Letter to the Editor from the Wednesday, November 22nd edition of The Hamilton Spectator:
There was nothing surprising about this work stoppage. This dispute was orchestrated and pre-ordained. As a parent with two children in the public school system and no family members connected with the teachers' union, I feel fair in saying that the provincial Conservatives under Premier Mike Harris have done everything possible to ensure that a climate of unrest and controversy permeates our public school system.
Having successfully goaded the teachers into participating in a work stoppage, the next page in the script called for the public to cry out for back-to-work legislation, at which time the province would step in and apply a small Band-Aid to the gaping wound it had inflicted.
Surprisingly, the public (perhaps in recognition of the teachers' refusal to accept proposed cuts in program and staffing) did not read its assigned lines. No matter, Stoney Creek Tory MPP Brad Clark stepped up and provided the necessary rhetorical call for back-to-work legislation. I point this out, not as news, but to show that this action is merely an extension of the premier's philosophy to cause as much disruption within our public school system (and the public sector in general) as possible. This philosophy has been consistently applied in the province's dealings with the teachers' unions, the Power Workers Union, CUPE workers, and, in fact, across the entire public sector.
Harris cut funding to education and alienated teachers in his first term and made it clear that he would continue to do so if re-elected. Anyone with kids who've been out of school for three weeks and who voted Conservative in the last provincial election, is getting what he/she asked for. If the kids of these Tory supporters go back to an understaffed school, it's because their parents voted for lower staffing levels. If programs are cut at their children's school, they should realize that their votes gave Harris the power to do it.
John Haefele, Hamilton
Letter to the Editor from the Tuesday, November 21st edition of The Hamilton Spectator:
Re: 'Board seeks strike's end' (Nov. 20). As a parent, grandparent and a non-teacher, I read with interest about the "parent outrage" over the breakdown in bargaining between the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board and its elementary teachers, and the teachers' legal withdrawal of services.
The whole process of contract bargaining has been caught up unavoidably in the political morass and deficiencies created by the heavy-handed and dysfunctional changes wrought by our provincial government.
Outrage is appropriate. Our provincial government's decision to assume responsibility for all aspects of education has resulted in substantial cuts to funding, loss of functional local control and forced a variety of changes that have created a growing crisis in our schools.
But what about parental responsibility? In our society, parents are still primarily responsible for the well-being of their children. This includes their education. It would be interesting to know just how many "outraged" parents have requested study outlines and are spending the time needed to help their children keep up with their studies. I strongly suspect that there aren't very many.
In addition, there is the recurring question of teacher compensation. If our elementary school teachers are being paid only as "babysitters" during "normal" school hours (at $5 an hour per child), each would be earning about 2½ times their current maximum. Aren't teachers more than just babysitters? I suggest the 40-per-cent-plus pay increase that has been proposed for Mike Harris and Co. is definitely overcompensation and worth of everyone's outrage.
Teachers have the right to maintain and improve their working conditions through the collective bargaining process. Their working conditions are the learning conditions of our children. I support them.
D. G. Fraser, Ancaster
Letter to the Editor from the Tuesday, November 21st edition of The Hamilton Spectator:
Letter writer David Malcolm should become better informed before criticizing 2,300 teachers for their political statements. The eyebrow-rings we all wore on the picket line sent a message to Kelly Hayes, the president of our union local, that she has our support and commitment to continue to do what's right for both children and teachers.
Hayes has been personally and unfairly vilified by the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board and a small parent faction during this dispute. We wanted to let her know that she has our support, our respect, and that we admire her integrity and her efforts to do what is right for our kids.
With the myriad of photo opportunities available, such as retired teachers and principals, supply teachers, parents, students, parent councils from various schools, walking with us, why did The Spectator choose this particular picture for publication? Why did every media outlet ignore the speeches from provincial politicians and the president of a school council last Friday? Only now do I fully grasp the effects of this media wall on our attempts to inform the public.
We understand the gravity of the situation only too well. Does anyone really think 2,300 teachers want to be out of the classroom? Our main agenda is to protect the system from further erosion, to maintain program and quality education for our students. We could accept 55-plus job cuts to gain a monetary settlement but we're not prepared to turn our backs on retired teachers who have dedicated their careers to the kids of this community, nor will we allow new teachers to be pinkslipped to finance our "raise." The monetary issue is not our top priority; our integrity will not allow us to settle our contract on the backs of students and teachers. Job cuts will affect students; the loss of library, physical education, music, learning opportunities, English as a second language, and learning-resource teachers will be felt throughout the system.
Teachers are in no way making fun of this situation or taking it lightly. It is the lockout by the board that has halted the education for 40,000 children. This dispute must be settled as quickly as possible, but it must be a "fair deal or no deal."
George Cooper, Hamilton
The following letter was written by middle school teacher Mike Helt and read to the members of the Hamilton-Wentworth Elementary Teachers' Local at their mass meeting on Monday, November 20th. Mike refers to the Board's application to the Ontario Ministry of Labour for a "final offer vote", a move intended to circumvent the teachers' executive and bargaining team.
While walking the line these past three weeks I have had the opportunity, as you have, to speak with many colleagues and discuss the issues. Recently I began to hear rumblings that our leadership is self-serving, that Kelly is simply trying to further her own career, and that she has lost touch with the mandate that we have given her. I hear people say she is an angry young woman with "issues". Well I can assure you she is angry and she does have issues. She is angry with a Board of Education that vilifies her and attacks her integrity and her leadership at every opportunity. She has issues with a board that has no respect for the collective bargaining process—a board that calls for a final offer vote 6 days after the offer was rejected by the bargaining team! She has issues with a board that continues to negotiate in the press. She has issues with a board that claims to put kids first yet has cut or reduced Guidance, Design and Technology, Family Studies, Library, Itinerant Music, Itinerant Phys. Ed., Instrumental Music, lunchroom supervision, ESL, and Special Education programs over the past 7 years. We voted Kelly into the position of Union President. As our duly elected representative, we have empowered her to make decisions for us. We told our negotiating team in a survey taken in the Spring that improved wages and improved working conditions are our number one and number two priorities. We gave Kelly and the negotiating team a 97% strike mandate to negotiate on our behalf and secure for all teachers, improved wages and improved working conditions. Every step of the way our bargaining team has worked on our behalf to get the contract that we demanded! We give Kelly standing ovations at our information meetings because we support her, because we have faith in her, because we trust her, because she is doing exactly what we have authorized her to do!
The board's tactic for a final offer vote is in part based on a belief that our bargaining committee has not communicated the issues to us. I feel they have. If you feel they have not, it is your responsibility to get informed. Discuss the issues with people who are like-minded. Discuss the issues with people who hold opposing views. Discuss the issues with people outside of the teaching profession. Get all the information you can. Ask your peers how they are voting. Ask yourself the important questions. Consider the children and your peers. Consider the quality of education and the quality of your life in the classroom. Consider the future direction of collective bargaining with this board! Try to look at the big picture as well as your personal experience. Whether you choose to accept or reject this final offer, you must make an informed choice that you are confident and proud of. Maintain your integrity and your peers will respect you.
If however, you feel that a regular paycheck is tantamount, if you vote for acceptance for self-serving, selfish reasons, it will become painfully difficult for you to hold your head up high after deceiving your peers and hiding behind a secret ballot. As my friend John succinctly puts it, "We're making history, Mike...I realize that one can't buy groceries or pay the mortgage with "historical currency" but, I will at least be able to face the mirror while shaving each morning knowing that I/we "fought the good fight"...I'm not about to adopt the "me first" or "I'm alright, Jack" approach that this forced vote wants me to accept...nope...ain't gonna' happen..." We teachers are always complaining about a lack of respect. Well we can't get respect if we don't respect ourselves. In the classroom and in our schools we have earned the respect of most of our students and their parents. On the other hand our trustees and the senior management team appear not to respect us for the work we do. They have shown contempt for us these past three weeks. They have shown contempt for the elementary panel for the past 7 years.
I know the issues, and the dominant issue has become the loss of program and the loss of teaching positions to fund a salary increase. At Dalewood, we have three wonderful new teachers—Lisa teaches Library and ESL, Jennifer teaches Special Education, and Juliana teaches French Immersion. If I were to vote yes and accept the board's final offer all three would be gone on January 1st. This is not an option. The battle now rages on two fronts—our local board and the provincial legislature. The funding of education in Ontario has again been forced into the spotlight. Whether you vote yes or no, it appears likely to me that we will be in the classrooms next week. The question is how will we go back? Will your vote allow the board to 'break' the union and make any future attempts at real, meaningful collective bargaining impossible? Or will the collective voice of 2 300 teachers be heard shouting, "we are not going to take it!" If we cave in again, as we have done every single time our collective backs are against the wall, the board, and the system as a whole, will continue to take advantage of us. They will continue to download new responsibilities such as medical procedures and lunchroom. They will continue to download new curriculum with very little support. They will continue to download new methods of evaluation and reporting, from objectives to outcomes to expectations, from tracking sheets to rubrics, from ESAP to "flatfile" to eTeacher. The board will continue to expect all of us to do more with less until the end of time! I therefore will not accept the board's final offer. I much prefer to be legislated back to work by an act of the provincial legislature. I will hang on to the hope that arbitration will lead to a forensic audit of the board's books, and find gross mismanagement and misappropriation of funds. I will hang on to the hope that arbitration will save Library, ESL, and Special Ed. programs and positions. I will not accept the board's final offer, instead I will let Merv Matier and Janet Ecker know that yes, you can legislate me back to work, and yes you may perceive that you have won the battle, but you have not won the war. You have not broken my spirit. You do not own my soul.
Mike Helt
Letter to the Editor from the Saturday, November 18th edition of The Hamilton Spectator:
RE: 'Teachers should be thankful' (Nov. 8) In the real world, people work best when they feel valued, respected and appreciated.
Teachers make a valuable contribution to our society. They are not just lecturers who walk into a room, deliver a speech and leave. They are people who care for, and care about, our children. As such, they serve an important constituency—the future members and leaders our society. They are role models for these children. They provide emotional support and continually encourage students to strive.
Teachers' jobs are emotionally demanding and can be emotionally draining. If we want teachers to care about our children and serve as role models, we must in turn care about our teachers. Teacher-bashing is not the way.
To acknowledge the contribution that teachers make to our society does not in any way diminish the contribution that others make, including this letter writer. It is good that he feels proud of the work he did. Hopefully, he feels that his work was valued and appreciated.
Ideally, all teachers should feel that they are appreciated. And they will feel valued if they are treated with respect. Many can help. The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board can help demonstrate an appreciation for its teachers on behalf of all parents and on behalf of the citizens of Hamilton-Wentworth at large. Citizens of Hamilton-Wentworth can demonstrate their appreciation for teachers by refraining from teacher-bashing. It is not constructive.
With regard to the current labour dispute between the district school board and the teachers: If the requests of the teachers are petty, as one superintendent was quoted as saying, and that means that the requests are small, then perhaps the board should make a grand gesture and grant these requests, which the teachers don't seem to feel are small.
In the meantime, I believe that it is incumbent upon all of us to help make teachers feel valued, respected and appreciated. I believe that our society as a whole will benefit because then teachers will do their best work.
The teachers who have taught my children have been wonderful. They have challenged my children, encouraged them to strive for excellence and contributed tremendously to each of their personal lifestyle choices and self-esteem. I would like all of them to know that I have appreciated all that they have done both in the classroom and out. To those teachers and to all teachers, thank you for all you do.
Hinda Levine, Hamilton
Letter to the Editor from the Friday, November 17th edition of The Hamilton Spectator:
RE: 'Province holds key to school dispute' (Nov. 13). I am writing to express my frustration with the current labour dispute between the elementary school teachers' union and the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board. Both parties claim to be at an impasse and negotiations have repeatedly broken down.
The problem appears to be the insufficient funding the board has received from the provincial government.
This is a government that cut funding to public education, then implemented a new curriculum that required the boards to purchase new learning materials and textbooks from their now limited funds.
In the classrooms, this has meant that math manipulatives required for elementary children to complete the curriculum are not available.
Science components require that students build devices with no supplies. In French immersion classes, the textbooks are written for French-language students and are inappropriate for the French language skills of other students.
Our school's principal is twinned with another local school and, in addition to her regular duties, she must spend recess caring for an autistic child whose teaching assistant was cut due to lack of funding.
During the current lockout, the father of a child with Down's syndrome has been unable to work because suitable care for his child is unavailable.
If I have a bias toward our teachers, it is based on their earned trust. We are fortunate to have dedicated, professional teachers, and I feel confident in leaving my children in their charge. Problems are detected quickly and solved efficiently. My children love their school and respect their teachers. I trust the teachers based on the respect and concern they have shown to both me and my children.
I am outraged to see our teachers locked out over a 5 per cent wage increase.
It is my strong wish that the government of Ontario show its concern for the well-being of Hamilton's 40,000 elementary school students and their families and take steps to end this dispute quickly and efficiently by giving back to our children the education dollars with which it was entrusted.
Wendy Peng, Hamilton
Letter to the Editor from the Thursday, November 16th edition of The Hamilton Spectator:
RE: 'Province must intervene to end local school strike' (Nov. 14). I applaud The Hamilton Spectator for recognizing that one of the sources of the current labour dispute between the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board and its elementary teachers is the policies of the Harris government. The editorial, however, does not accurately represent the whole truth. The editorial states that "it is disingenuous for Kelly Hayes, president of the teachers' union local to say that the board can find the money without job losses or program cuts." A little history is necessary to support Hayes's statements. During the round of collective bargaining in Spring '99, the school board cried poor. It pointed to the new funding formula and stated that it had no money to provide a substantial raise for the elementary teachers. We sympathized and accepted a .5 per cent raise.
We soon learned that the cupboard was not truly bare, as the board had claimed. Within weeks of our settling for barely a cup of coffee a day, other groups (custodians, secretaries, superintendents, and the director) were all offered much more lucrative settlements. To accept a symbolic raise, only to find out that others would receive up to 13 per cent is the source of our skepticism. We believed an untruth last time, this time we won't.
What is needed to end this difficult situation is leadership on the part of our elected trustees. Rather than pointing the finger at Janet Ecker and the provincial government, our trustees need to take a stand.
Having spoken to several, I am sure that every trustee and teacher in Hamilton could agree with the following statements: All students in Hamilton-Wentworth, regardless of their facility for learning, have a right to quality public education. Teachers deserve a fair collective agreement, which includes a reasonable wage increase and high-quality working conditions. The provincial funding formula for education is woefully inadequate to achieve quality education and fair treatment of teachers.
Given these three statements, trustees should arrive at the following conclusion: If elected to provide quality education, they must ensure that they fulfill their mandate. If this includes standing up to the provincial government through deficit financing, then so be it.
One trustee told me that she would lose her job if she advocated this. My response is that it is better to go down doing the right thing, than to weasel around doing the wrong.
We need strong educational leaders in this community who are willing to stand up to and denounce the regressive policies of Mike Harris's Tory government. Only then, will we be assured of properly funded quality public education.
Rather than infighting between teachers, trustees, the board and parents, let us join together to demand a fully funded educational system. Harris has recently stated that the province is no longer "bankrupt" and now is the time to begin reinvestment.
Let us rally around the cause of quality public education as the target for the reinvestment of our province's newfound finances.
John Bradley, Hamilton
Via e-mail to the HWETL office:
Subject: Go Get 'em
I was the Peel ETFO negotiator during the last round...we were at the 11th hour plus a few at 3 :45 am when we got a deal... Because the Board wanted it as much as we did. Yours doesn't. I'm with you. Our Steward is collecting money and educating the staff because the papers don't report you.
Yours in Federation,
Dale C. Jones
Via e-mail to the HWETL office:
Subject: Been There...Done That
Greetings!
As a member of the first group of elementary teachers to ever be locked out in Ontario, I'd like to welcome you to the club! We in have been following your battle with interest and a queer sense of deja vu. Please remember that we stuck together and held our ground, it wasn't easy but we were able to prevail. We also rediscovered our dignity in the process. I hope you are able to gain a fair deal and my thoughts and prayers are with you.
Collegially yours,
Brian Harrison,
York Region District School Board
Via e-mail to the HWETL office:
Subject: Support
I am a High School teacher with the Waterloo Board; both our Public Elementary and Secondary teachers have reached an agreement with the Board, so we are in a very lucky position. (Secondary achieved a 5% raise, one year contract, no lost benefits and an improvement in recognised experience, so it CAN be done.) I live in Flamborough (soon to be part of Hamilton, but that's another issue!) and my kids were all taught by Wentworth Board Elementary teachers and were very well educated by them. You have my deepest respect for the stand you have taken and I hope that your fight will show how much the Province OWES its teachers!
I would like to make a donation to your strike fund and have sent a cheque by mail to the address on your Internet site.
However, I did want to sent you a message of support before that will arrive; so keep up the efforts—it's our fight to win. And don't forget, most of us will still be serving our kids and the community long after Mike Harris and his government (with their 42.2% wage increase) are history—we are the long term educational plans for this Province and we must continue to stand up for what we know is right.
Gill Huffmon,
District 24, Waterloo OSSTF member
To: The Elementary School Teachers of Hamilton-Wentworth
From: Steven Turner, Parent
I am the concerned parent of two children who attend Elizabeth Bagshaw Elementary School.... Fortunately, you are in the position to have a union that has a legal strike option. The union to which I belong has no such option, and negotiations with employers can be painfully slow. It is common for us to go years without a contract, and we have no options but binding arbitration. Stay strong in your convictions, stand up for what you believe, and don't give in to public pressure! Your collective future directly reflects the future of my children.
Members of the Teachers' Local, good luck! I'm sure you look forward to returning to work as much as we look forward to having you in the classroom. But don't let these weeks be for nothing—stay true and know that the Hamilton-Wentworth community supports you.
Steve Turner,
Parent
Letter to the Editor from the Friday, November 10th edition of The Hamilton Spectator:
I'm tired of the bellyaching from parents whose children are forced to stay home because of the teacher strike/lockout at Hamilton-Wentworth elementary schools. I'm even more tired of hearing complaints from people who don't even have children in the affected schools.
Our teachers have earned our respect, tenfold. They have also earned the right to strike. Yes, it's inconvenient for me, too, but I'm making out. Many teachers also have kids in school.
I could never do a teacher's job. Sure, the holidays are good and the pay is not bad, but I don't have the patience or the creativity required.
People don't seem to realize that anyone can teach a child something, but only teachers do it with pride and love; they give 110 per cent. The day does not end for the teachers when children go home. For many, it continues long into the night, grading papers, etc.
To say our children are being punished because the board and the teachers cannot come to an agreement is a wee bit dramatic. Life is a bit different, that's all. Soon, they will be back into the swing of things.
To compensate parents for the extra day care is ludicrous; put our hard-earned tax dollars back into the schools where they're most needed.
Anne Berner, Hamilton
Letter to the Editor from the Friday, November 10th edition of The Hamilton Spectator:
RE: 'Public school board offers to lift lockout of teachers' (Nov. 9). I am a parent with two children in the Hamilton-Wentworth public elementary school system. I am also a teacher in the same system. My children and I have been locked out of school for almost two weeks.
I attended a mass meeting of teachers earlier this week and was shocked to learn that the board of education is proposing to cut staff positions in learning resources, special education, and English as a second language (ESL). These resources are already down to the bare bones.
Both of my children require the services of a learning-resource teacher (LRT); one of children is intellectually gifted and the other has learning difficulties. My children's education will suffer if they do not have access to an LRT.
I have also taught ESL in the system. This program has been cut so severely in the past four years that some schools with a high ESL population have gone from having 2.5 ESL teachers to just one itinerant teacher who is also responsible for students at several other schools.
The board has made its position clear: It cares for its students—the smart, English-speaking ones.
Shame.
Deanna MacKinnon, Hamilton
Via e-mail:
As former teachers now travelling in Australia, we are following with much interest the details of your fight back at home. We are only sorry that we cannot be on the picket lines with you. Hang tough and don't give up the struggle. It's about time teachers were compensated appropriately for the work they do and the influence they have over future generations.
Jennie Robson and Sylvia Domenico
Letter to the Editor from the Thursday, November 9th edition of The Hamilton Spectator:
Wow. A 30-per-cent raise. That's amazing. I agree that Crown attorneys play a key role in maintaining a safe environment for us. But a 30-per-cent pay increase? That's a hard pill for some to swallow. There are currently many local labour issues that need to be resolved—including strikes by elementary teachers and community health-care workers.
As a former educational assistant in the Roman Catholic separate school system, it astonishes me that a large group of professionals is forced to take action against its employer at the expense of the public—all over a minimal difference in their demands and what they are offered. Most of these situations are a matter of pennies compared to the 30 per cent raise an arbitrator has recommended for Crown attorneys.
I agree that the Crowns earn their money and we should have the best to represent society. But I also think we should have the best teachers in our classrooms. If we cannot guarantee the best teachers in our schools today, then the Crown attorneys of tomorrow will be busier than they are now.
Rocco Rosa, Hamilton
Wednesday, November 8, 2000
To: The Teachers of ETFO Hamilton-Wentworth Local
From: Nancy McCracken, President, ETFO Thames Valley Local
Subject: Solidarity
The 3000 teachers of the Thames Valley Local convey their support and encouragement to the executive, negotiating team and teachers on the picket line in Hamilton-Wentworth. You are the first teachers in Ontario to be pushed over the line into a job action, and teachers all around the province are watching your situation anxiously. Be strong! Thames Valley Local has approved a $1000 donation to your Local to assist members who may be in financial need.
Nancy McCracken
President,
ETFO Thames Valley Local
Wednesday, November 8, 2000
To: Hamilton-Wentworth Local of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario
From: Betty Holseth, President, Peel Elementary Occasional Teachers' Local
The Peel Elementary Occasional Teachers' Local is extending best wishes for an expedient settlement to the negotiation process in Hamilton-Wentworth. We support you all the way in your endeavours to remove strips from the table and to enhance your agreement with the goals your team has presented.
I had the privilege to walk with your members twice during the first week of the strike/lockout and have seen the support of your members for the Local takeover team. The spirit is electric....
Best wishes,
Betty Holseth,
President,
Peel Elementary Occasional Teachers' Local
Letter to the Editor from the Monday, November 6th edition of The Hamilton Spectator:
There are a couple of things people should take into mind before they lash out at the teachers for their strike action. Teachers have been, for the most part, lying back and taking a beating without much more than a casual whisper of objection ... until now. I'm not a teacher but I feel they are in one of the toughest spots when it comes to job action for a number of reasons. First, they generally love their jobs and the kids they work with. They know that, when they work to rule or strike, it leaves a lasting impression on the children. That's why they've taken so much abuse, for so long without job action. More abuse, I dare say, than the average autoworker puts up with before he/she walks.
Teachers know the role they play in society. They know that, without them, our children go uneducated, and far too often, unsupervised. They know that each and every word they say has the potential of lasting a lifetime in some child's memory.
For some reason, however, when the teachers finally reach their breaking point, many of us forget how vital they are, not only to our children's present but to their future as well.
Aye, there's the rub.
Why is it that, with the future of our children at stake, both the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board and the Mike Harris government persistently push our teachers? My belief is they push the teachers because they can. They also know that teachers love their jobs and want, above all else, to be in the classroom doing what they do best.
Well, I'm sorry folks. Even teachers have their breaking point.
The bottom line here is this: Much the same as "a happy employee is a good employee," a happy teacher is a good teacher. Personally, I'd prefer that the teachers responsible for educating the future generation be good ones.
Put some thought into that: Do you want someone who plays an incredibly large role in your child's education, and thus his/her future, to be overworked and underpaid, and generally mistreated? Or would you rather send your kids off to school each day knowing that the teachers they come in contact with are intent on making sure your child gets the best the teacher has to offer?
Fair deal? I think that's the least teachers should accept. Shame on the board of education and on the Harris government for ever letting the state of affairs in regards to teachers get this bad to begin with.
Gregory T. Loker, Brantford
Letter to the Editor from the Monday, November 6th edition of The Hamilton Spectator:
I enjoy reading Andrew Dreschel's column in The Spectator. He often tackles interesting and controversial topics with intelligence and wit. I'm a Grade 6, 7 and 8 social studies teacher in Hamilton's east end. And, most days, I do feel incredibly rich. It's a career I love, one where I'm allowed to interact daily with young questioning minds about the kinds of issues most people find fascinating.
What Dreschel says in this column is right; teachers do have a large amount of holiday time. I only wish all workers had comparable holidays. I think everyone would be a little happier and a little less bitter if they had ample time with family and friends.
But I'm disappointed in Dreschel's underlying assumption that teachers do not deserve any better treatment at the hands of Joe Public. Many members of the public believe we should "put up or shut up" and Dreschel seems to share that view: How dare we ask to be treated with respect by our employers or the public when we have such a "great gig?"
I don't know how many weeks of holidays Dreschel gets or if he enjoys a healthy salary. So, forgive me, but he sounds envious.
I urge him to think about entering the profession of teaching. It takes only a year to earn a bachelor of education degree, and anyone with such a fine mind would make an excellent teacher. In addition, there is already a teacher shortage. Once he has his first teaching job, I hope he loves it as much as I do mine, in spite of the constant sniping and criticism he may have to endure from friends, neighbours and even family. Maybe I'd even see him on the picket line during an Indian summer or an ice storm.
Sue Dunlop, Hamilton
Letter to the Editor from the Monday, November 6th edition of The Hamilton Spectator:
I agree with letter writer Mirka Orde that our children's classrooms require happy and well-paid educators because these people are with our children a large portion of the day. There are many parents barking about the teachers' contract demands. How much time do those parents spend in their child's school?
As a very active parent in my children's school, I see teachers working at their desks even during their lunch hour. They supervise lunchrooms (which contain too many children with parents at home not working) and outdoor recesses. I see the love many teachers have for their work and the children they teach. As a parent, I am grateful for their dedication.
For the sake of our children, I hope this strikes ends soon. But I would like to see the teachers come out of it happy to be back in their classrooms.
For all those grumbling about this strike, what if it were their job and their workplace? They would be asking for the same, if not more.
Alisha Hewitt, Hamilton
Letter to the Editor from the Monday, November 6th edition of The Hamilton Spectator:
All the more power to letter writer Lynne Smith. As a father, I don't want teachers being forced to give my child medical treatment. As for money, it's my tax dollars paying the teachers' contract. We should all contact the board trustees and our MPPs and tell them to settle this dispute.
As for letter writer Steven Hill who says there's no public sympathy for teachers, I'd like to know what he does for a living and how much he makes.
I am a steelworker and gross about $30,000 a year. And I say, give the teachers a raise. For the work they do, they are underpaid as it is. Increases of only 10.5 per cent over the last eight years? You do the math.
Glenn Watters, Hamilton
Letter to the Editor from the Monday, November 6th edition of The Hamilton Spectator:
As a teacher, I can assure Spectator readers that listing the salaries of the highest-paid teachers does not accurately reflect how much most earn.
I'm sure there are many within the profession who are paid $54,000 per year. I'm not one of them and neither is anyone on my picket team. I am a new teacher in the lowest pay category--about $31,000 per year. A 6 per cent raise would bring us to only $32,860. Many of my colleagues are in this category. And with the increasing number of retirements each year, many more new teachers will join us, thus cutting total salaries dramatically. A salary of $54,000 is not even on the horizon for me.
All new teachers are required to have two university degrees. For example, I have a BA in sociology and a BSc in education. Compared to many other professions requiring the same level of education, salaries in the teaching profession are quite low. Engineers require only one degree. Anyone choosing engineering over teaching would be earning a lot more by the end of his/her career than a teacher.
Those who choose education as a profession do so because they enjoy teaching children and are competent professionals. Give them a break.
Craig Walters, Hamilton
Wednesday, November 1, 2000
To: Kelly Hayes, President, Hamilton-Wentworth Elementary Teachers' Local
From: Dave Wildman, President, Ottawa Carleton Elementary Teachers' Federation
This is to assure you that your team and all of your colleagues have the full support of the 3000+ members of the Ottawa Carleton Elementary Teachers' Federation as you struggle for a fair and just Collective Agreement.
We are fully aware that your struggle is our struggle as well. We wish you well and hope that the board will soon come to its senses and negotiate a fair and just Collective Agreement for your members.
Yours in solidarity,
Dave Wildman,
President, Ottawa Carleton, Local 25
Excerpts from a Letter to the Editor appearing in the Wednesday, November 1st edition of The Hamilton Spectator:
RE: 'Teachers are on strike' (Oct. 30).
I'm very annoyed that my two little girls aren't going to Greensville School due to the teachers' strike.
Our teachers are on the front line in education. Every day, they deliver programs and shape my children's experience. These professionals who affect seven hours of my children's day must not be exhausted and demoralized. That is simply stupid.
I recognize that the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board faces funding restrictions, as our $200 tax rebate from Mike Harris is proving to be extraordinarily expensive. But I also suspect that we are victims of some poor budgeting on the board's part. If there is only enough money for X, there is no point trying to support Y with equal enthusiasm.
Let's just do X properly. X is the heart of education—the classroom. It is the magic that occurs when certain crucial components are in place—reasonable, age appropriate, class sizes; adequate support for special-needs students, including educational aides; appropriate textbooks and tools to support the curriculum; a properly-paid, motivated teacher with reasonable preparation time.
Y is everything else in the education bureaucracy—all the middle-level managers, consultants and paper pushers—everyone and everything outside the class. As a parent, this is where I insist the board economize.
After eight years, do we really have only 2.25 per cent to offer the most essential people in the educational process? Would it not be refreshing if our administrators accepted only the same percentage increase that they can afford to give our teachers?
...With limited funds, we need to set smart priorities. Radical as it may sound, I want the professional educators to focus on teaching. My children's classroom experience requires a properly paid, properly supported professional. It is the board's responsibility to make that happen.
Mirka Orde, Dundas
Tuesday, October 31, 2000
To: Kelly Hayes, President, Hamilton-Wentworth Elementary Teachers' Local
From: John Byers, Ana Misiti, Lynn Hicks and Susan Coleman, Presidents, Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, District 21—Hamilton-Wentworth
Dear Kelly,
Please express to your membership our full and heart-felt support in your continuing struggle for a fair and just Collective Agreement.
Your picket lines across Hamilton-Wentworth are a symbol for all educational workers that our collective fight against the attacks on public education continues at the local level as well as the provincial level.
We will be contacting our members about making contributions to your cause.
We wish you the greatest success in your fight.
Yours in Federation,
John Byers, Ana Misiti, Lynn Hicks, Susan Coleman
Tuesday, October 31, 2000
To: Kelly Hayes, the Executive and the Teachers of the Hamilton-Wentworth Elementary Teachers' Local
From: Chris Lofts, Vice President, Lakehead Elementary Teachers of Ontario, Thunder Bay
The Lakehead extends their full support for your strong actions. It takes strength, unity and the knowledge of knowing that your cause is just to stand up for your beliefs. We are with you in spirit.
In solidarity and union,
Chris Lofts
Lakehead
Tuesday, October 31, 2000
To: Kelly Hayes, President, Hamilton-Wentworth Elementary Teachers' Local
From: Harry Mulvale, President, Hamilton Secondary Unit, Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association
Dear Kelly:
At its General Meeting last evening the Hamilton Secondary Unit, Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA), approved the following motion:
That the Hamilton Secondary Unit donate $500 to the Hamilton-Wentworth Elementary Teachers' Federation local.
Having experienced a two week lock-out by the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic School Board during our labour dispute in September 1998, the Catholic secondary teachers of Hamilton have a real appreciation of the struggle in which your members are now engaged. Our members are solidly behind you. We admire your courage and determination in pursuing a just and fair contract with the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board.
Best wishes and good fortune in your struggle.
Sincerely,
Harry Mulvale
President,
Hamilton Secondary Unit, Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association
Monday, October 30, 2000
To: Members of the Hamilton ETFO Unit, c/o Kelly Hayes, President
From: Jim Smith, President, Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association
Dear Kelly:
These are very difficult and trying days for all teachers in Ontario. Despite the fact that we now live in the very best of economic times, the Harris government unrelentingly pushes forward with its open war on the publicly funded education systems of the province. Cuts continue, attacks on teachers and the profession are unrelenting; and increases to teacher workload are merged with a withdrawal of programs and services as legislatively necessitated by the funding model. Lost in all of this is any thought for the well being of the system and the students for whom it was put in place to serve.
The members of the Hamilton ETFO have taken a very courageous stand against the injustices of the present moment. As an Affiliate that has had many of its members on the picket lines in recent years, we want to assure you that we applaud your efforts. What you are doing as a matter of principle and personal commitment is well worth the fight. In standing for your rights, you are standing tall for every teacher in this province.
Sincerely,
Jim Smith
President,
Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association
Monday, October 30, 2000
To: Kelly Hayes, President, Hamilton-Wentworth Elementary Teachers' Local
From: Sharon Aloian, President, Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario—Niagara
Teachers of Hamilton-Wentworth:
All the teachers of ETFO—Niagara stand beside you today. We recognize your position as a strong commitment to every teacher's right to a fairly negotiated collective agreement both in Hamilton-Wentworth and throughout the province.
We offer you our moral support as well as pledge a financial contribution of $500.00.
P.S. We are getting our picket stakes out of the closet and will walk with you tomorrow and later this week.
President Sharon Aloian & the teachers of Niagara
Monday, October 30, 2000
To: Kelly Hayes, President, Hamilton-Wentworth Elementary Teachers' Local
From: Peter Mamer, President, Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, Hamilton-Wentworth Unit
Dear Kelly:
Please know that you have the support of our Unit in your ongoing dispute with the School Board. I hope that the enclosed cheque for five hundred ($500) dollars will be of some help.
If you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to call.
Sincerely,
Peter Mamer
President,
Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, Hamilton-Wentworth Unit
Monday, October 30, 2000
To: Kelly Hayes, President, Hamilton-Wentworth Elementary Teachers' Local
From: Roger Regimbal, President, Ontario Teachers' Federation
Dear Kelly,
On behalf of all your teacher colleagues in the Ontario Teachers' Federation, I would like to ask you to extend to all of the members of your local, our expression of solidarity.
Teachers across Ontario know and appreciate how difficult it is to make the decision to withdraw services. It is always taken only as a final option when no other choice is left open.
It is clear from the breakdown in talks on Sunday October 29, 2000 that the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board has provoked this job action. The plan that you and your teacher colleagues had made concerning rotating job actions was definitely a measured strategy. The decision by the Board to lock out teachers who were willing to continue teaching their students on a rotating basis is a further indication of the contempt the Board has for its teachers.
The elementary teachers of Hamilton-Wentworth have demonstrated their flexibility in these negotiations, but the demands of the Board extend beyond reason. Your teachers are right in refusing to engage in regressive, negative bargaining.
Please tell your teacher colleagues they can count on the support of the more than 125,000 other teachers who are the Ontario Teachers' Federation.
Yours in solidarity,
Roger Regimbal
President,
Ontario Teachers' Federation
Monday, October 30, 2000
To: Teachers of Hamilton-Wentworth
From: Marilies Rettig, President, Canadian Teachers' Federation
Subject: Show of Strength
The teachers of Canada stand in solidarity with you as you attempt to secure a fair and just settlement.
It is not easy for teachers to fight to secure working conditions and compensation to which they are entitled. However, the struggle is a most important one. Please be assured that you are not alone, that the 240,000 teachers of Canada support your action.
Ultimately, the success of your cause will be dependent upon the resolve of each and every teacher to stand firm and united. This strength of unity will give credence to your bargaining team and show the government that you deserve nothing less than what is right and what is fair.
In solidarity,
Marilies Rettig
Disclaimer: Much of the information on this site was provided by the Hamilton-Wentworth Elementary Teachers' Local (HWETL) during the labour dispute. It is made available here for reference purposes, and updates are now being made only occasionally. This is not an official HWETL site and HWETL assumes no responsibility for its content. Any questions, suggestions or comments about the site should be directed to Steven Nagy nagy@hwcn.org.
The official Hamilton-Wentworth Elementary Teachers' Local website is at http://home.interlynx.net/~hwetl/.
E-mail the Hamilton-Wentworth Elementary Teachers' Local, hwetl@interlynx.net.
This page last updated 27 December 2000 at 00:03 by SN.
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