Back on the picket line ... again.

As many of my non-education-worker friends and family so often remind me, it seems like every four years there's a crisis in education created by whichever party is elected to power. It makes perfect sense, as my business-minded friends and family also comment, when you consider that the cost of education is on line 2 or line 3 of the Ontario budget and something has to be done about the Ontario deficit. As you are all blatantly aware, many times that does not lead to political action, but when the fiscal belt is to be tightened, both the government and the educational federations dig their heels in and THIS GUY has to walk the picket line again (three times now) with political action shaping up to be a reality. I'd like to take a second to remind everyone that education workers are also tax payers, are also scared to death about the deficit, and also have hope that a solution can be found. We're willing to be a PART of the solution.

I'm not what I would call a "Union Guy" but I do fully support the decisions that OSSTF makes and that can often lead to difficult conversations with people I hold in high esteem, like my brothers or close friends. Every time there is a development that requires a strike vote, I do the research, sprinkle in my conscience, and exercise my democratic right to vote. If the majority feel differently than me, IMHO, that is the time I shut up and follow OSSTF's lead because the one thing that all of my sports experience has taught me is that the good of the team will always trump the good of the individual. I can't enjoy the to positives of being in a federation without accepting the negatives so, when instructed, the sidewalk shuffle it is. In the end, the reason for doing this is to ensure that the Ontario education system continues to be respected internationally.

This whole collective bargaining process seems, to me, to be fraught with pitfalls as each side reports very different observations of what has transpired and where the obstacles lay. If I choose to believe solely in OSSTF (and I do because them lying to all of us would be unfathomable), the government is playing dirty pool by out and out fabricating details. Just this past week, I saw Minister Lecce's presser where he said that the unions had walked away from the table after his team had offered the same deal as CUPE, while at the same time reading a report from OSSTF that the CUPE deal had not been even mentioned and they were sitting at the table waiting for the Minister who was supposed to be there ... and not doing a press conference. I'm left wondering why the government can use my tax dollars to spread untruths with no repercussions. How is that allowed? Where is the Ombudsman, or something like that?

I was recently a part of a protest at my local MPP's office, OSSTF flag in hand, Colleagues by my side, and was warmed by the number of cars who drove by honking horns and waving. It wasn't 100% but it was certainly near 50% ... I apologize to my OSSTF brethren, but that arouses some trepidation political action will alienate those that are presently supporting us. The Ford Nation parent survey came back overwhelmingly in support of education workers and I can empathize with the frustrations of parents who feel that they are powerless and caught in the middle of two sides that don't wish to budge. I have written before that I truly feel that Ford Nation is not interested in brokering a deal because they will stand to save 100's of millions when teachers exercise their legal right to strike and, IMHO, will simply wait until the cash register dings long enough, then legislate teachers back to work. I completely admit that there is much that I do not know about the entire process of collective bargaining and have placed my faith in those I trust to tell me what I need to know. I'm left to take a "leap of faith" that the provincial OSSTF team will always make decisions with the front-line workers in mind.

As the song lyric goes, "... what it all boils down to, I haven't figured out just yet ..." but I will be right there with my fellow education workers, standing up for our province's children, exercising my democratic right to speak out about things that I truly believe are wrong-doings. I hope that you'll wave and honk your horn as you drive by, as thanks for fighting for your kids.