Teachers from Kensel Park Elementary set up their picket in a shopping plaza to attract more attention.
Elementary school students in the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) have had an extra-long weekend. Monday had the board’s elementary school teachers picketing as part of a rotating strike, with the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) issuing province-wide job action on Tuesday.
The second province-wide strike comes nearly two weeks after the union and the province walked away from the bargaining table without a deal.
“It’s become evident that this government, I think, has no interest in getting a deal,” said ETFO President, Sam Hammond. “I don’t know what their end game is but it’s certainly not to negotiate on behalf of students in this province.”
Hammond joined picketers outside MPP Jeff Yurek’s constituency office in St. Thomas before appearing at Kensel Park French Immersion Elementary School’s job action later in the morning.
“It was important for me to be here today at one of the larger locals here…to be here and stand in solidarity with our members.”
Reporting from the picket lines of Kensel Park Elementary.
They set up their picket about 100 meters down the street in a business plaza.
It is the second province-wide strike for @ETFOeducators. pic.twitter.com/8ZCbQgycMG
– Greg Bowman (@gregbowman_) February 11, 2020
Teachers at Kensel Park elected to set up their picket a block down from their school in a shopping plaza on Springbank Dr. Drivers honked their horns as they passed by, the businesses in the plaza came out to show their support, and a food truck pulled up to feed the picketers.
“Everyone I have seen across the province [has given support]. The support from people on the ground, the people driving by, the local businesses – it’s been absolutely phenomenal,” Hammond said.
A Shelby’s shawarma food truck arrived near lunchtime for the picketers of Kensel Park Elementary.
Around 83,000 education workers across Ontario are on strike – all elementary school teachers. Secondary school, Catholic school and French education boards are also rotating strikes throughout the week.
A similar situation of province-wide job action occurred in the late 1990s. In 1997, teachers across the province walked off the job for two weeks out of protest of Bill 160 which was later passed despite the strike. The 1998 school year started 15 days late because of a similar province-wide walkout.
Hammond says that the current situation between teachers and the province is worse than that of the 90s.
“For the first time in decades, you have all four teacher affiliates in this province saying the same things about the chaos at the table, the cuts to education…it says a lot about what this province is trying to do and that people are not going to stand by.”
Upon the announcement of this week’s job action, the Education Minister Stephen Lecce released a statement.
“Continued escalation of job action by the teachers’ unions has gone on far too long. Students across the province are being hurt by the withdrawal of services and loss of classroom time.”
The Catholic school teachers union plans to increase job action on Wednesday. Secondary school teachers will participate in a rotating strike on Feb. 13. TVDSB teachers will not strike for the rest of the week.
