The Markham Economist & Sun, ■ www.yorkregion.com ■ Saturday, July 7, 2012, 8
NIGHT IT UP! N I G HT M A R K E T
動力 夜市
100+ street food vendors is just a start! Movie screening underneath the stars, NBA 3X @ 905, and live jam to get your summer groove going!
July 13, 14 and 15
Markham Civic Centre 101 Town Centre Blvd. Markham, ON
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Unions say they’re not ignoring economic reality From page 7.
understand why the government is attacking them. While the union leaders have assured parents there will be classes in September, the high school teachers will be taking strike votes at the end of August and similar votes are planned for elementary teachers in midSeptember. In an interview yesterday afternoon, Mr. Coran said his union’s executive is meeting Monday morning and a town hall-style meeting with local presidents is set for noon to ensure everyone is clear on what the OECTA deal entails. “The ball is in the government’s court. If they are truly interested in a deal, maybe they should officially invite us back to the table,” he said. The more contentious issue, he said, is the loss of banked sick leave, something he says his members do not abuse. Asked if he thought the public was on their side in hard economic times, he said “unfortunately for the public, it’s difficult to explain a complex situation in very precise form. “They can easily be misinformed because of the fact that government has greater access to the media than we do, and their
spin is easier to state than ours.” He said his union is not ignoring economic realities; the federation proposed a four-year deal with a wage freeze in the first two years, but it was not accepted. Meanwhile, the Twitterverse and chat rooms were abuzz with angry teachers denouncing the deal. Some Catholic teachers voiced feelings of betrayal and called for a “no” vote when it comes time to ratify.
GIVING RISE TO SPECULATION Some say they viewed the deal long before it was announced — and before OECTA said, in a public statement, they were “nowhere near close” to an agreement — giving rise to speculation this deal was announced after school let out on purpose, when teachers were away. Others say they didn’t cause Ontario’s fiscal mess and resent being called upon to fix it. That sentiment has spawned a petition with about 6,000 names claiming “greedy financiers”, not teachers or other public sector workers, should bear the responsibility for the worldwide financial crisis. York Region’s Catholic teachers unit has not commented, deferring to the union’s provincial office until more details are made available.