today, that we wanted them to get serious about bargaining a fair collective agreement. Given the Premier’s statement today, I expect the employer to be available to bargain for all coming eight days.”

In a meeting today with the leaders of CUPE and teachers unions ETFO and OSSTF, Premier Wynne and Minister of Education Liz Sandals said they would grant requests from Ontario’s trustees associations to respond to the current labour dispute under the new School Board Collective Bargaining Act 2014 unless agreements were reached by November 1.

“Our members are very frustrated,” said Preston, “I think we’ve shown quite clearly in the last six weeks our willingness to stand up for respect at work. It should be obvious to the government and School Board Associations that any attempt to alter our current working conditions will not be tolerated. I don’t think the government or the School Board Associations really want to go there.”

CUPE’s 55,000 school board members work in schools and board offices across Ontario, in all four school systems. Some of the lowest-paid workers in the education system, CUPE members work as educational assistants, custodians, office administrators, early childhood educators, trades people, instructors, library technicians, speech pathologists, IT specialists and in many other classifications.

“CUPE education workers are the backbone of our schools,” said Hahn. “Our current job action has shown the many vital roles – often unpaid or on top of other duties – that our members play in our schools. They deserve respect, not ultimatums.”

For more information contact:

Mario Emond
CUPE Communications
613-237-9475

Mary Unan
CUPE Communications
905-739-3999 ext. 240
647-390-9839

October 23, 2015

PREMIER’S ANNOUNCEMENT ON CENTRAL BARGAINING

This morning CUPE’s Provincial leaders attended a meeting with the Premier, the Minister of Education, ETFO, OSSTF and representatives of the four Trustee Associations.

The Premier started the meeting by saying she wanted to recognize the current situation has not been easy on anyone. She said all four Trustee Associations had sent letters to the Minister of Education asking the Minister for the authority to respond to our strikes. (Under the School Board Collective Bargaining Act, school boards cannot engage in lockouts, changes of working conditions or other actions available to employers without first getting the approval of the Crown).

The Premier said while she has received the letter, she is not acting on their request yet. She has asked both the Unions and the Trustee Associations to get back to bargaining and try to get collective agreements over the next 8 days (by November 1st).

Should there not be agreements reached by that time, either of two things could happen, the Unions can pull back from their strike action and continue bargaining or she will give permission for the Trustees Associations to respond to the strikes allowing the Trustee Associations to give 5 days notice of whatever action they would plan to take.

The bargaining committee has been clear throughout this process that we need a Collective Agreement which shows respect for our work and addresses the specific needs of education workers. Threats will not change this but rather will only strengthen our resolve.

In solidarity,

Terri Preston, Chair, OSBCC