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VIDEOS: Super Tuesday: thousands of teachers on strike

Posted By: Michelle Rosa · 12/18/2012 8:37:00 AM

Thousands of elementary students in eight Ontario school boards (including the province's largest) will have no classes today as their teachers stage one-day strikes.

The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario says 35,000 teachers, including nearly 14,000 in Toronto, will be hitting the picket lines today. Other school boards to be hit by strikes today are Peel, Durham, Waterloo, Greater Essex, Grand Erie and Lambton Kent in southern Ontario and the Near North board in central Ontario.

The ETFO says the one-day strikes are to protest controversial legislation that gives the provincial government the power to end strikes and impose a collective agreement on the teachers. Federation president Sam Hammond says Education Minister Laurel Broten can end the rotating strikes by repealing Bill 115 and letting local bargaining proceed without interference.

Starting at 8:30 Tuesday morning, crowds will be demonstrating at the TDSB offices at Yonge St. and Sheppard, as well as at the Ministry of Education on Bay Street, south of Wellesley.

It doesn't stop there either, the Education Minister's office in Etobicoke will be a target as will liberal leadership candidates MPP's Eric Hoskins, Glen Murray and Kathleen Wynne's offices.
Liberal MPP Soo Wong's Scarborough outpost is also named as a demonstration site.

If you're looking to get the kids busy for the day, here are some options:

- The ROM has a professionally supervised Kids Day for kids between the ages 5 to 14.

- Second City has a one-day Youth Improv Camp for students between grades 1-8.

- Art Days is taking place at the AGO which includes games and other activities.

- MLSE is offering free skating, hockey, basketball and soccer clinics at all practice facilities.

- Glenview Presbyterian Church is running a "strike camp" between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

- The Chess Institute of Canada is holding a special one-day chess tournament at the Community Arts Centre in the Annex    for kids in senior kindergarten to Grade 8.

- Scadding Court Community Centre will also be opening its doors to children affected by the strike on Tuesday.

- City-run swimming pools and skating rinks are open.

- Pawsitively Pets Kids Camp is promising "a fun-filled hands-on animal day" at its Leaside location

- The Young People's Theatre is offering a Pop up Drama School Workshop from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

(some files by CP)

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  1. proton posted on 12/18/2012 07:58 AM
    teacher being interviewed on 1010 last night admitted it's about money (something we already knew but they kept pretending it wasn't.

    read this to find out how poorly paid and treated teachers are -

    http://business.financialpost.com/2012/10/02/why-excessive-teachers-wages-are-a-boondoggle-we-cant-afford/

    remember that while you take a day off work unpaid to stay with your kids because of these poor teachers
    1. chuckmule posted on 12/18/2012 09:04 AM
      @proton Great link. So, using the informaiton in the link at minimum hours that can be worked (school class day), you are suggesting that teachers should only work the hours they are paid for. So, anything outside these hours is Overtime? Overtime is at a rate of time and a half, this would include lunch supervision, before and afterschool programs, interviews in the evening, phone calls after hours, marking, creating lessons, outside of the school hours as well.
      Careful what you wish for you might just get it.
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  2. Richard Collins posted on 12/18/2012 08:10 AM
    Well, there you have it. This is the behaviour of people who have decided to turn their backs on the responsibility they agreed to take on of preparing our children academically for the world, and have decided instead that hurting children for money is an acceptable course of action.

    Any claims by the teachers that their rights to "bargain" or "negotiate" are being trampled on are garbage. Let me paint you a picture.

    If Bob and Jim are trying to reach an agreement, and they understand that if they can't, they'll go their separate ways and get on with their lives, that's a negotiation. That's bargaining.

    If Bob and Jim are trying to reach an agreement while Jim has a bolt cutter wrapped around Bob's son's index finger and shouts "Give me what I want or I'll do it," that's extortion and in any reasonable society, Jim should face criminal charges.

    By depriving these kids of their education, the union is jeopardizing their futures. These strikes are a criminal act of extortion by any definition of the term
    1. Efren Rodriguez posted on 12/18/2012 11:06 AM
      @Richard Collins On the same token ... If Bob and Jim are trying to reach an agreement while Bob has a bolt cutter wrapped around Jim's son's index finger and shouts "Take whatever I am giving you or I'll do it," that's blackmail and in any reasonable society, Bob should face criminal charges.

      Blackmail isan attempt to influence the actions of (a person), esp by unfair pressure or threats made worse if the threat is coming from a position of power which is what Bill 115 is doing. It is actually giving everyone an education, not just kids, to stand up against bullies.
    show more replies
  3. sami posted on 12/18/2012 12:17 PM
    Has anyone see the video of the "teachers" and I use that title loosely, singing the mock Carols? They look and sound like maroons. On top of that they think they are pretty witty and clever and they are soooooo far from that. Just when you think thay can't get anymore obnoxious than they already are....welll.....just look at the video. They must have spent a while working on that one. They will cring with embarassment one day when they look back on it, because I was embarassed for them I hope that the media uses this footage in years to come over and over just so we can remmeber how not to take them seriously.
    1. Efren Rodriguez posted on 12/18/2012 01:42 PM
      @sami Humans tend to do things in the heat of the moment and might do something that they might regret because they are passionate about what they believe in. I'm sure most of us imperfect ones have done one ore more ....... there are around 75.000 active teachers out there and I'm sure that you can count the number of people that you were referring to in the video, so It's unfair to paint the whole lot with a single stroke.
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  4. Vanessa Vallozzi posted on 12/18/2012 02:07 PM
    I agree that the teachers are neglecting their responsibilities. Something had to be done about the number of strikes that have been occuring over the past decades. It isn't about leaving work for one day it is about leaving children out of school for weeks and months on end. They are well paid and signed up for a career which is expected to have overtime as curriculum and class planning must be done. But as I have already said and feel like a broken record, it is not about the kids it is about the money. That is what everything boils down to.

    Be happy you have a job and make more then many other proffessionals. There are many more who are not as blessed. It is nice to see that other institutions in the community are reaching out to take care of children that should be in school.
    1. Efren Rodriguez posted on 12/18/2012 02:18 PM
      @Vanessa Vallozzi It is not about the money, it's all about the right to negotiate and everyone can benefit from that, otherwise, in this Global economy, what is to prevent Employers from imposing wages similar to those workers paid in China or Bangladesh to stay competitive? Are we asking to the right to be paid less? If we give up this right, your children and mine would live to see that day when our wages are parallel to that of 3rd world companies.

      They are right when they say that this is your fight if you work in Ontario.
    show more replies
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