Despite the very strategic move of only one-day-a-week strikes by teaching unions during this period of Ontario labour strife, experts suspect it can only last so long.
Premier Doug Ford last week didn't rule out back-to-work legislation as he addressed the ongoing battles with the various unions.
"That's a last step, but what we really want to do, we want to get a deal," he said. "We don't want any disruptions in people's lives."
But disruptions - albeit limited ones - have been going on for weeks.
The OSSTF - which represents high school teachers - has been conducting the one-day strikes since late 2019 and ETFO - which represents elementary teachers - held its first today.
"The unions have a very unique strategy," says Greg Flynn, associate professor of political science at McMaster University. "Not only is it impacting parents less by only doing it once, but also doing it around the province on a daily basis, as opposed to everybody all at once."
Governments tabling back-to-work legislation have to prove a certain legal threshold in court that the action is absolutely necessary, and that its positive effects outweight the negative effects of breaching bargaining rights under the Charter.
Flynn says because they're just one-day strikes, the task is more challenging.
"It makes the government's ability to just find evidence, proof that it's having this detrimental impact more difficult," he said.
Political consultant Deb Hutton knows the impact of teachers strikes first-hand, as an adviser to premier Mike Harris in the late 90s during his infamous battles with educators and the long strike that ensued.
"It is difficult for the government to have the public sentiment on their side if they were to be considering back-to-work legislation at this stage," she said.
But both Flynn and Hutton say the strategy likely has a certain shelf-life, even if it a full-blown strike never occurs.
"The government would have a pretty strong argument that there's a cumulative impact," he said. "There may be enough evidence to demonstrate that it's problematic."
The OSSTF strikes have not resulted in any subsequent compromises, which could lead to further escalation.
"Which will then certainly meet that burden," Flynn said.
Hutton said while there's risks to tabling the legislation, the experience in the 90s showed what a longstanding strike can do.
"It took many, many years for the civil service and politicians I think, to heal the rift that was caused as a result of that," she said.
She added the legislation is seen as very heavy-handed and the government should only introduce it when it's sure the public would be on its side.
While it wouldn't make sense to try that now, time is likely ticking.
"There's a tipping point I think for the unions, how many of these weeks they can actually do before public sentiment starts to turn against them?" she said.
She also says the sentiment can sway depending on the issues pertaining to a specific union, for example parents may be more sympathetic to the OSSTF's concerns over class sizes and e-learning and less so of the ETFO debate if it's only focused around compensation.
"I don't care who the government is, who the premier is, they don't take that step lightly," she said.