Wage freeze bill for teachers passes in Ontario legislature

[Lucy Goosey]

Ontario is the biggest province in Canada; I'm sure this will end up having ramifications for provincial and federal public employees accross the country. (I'm a federal employee, so I'm watching this closely.)

Wage freeze bill for teachers passes in Ontario legislature
Unions urge teachers to halt voluntary activities

Three powerful unions representing Ontario teachers and education workers declared war Tuesday against the governing Liberals after a controversial anti-strike bill passed in the legislature.

The two biggest unions representing elementary and secondary school teachers are urging their members to withdraw from any voluntary activities as a show of protest of what they're calling "draconian" legislation.

The Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation is telling its members not to do any voluntary activities — such as coaching sports teams — on Wednesday. The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) is urging its members not to participate in "any school-based or system level meetings of any kind" on Mondays.

They're calling them "McGuinty Mondays" after Premier Dalton McGuinty, Ontario's self-styled "education premier" who is now facing the ire of his former allies who've helped him remain in power for nine years.

Premier McGuinty is promising to enact similar legislation for other provincial workers if the unions won't agree to wage freezes via collective bargaining.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2012/09/11/toronto-ontario-teachers.html

[tama]

1. This is not democracy

call it kleptocracy or whatever, but not democracy.

[Teamster Jeff]

2. Sounds like a battle is brewing.....Good luck up there! n/t