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By Bill Tremblay, Metroland Staff
Teachers are following in their students’ footsteps to decry Bill 115, the Putting Students First Act.
On Friday (Oct. 12), hundreds of teachers, educational support workers and students, among others, gathered at Dufferin-Caledon MPP Sylvia Jones’ Broadway office in Orangeville to deliver the message that the bill is unconstitutional.
The union-led protest arrived at Jones’ office just two days after about 250 Westside Secondary Schools students walked out of class to deliver a petition to the MPP.
The bill, which became law on Sept. 11, strips teachers of their right to strike, imposes a two-year wage freeze and reduces sick day benefits. Teachers unions filed a notice of application to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice claiming the bill violates their right to collective bargaining on Thursday (Oct. 11).
“We don’t always win, we don’t always lose, but we sure as hell always play fair,” said Mary Gardner, president of District 18 of the Ontario Secondary School Teacher’s Federation (OSSTF), which represents teachers in the Upper Grand District School Board. (more)
