Bargaining 2012 (Collective Bargaining)

In  the Winter 2011 edition of Voice, you were introduced to  the approved bargaining goals that ETFO  will pursue in  the upcoming round of negotiations. These goals form the foundation of what we would like  to achieve for  our next collective agreements. In  this issue,  we add some clarity, rationale, and  background  for teacher locals, occasional teacher locals, and ESP, PSP, and DECE locals.

Bargaining Goals for Teacher Goals 

To eliminate the existing 2%  salary differential During the term of the last collective agreement, every public elementary teacher in Ontario received an increase that was 2 percent less than the members  of OSSTF,  OECTA,  and AEFO received. ETFO has been clear that this inequity must be rectified in  the upcoming  round of negotiations. ETFO teacher members’  salaries must be restored  to their proper  levels during the term of the next collective agreement. To negotiate a real salary increase During the 12-month period ending November 30, 2011, as reported by Statistics Canada, consumer prices in Ontario rose by 2.5  percent. This increase was led by gasoline prices that rose by 11.6 percent, with food prices following at a 6.7  percent increase over the previous year. A real salary increase is necessary for ETFO members  to maintain parity with the cost of living. To negotiate maximum class sizes in all grades and programs Average class size is important. However,  averages never tell the full story of what goes on in classrooms.  Our data reveal that there are still major obstacles  to creating optimal teaching and learning conditions at the primary level. While the Ministry’s goal is a class-size cap of 20 pupils in primary grades, ETFO  data indicate that many kindergarten classes exceed that number,  and also exceed the second-tier primary class-size cap of 23 students. The Ministry has exempted  classes for students in the Early Learning  Program from their own class-size-cap expectation.  Currently there are some JK/SK classes in the Early Learning  Program with numbers over 30, and many more have 25 or more students. This must be rectified. ETFO is also proposing that the government and school boards recognize  the tremendous benefit that could be realized by addressing  junior and intermediate  class size. For the 2011-2012  school year, the Ministry is providing funding to support an average class size of 24.7.  Since September 2005, the government has funded secondary schools for an average class size of 22 students. To negotiate improved preparation time Meaningful  gains  have  been  made in  preparation time provisions since  2004.  Before that  year,  most collective agreements provided for a maximum of 160 minutes of preparation time per week. Several locals had less. This school year, every ETFO teacher member  in  Ontario receives 230 minutes of preparation  time per 5-day cycle to be used for professional  purposes  at the sole discretion of the teacher. Secondary teachers receive 375 minutes of scheduled  preparation time per week. With the added work load created by Ministry  and board-level initiatives,  prep time  is  increasingly important for  delivering quality education. To negotiate limits  on teacher workload It is fair to say that the steady stream of new school board and Ministry initiatives,  in  addition to  the  administrative duties being downloaded onto teachers, are major sources of stress for elementary teachers in schools today. Additionally, in  recent  years,  assessment  has become  far more complex and  far  more time-consuming. Increasingly,  the  work of teachers has   become numbers-driven, and not  only  with respect to EQAO scores. Although the form that it takes is very different, similar pressure is being applied to teachers in the secondary panel. However,  besides having significantly more weekly preparation time than their elementary colleagues, secondary teachers have  additional paid time that they may use for assessment. This is time that all teachers need and deserve. Boards can no longer expect us to give up significant amounts  of our personal  time in order to implement  the newest initiative or assessment  instrument. To negotiate benefit  improvements Benefit plans for ETFO members  vary significantly from local to  local across the province. For example, your local may have unlimited coverage for physiotherapy treatments while another local may have a limit on coverage or no coverage at  all.  Conversely, that  same local may have significantly better vision care provisions than in your collective agreement.  There are some locals where the collective agreement does not provide for the board to pay 100  percent of the premiums  for  benefit coverage. This requires members  to pay out of  pocket for  a  portion of  the  premium charges, directly  reducing their compensation. Enhancing benefit coverage positively affects the well-being of  teachers and their families. To negotiate improved pregnancy and parental entitlements Teachers currently  suffer a financial penalty when a child is born or adopted. Employment  Insurance benefits, for those teachers  who qualify, provide only a  portion of  pre-leave income, and no income for the mandatory two-week waiting period before benefits commence. This shortfall can be—and should be—made up through the negotiated provisions of the collective  agreement. Such  payments to  supplement Employment  Insurance benefits are known as “top-up” payments. At present, all ETFO teacher collective  agreements provide for at least some additional payment for the first few weeks of a pregnancy or parental leave, but none of these fully replaces the pre-leave income for the duration of the leave. These low levels of top-up payments  for teachers have not kept pace with benefits enjoyed by other comparable groups of  employees. After  much  hard  bargaining  over decades, teachers still  remain well behind many of  their counterparts in other parts of the public sector. Any number of collective agreements  covering nurses, other health care workers, police officers, municipal employees, university  and college employees,  civil  servants, and others provide more comprehensive  benefits than  those currently available to teachers. To negotiate language that  ensures that  vice-principals and principals do not engage in bargaining unit  work Over the past several years, more than 400 full-time equivalent teaching positions each year have been filled by school administrators.  That takes 400 jobs away from teachers  per year. The money for these positions comes  out of the funding  formula line that supports classroom teaching. In the face of declining enrolment in Ontario, and a wave of  newly graduated young teachers unable to  practise in their  field, this must concern us all. To negotiate experience credit to  include all occasional teacher work When a teacher is hired, she or he is placed at a given point on the salary grid according to qualifications and experience. Placement with respect to qualifications  depends on a rating from the Qualifications  Evaluation Council of Ontario (QECO). Placement  with respect to teaching experience, however,  is dependent  on the specific wording of  the collective agreement.  There is considerable  variation across the province in the methods  school boards  use to determine  this, which in itself is a problem. Ontario teachers should be free to change employers without jeopardizing their salary entitlement. Though it is not always the case, for the most part teacher collective agreements  recognize the work that a teacher has  completed  in  long-term occasional teaching positions, and factor that  in  when determining where to  place the teacher on  the salary grid. Much less common,  however, is the recognition of casual (daily) teaching experience that a teacher has completed. Where such provisions do exist, there is a formula to determine how much experience  credit should be awarded for a  given number of occasional days taught. Teachers  work hard to achieve their credentials and their teaching work—all of their teaching work—should be fully recognized. It is a question of professional recognition and respect.

Bargaining Goals for Occasional Teacher Locals 

To negotiate a real salary increase Occasional teachers face the same pressures as regularly contracted teachers when it comes to keeping up with the cost of  living.  For many OTs, not knowing each morning whether there will be work adds financial uncertainty. A real salary increase is   necessary in  order to ensure that  occasional teachers’ salaries  do not fall behind the cost of living. To negotiate paid professional learning The  expectations placed on  occasional teachers are  not dissimilar to those placed on contract teachers. This is particularly true for those who are in long-term assignments. It is reasonable to expect school boards to professionally train all  of  their  employees, including  occasional teachers, to help them meet these expectations. It is also reasonable to expect school boards to pay occasional teachers for the time during which this professional learning occurs. To negotiate capped lists Occasional teachers are a  diverse group. Some are newly minted teachers just out of the faculties of education.  Some are  retirees supplementing  their pensions. Some are career occasional teachers for  whom the  flexibility  of  the  work fits well  with  other commitments.  Some  are educators  who aspire to permanent, full-time teaching jobs. One thing they all share, however, is  their vital role in keeping the education system functioning. While job security may not  be the first thing many people think of in connection with occasional teaching, it is as important a collective bargaining issue  for occasional teachers as it is for all other school  board employees. Occasional teachers attempt  to improve their job security  through capped lists  that put a limit on the number of occasional teachers on the hiring list. To negotiate language to  provide priority  hiring for permanent positions and LTO assignments Job security also means that occasional teachers who decide to  pursue permanent  teaching employment  have a reasonable chance in the hiring process.  Unlike outside applicants, these  long-service employees have  already demonstrated their teaching abilities inside the school board. This should count  when  boards are  seeking  qualified  applicants for vacant positions, whether long-term occasional or permanent teaching positions. To negotiate benefit  improvements Occasional teacher collective agreements vary considerably when it  comes to access to benefits. While long-term occasional teachers often have benefit coverage equal to that of teachers,  they sometimes  don’t have coverage until a certain time threshold has been crossed—often waiting 60  or 90 days. Other occasional teachers have additional salary provided in lieu of benefits. Improving both the access to benefits and the level of coverage or compensation are important issues for occasional teacher members. To negotiate experience credit to  include all occasional teacher work As noted above, having all teaching experience count toward experience  credit is reasonable  and appropriate.  This applies not   only  when  procuring  that  first permanent contract position but also when an occasional teacher is  hired for a  long-term occasional position. LTO  teachers are expected to  carry out the duties and have the same expectations as other  teacher members on  staff.  Their  previous teaching work is  invaluable in  providing the background,  knowledge, and  experience to do a good job and should count for salary purposes.

Bargaining Goals for ESP/PS Locals and DECE Locals

To negotiate a real salary increase Education  support personnel (ESP), professional support personnel (PSP), and designated  early childhood educator (DECE) members are those who provide specialized service and assistance to children in the classroom.  They deserve a real salary  increase that recognizes the important and significant work they do. To negotiate benefit  improvements As with teacher benefits, packages that cover ESP, PSP, and DECE members  vary from local to  local.  The members   in each of  these locals would be aided by improvements  to the individual components  of the existing benefit  coverage. There are also some situations where, similar to the teacher collective agreement, less than 100 percent of  the premium cost is the responsibility  of the school board. These circumstances must be improved. To guarantee and improve working conditions ETFO’s  ESP, PSP and DECE members face different yet significant workload  and working condition challenges. For  example, despite having significant responsibilities, many of  our ESP, PSP and DECE members  do not have provisions  for regularly scheduled preparation time. With no caps on supervision time nor a limit on the number  of student  contacts, many of our members who are paid on an hourly basis are undertaking their responsibilities after the regularly  scheduled hours for which compensation is provided. This is not acceptable. You are encouraged  to stay aware and informed as collective bargaining unfolds over the coming months.  There are  many  avenues by  which  information will  flow  your way and you can  “control your future” by   reading newsletters, participating in meetings, and following updates at www.controlyourfuture.ca.