High school teachers want pay hike, smaller class sizes

Union goes public with its bargaining demands in negotiations with province

The union representing Ontario public high school teachers has taken the unprecedented step of making its bargaining proposals public.

Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation president Harvey Bischof announced Tuesday the union would drag a difficult bargaining round “into the sunlight” and allow the public to see what teachers want.

OSSTF has fought fiercely against proposals by the Ontario government to increase class sizes, cut funding for some programs and require high school students to take four of their 30 courses online.

The union’s bargaining proposals conflict with the government’s plans for education on multiple fronts.

The union proposes ending the plan to increase high school classes from an average of 22 to 28 over the next four years.

Government ministers have said they need to save money to trim the province’s deficit, and argued that class sizes are not the only indicator of educational quality.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce has suggested that high school classes could be lower than 28 if proposals are made during bargaining that would save money elsewhere.

Bischof said thousands of high school courses have already been cut this year as boards increase class sizes, creating confusion and stress for students and parents.

Some classes have increased to “30, 40 and more” students this year, he said.

To maintain small-enrolment classes for specialty course or those with safety requirements, other classes must be larger.

The union’s proposal would return high school classes to the 2018-19 average of 22 students.

The government has estimated that 3,475 teaching positions would be cut because of class size increases.

Changes so far vary at boards across the province.

The education ministry estimated in the summer that the average class size this year would be 22.5 students.

Bischof said teachers are asking for a wage increase equal to the cost of living. Over time, that is what teachers tend to receive anyway, so why not “end the roller-coaster ride” that usually characterizes bargaining with education unions, he said.

“In fact, inflationary adjustments such as this keep the real wage increase to zero,” said the union proposal.

“Our research shows that over long periods, wages and salary tend to track inflation, although adjustments fluctuate up and down erratically in particular years and create an unnecessary level of conflict. (Cost of living adjustments) would smooth this out and make negotiations more reasonable and predictable.”

The inflation rate in Canada ranged between 1.4 per cent and 2.4 per cent on an annualized basis in the first eight months of this year, according to Statistics Canada.

The government has pledged to limit wage increases for all public sector workers to one per cent annually for the next three years.

OSSTF also wants a guarantee of a minimum number of support staff in each school board. The union represents some early childhood educators who work in kindergartens as well as educational assistants who help students with special-education, behavioural and mental health needs.

“Currently, with the increased special education and mental health needs of Ontario’s students, it is already extremely difficult to meet those needs,” said the union proposal.

Bischof also called for the return of funding that was awarded to boards during the last round of bargaining for “local priorities,” such as more educational assistants to help high-needs students. That funding was cut this school year.

OSST’s proposal also takes aim at the government’s plan to introduce mandatory e-learning courses with average class sizes of 30.

A committee should study the merits of mandatory e-learning before it is introduced, said Bischof.

In fact, inflationary adjustments such as this keep the real wage increase to zero.

UNION PROPOSAL