October 31, 2012 - Vol. 2 No. 5

Significance of McGuinty's Prorogation of Legislature

Reject the Austerity Agenda!
Build the Independent Politics of the Working Class!

Significance of McGuinty's Prorogation of the Legislature
• Reject the Austerity Agenda! Build the Independent Politics of the Working Class! - Dan Cerri
• Anti-Worker Instrument to Pressure Teachers and Education Workers' Unions

Continued Opposition to the Putting Students First Act
• It Is in the Interest of Teachers and Education Workers to Step Up Demand to Repeal Putting Students First Act - Enver Villamizar
• Secondary School Teachers to Begin Strike Action November 7
• School Boards Call for Repeal of Bill 115
• November 2 Actions in Greater Toronto Area to Oppose Bill 115

Significance of McGuinty's Prorogation of Legislature

Reject the Austerity Agenda!
Build the Independent Politics of the Working Class!

- Dan Cerri -

Since Premier Dalton McGuinty prorogued the Legislature on October 15, there has been lots of spin and counterspin. The Liberals and their supporters argue that it was necessary in order to negotiate with unions and other political parties on "austerity" measures to fight the deficit. The Progressive Conservatives say they are against prorogation but only from the standpoint of using it to make a case against the Liberals. They do not oppose the aims of prorogation to reset the so-called austerity agenda in Ontario. In addition to all this, the daily announcements about who is and isn't going to run for the Liberal leadership are being used to bombard the public so they cannot even stop and consider what is taking place. What is being deliberately obscured in all the spin and counterspin is the voice of the workers and people of Ontario. What does it mean for them? What is their agenda?

Workers and people are discussing prorogation because it definitely does not serve their interests or the building of society in any rational way. It is another desperate move to impose an illegitimate agenda of "austerity" and it is leading to more chaos and anarchy. How can it be seen as rational or legitimate when it destroys the democratic institutions to attack the people who produce the wealth and deliver the services in the province?

Since proroguing the Legislature, McGuinty and his cabinet ministers have been determined to impose their anti-worker agenda in closed-door meetings with union leaders. In no way does this build consensus which is the responsibility of the public authority. It raises anarchy to authority and relegates the working class to a position of spectator in the affairs of the province at a time when its confidence and independent outlook is growing.

McGuinty's prorogation is based on narrow self-interest to try to reset the Liberals' "balanced" approach to impose the austerity agenda. What this really means is that they are trying to hold onto power, rebuild their image as the party of social consensus and at the same time deliver the agenda to pay the rich under the circumstances of a minority government with no prospect of a majority in the near future. It reveals the desperate attempts by the Liberal Party to use the prerogative powers to maintain their grip on power and try to re-establish how it will pay the rich in competition with proposals of the Progressive Conservatives to do the same.

McGuinty's decision to prorogue the Legislature is a fraud and a coup d'etat. It is an attempt to silence widespread opposition by workers and people who will not accept such an agenda that is only in the interests of a privileged minority. Since tabling the so-called austerity budget the government has aroused opposition across the province as evidenced in rallies against the budget, overwhelming opposition to and calls to repeal the Putting Students First Act, and the defeat of the neo-liberal "austerity" agenda in the Kitchener-Waterloo by-election.

Opposition to the proroguing of the Legislature can be successful if it goes hand in hand with a program of political renewal whereby the workers organize their peers to put forward politics which resolve the crisis in favour of the working people, not the rich. As a starting point it means building the broadest possible unity to demand the re-call of the Legislature and the immediate repeal of Bill 115, the Putting Students First Act. This legislation represents an attack on the rights of all in Ontario and should become a converging point for all those forces against the illegitimate austerity agenda in Ontario.

Anti-Worker Instrument to Pressure Teachers and Education Workers' Unions

As part of its refusal to be held to account for its bogus "austerity" agenda and corruption, the Ontario Liberal government has been using the prorogation of the Legislature to step up its attempts to dictate agreements to public sector unions, starting with teachers and education workers. Under the Putting Students First Act, contracts for teachers and education workers must be in place before December 31 or they will be imposed by the Minister of Education. The government is holding this deadline over the heads of unions to try to get them to agree to a deal in line with the government's overall demands. On October 23 and 24, the presidents of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) respectively were called to meetings by Minister of Education Laurel Broten.

ETFO President Sam Hammond reported to his members that the Minister of Education used the meeting to repeat her demand that ETFO rescind its advice to members regarding the Ontario Progress Report Cards[1] and the withholding of extra curricular activities in response to the Putting Students First Act. OSSTF President Ken Coran informed his members that the meeting discussed the status of local negotiations, which is severely restricted by Bill 115. In an email to OSSTF members Coran said: "It was an informative meeting that will possibly lead to additional meetings in the near future." He also informed that OSSTF continues to bargain locally with identified school boards with the goal of achieving an acceptable collective agreement that will be ratified by the school boards and OSSTF members.

Both ETFO and OSSTF continue to try to negotiate with selected local school boards despite the gun being held to their heads in the form of Bill 115's ministerial powers to impose contracts to the liking of the Minister of Education. The negotiations that are taking place follow the standard negotiating process as outlined in the Ontario Labour Relations Act. The unions are continuing "as usual" according to the Ontario Labour Relations Act so as not to compromise their supreme court challenge by accepting the terms of the government's Memorandum of Understanding contained in the Putting Students First Act.

Note

1. See Ontario Political Forum, October 24, 2012 -- Vol. 2 No. 4.

Continued Opposition to the Putting Students First Act

It Is in the Interest of Teachers and
Education Workers to Step Up Demand to Repeal
Putting Students First Act

- Enver Villamizar -

Some claim that the McGuinty government has lost its way in the last year and departed from being liberal. In the case of teachers and education workers there is a certain lament for the McGuinty of the past in the face of the dictate of today. This sets the stage to find a replacement for McGuinty who will restore the Liberal Party to its liberal roots.

Creating hype about this or that candidate for leader of the Liberal Party is to keep teachers and education workers from sticking to their demand that the Putting Students First Act be repealed, and the program of austerity it represents for Ontario be defeated. It is an attempt to sideline the teachers and education workers as observers so that they give up their active opposition.

Since being elected, the McGuinty government has implemented the agenda of the rich for Ontario despite the opposition this has generated against the widespread privatization and deregulation, cuts to social programs and attacks on the very notion of society. The people of Ontario have opposed this anti-social offensive since it was launched by Mike Harris in the 1990s under the slogan of the Common Sense Revolution.

Far from solving the crisis in a manner that is sustainable and favours the people of the province, the Liberal Party has systematically taken society in the same direction as the Harris Conservatives. It never reversed the overall trend towards privatization and cuts to social programs to pay the debt and deficit. Instead, it has taken further measures to dismantle the state arrangements so that the public authority no longer even exists. In the case of education, the Liberal party seemed to retreat from the vicious attacks of the Harris period on the dignity of teachers and education workers and the teaching profession, in part to try and secure the support of teachers and education workers for McGuinty and keep them as a vote bank in elections. Despite appearances however, the Liberal government has continued to dismantle the public authority over education in favour of privatization and it is now taking further measures which do not favour teachers, education workers or students and their parents, one of the essential constituencies the Liberals relied on to get elected. 

Many teachers and education workers for example say they were surprised when McGuinty came to the bargaining table in the last Provincial Discussion Table (PDT) in 2008 offering 12 per cent raises over four years in the case of the Ontario Secondary Teachers' Federation, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association and the Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens.[1] It appears now that McGuinty wanted a quick settlement with teachers and education workers just prior to an election, to pave the way for the use of the PDT as a tool of provincial dictate and the takeover of locally-elected school boards and unions.

The attempts to buy off teachers and education workers then, in order to win a coveted third majority, which did not materialize, are now followed by brutal dictate à la Mike Harris using the guise of the debt and deficit and the need for restraint, the same justifications given by Harris in the 1990s.

Teachers and education workers are coming to grips with the fact that the McGuinty government has used the public purse and its position of power to try and neutralize them from becoming a force for their own interests. Now the schemes have changed and dictate is being used to try and intimidate teachers and education workers in order to steal billions from education to pay the debt and deficit.

Talk about restoring the Liberal Party to being liberal covers up the fact that dictate has become the modus operandi of the monopolies worldwide and they are demanding governments do the same in order to serve their narrow interests. Only the independent voice of the working class in Ontario, of which teachers and education workers are an important part, is capable of defending the public interest in the face of such dictate. The campaign to repeal the Putting Students First Act should be taken to all sections of the working class in order to create a converging point for all those who are against austerity. All politicians and political parties of any stripe should be forced to accept that the Putting Students First Act must be repealed because it is an attack on the rights of all. This will ensure a fitting response to the attempts to get the working class to give up its independent politics and rally behind this or that candidate for Liberal leader/Premier.

Note

1. In 2008, the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario was offered eight per cent raises over four years and was penalized for not coming to a deal within the time frame McGuinty demanded. The offer seemed too good to be true and now we can see that it was.

Secondary School Teachers to
Begin Strike Action November 7

On October 25, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) announced, that those bargaining units in a legal strike position will begin taking strike actions on November 7, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Ontario Labour Relations Act. The OSSTF represents teachers, occasional teachers, educational assistants, continuing education teachers and instructors, psychologists, secretaries, speech language pathologists, social workers, plant support personnel, attendance counsellors and many other education professionals.

The decision to take strike action follows massive strike votes in the affirmative by OSSTF members across the province. The votes were a clear rejection of teachers and education workers of government dictate and attempts to bully them into accepting it.

OSSTF's bargaining bulletin informs that the strike action will take the form of teachers and education workers working to rule. This means sticking to the letter of their contracts and job descriptions and not performing additional duties. OSSTF President Ken Coran is quoted in the Windsor Star saying, "The actions that are on there are not actions that impact the classroom learning stream. They're designed to send a message to the school board."

A full listing of the actions for teachers can be found by clicking here and for support staff by clicking here.

School Boards Call for Repeal of Bill 115

Two school boards recently passed motions calling for Bill 115, the Putting Students First Act, "to be reviewed or repealed." On October 23, the Ottawa Carleton District School Board passed a motion to "join with others including the Ontario Public School Boards' Association to point out significant difficulties in the Putting Students First Act 2012, and to call for the review or repeal of the Act." It also stated that the Board would "join others to advocate measures to create sensible economic efficiencies without compromising student achievement and well-being and without compromising the collective bargaining process."

A similar motion was passed October 16 by the Bluewater District School Board (which covers Grey and Bruce Counties). It was introduced with statements saying the Putting Students First Act was "causing hardship for students, for teachers and indeed for all members of the educational community" and "undermin[ing] human rights law, labour law and democratic institutions such as locally elected school boards."

Both Boards included in their motions a statement re-affirming their support for the creation of a single publicly funded school system for each official language.

At the November 6 meeting of the Greater Essex County District School Board, a representative of the Greater Essex Elementary Teachers' Federation will call on trustees to pass a motion to join those calling for the repeal of Bill 115.

November 2 Actions Against Bill 115 in
Greater Toronto Area

Protests at Six Liberal Cabinet Ministers' Offices Across Toronto

The Elementary Teachers of Toronto (ETT) has called for protests at the constituency offices of the six sitting Liberal Cabinet Ministers in Toronto this Friday.

The ETT writes: "Dalton McGuinty may have put his Premiership on 'pause,' as well as putting the legislature on 'pause,' but that doesn't mean we're going to let up, or let the rest of the Liberals forget their part in passing Bill 115."

"After back-to-back weeks of strong turnouts, we're once again calling on members and concerned citizens to join us on Friday, November 2, 2012, from 3:45-5:00 pm, at the offices of the six sitting Liberal Cabinet Ministers in Toronto."

"This week, Glen Murray's Toronto-Centre constituency office will be the main targeted rally. After the rally, ETT and the Political Action and Social committees will be hosting a social at House on Parliament (454 Parliament Street). Complimentary drink tickets will be passed around at the rally.

"The other five constituency offices will also be active sites. If you can't attend the main rally, we strongly encourage you to attend a rally at an alternative site."

"Bill 115, 'The Putting Students First Act,' is an unprecedented attack on the established collective bargaining process. Join us on Friday, and send the message that we will not stand idly by as workers' rights are undermined."

"The riding offices are scattered around the city, so even if you are not in a riding represented by one of these Ministers, we ask that you make your way to one of these locations. Encourage your colleagues and co-workers to come along."

"ETT members, in collaboration with our education partners in OSSTF and CUPE 4400, plan to continue this practice. Please prepare to participate in additional Friday afternoon rallies for several weeks to come."

For more information contact Eugene James, Executive Liaison, ETT Political Action Committee, via email at ejames@ett.on.ca or by phone at 416-393-9930 ext. 222. For maps and directions, visit the ETT website.

Rally Against Bill 115 and in Support of ESL and Basic Skills Teachers

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) has called a rally at MPP Charles DeSousa's constituency office against Bill 115 and to support ESL and Basic Skills teachers in Peel District School Board and Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Boards. OPSEU writes: "Adult non-credit English as a Second Language (ESL) and Basic Skills Teachers are the 'poor cousins' in the education system. They cannot afford to be targeted by Bill 115, a bill which tries to deny the right of workers to collectively bargain. Despite the legislation, these workers are determined to bargain with their Boards of Education. Come out and support quality adult education programs for our students."

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