Toronto
Ontario's public high school teachers are now turning to binding arbitration to get a new contract, as bargaining has concluded with the union unable to reach a negotiated deal with the province.
The Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation agreed to a novel process that eliminates the possibility of strikes during bargaining and for the next three years.
The union ratified a deal last month with the government that would see negotiations continue until Oct. 27, after which any outstanding issues would be decided by an arbitrator. The last day of talks before that date wrapped up Wednesday.
Both union president Karen Littlewood and Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the parties made good progress recently in negotiations.
Monetary issues will be settled by binding arbitration, Littlewood said.
"The last two months of bargaining was way more productive than the 14 months before that and we were able to accomplish a lot - still nothing to do with money, because the Ford government is not investing in education," she said.
"I also think that the pathway that our members have approved for us to go to voluntary binding interest arbitration really had an impact on the success at the bargaining table."
Lecce said he is pleased the remaining issues will be settled without the threat of strikes.
"At the end of the day, my priority is just keeping kids in school," he said. "I'm frankly elated that we have a process that protects the in-person learning experience.
The agreement to use arbitration will also see the teachers get a remedy for lost wages under a wage restraint law known as Bill 124, though the details haven't been made public.
The three other major teachers' unions have so far rejected the idea of using binding arbitration and talks with them are continuing.
There has been some movement at those bargaining tables, Lecce said, though it has been slow.
"There's still some progress being made, which is positive," he said. "I don't want to lose sight of that. I just believe parents are losing patience."
Banner image: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2023.
