OPINION
editionap.ca
Pre m ier’s attack on teachers’ unions is overkill
To the editor:
e m plo y ers access to a m echanis m where- b y differences are resolved, a balance is struck and labour peace is m aintained. Workplace peace rests on justice and fairness and collec- tive bargaining is the m eans whereb y it’s achieved. In the workplace, contracts expire regularl y and workers continue to conduct their respon- sibilities until the next contract is ratified.
resorting to a strike, but all parties recog- nize that the right to strike is an i m portant right in workplaces in a de m ocrac y . When he recalled the legislature, Dal- ton McGuint y invoked the fear of a strike even though teach- ers, through their representatives at the bargaining table have said the y will be in their classroo m s the da y after Labour Da y . B y curtailing the
govern m ent is assaulting the process itself and signaling a deep disdain for workers and challenging their right to bargain col- lectivel y . Under the guise of fighting the deficit on the backs of teachers instead of working with the m to arrive at co mm on ground, Dalton McGuint y is engaging in overkill, fast-forwarding a process that has not y et run its course, and responding to a phan- to m worst-case scenario. It is the desperate action of a pre m ier who is desperate to win seats in two b y -elections that he desperatel y needs to win to achieve m ajorit y status. At the federal level, we see the abuse that a m ajorit y govern m ent can enact. Ontarians would be wise to ensure it doesn’t happen at the provincial level too.
Under the guise of fight- ing the deficit on the backs of teachers instead of work- ing with them to arrive at common ground, Dalton McGuinty is engaging in overkill, fast-forwarding a process that has not yet run its course, and responding to a phantom worst-case scenario.
Since back-to-work legislation was de- veloped in the 1950s, the federal govern- ment has tabled it only 30 times, and four of those events were engineered by the current government. Sadl y , back-to-work legislation is beco m - ing a co mm onplace tactic of the federal govern m ent as it continues to abuse the m ajorit y it gained in Ma y 2011. Now the Ontario provincial govern m ent is following suit, and is recalling the legisla- ture two weeks earl y , to introduce a piece of back-to-work legislation that is no less than a frontal attack on teacher unions and an assault on the collective bargaining process itself. Collective bargaining is not a one-off; it’s a m ulti-staged process, and one that has served societ y well, giving workers and
The labour m ove m ent is proud of its col- lective bargaining record. Over 98 per cent of the ti m e, contracts are achieved without
process, in fact b y pre-e m pting the process and going directl y to punitive legislation that would re m ove the right to strike, the
Elaine MacDonald President, Cornwall & District Labour
Liberals m anufacturing a crisis in education
To the editor:
ince’s teachers have been willing to accept a wage freeze for 2 y ears. It is unfortunate that the McGuint y gov- ern m ent has failed to negotiate in good faith with the province’s teachers and school boards. The McGuint y govern m ent’s legislation will lead to a challenge in the Supre m e Court of Canada where it could be over- turned and cost Ontarians hundreds of m il- lions of dollars in legal costs and penalties. In 2007, the Supre m e Court of Canada overturned a legislated wage freeze for 9,600 healthcare workers in British Colu m - bia stating that it violated the right to a process of collective bargaining under the
Charter of Rights and Freedo m s. It is no surprise that Ontario Conservative leader Ti m Hudak who wants to i m pose a wage freeze on all Ontario’s public servants is also supporting McGuint y ’s reckless wage sche m e. Instead of i m posing an unconstitutional wage sche m e in a desperate atte m pt to win the b y -elections, the McGuint y govern- m ent should allow the teachers and school boards to do what’s best for the students and negotiate agree m ents that work. Brian Lynch, President, SDSG Provincial NDP riding association
Statement re: McGuinty Government Legislation to impose a contract on On- tario’s teachers and school boards-Aug. 27, 2012. The McGuint y govern m ent’s legislation to i m pose a contract on Ontario’s teachers and school boards is a c y nical and reckless plo y to pick up votes in the b y -elections in Kitchener-Waterloo and Vaughan and win back m ajorit y power. The McGuint y Liberals are m anufactur- ing a crisis in education where none exists. There was never a threat to disrupt classes in Septe m ber and fro m the outset the prov-
Brian Lynch
Cool Jazz fundraiser to raise awareness of i m poverished
23 000 copies
On Sept. 28, the Agapè Centre will be swaying to the transcended notes of jazz at its fourth annual Wine, Dine and All that Jazz Festival. This signature fundraising event consists of YOU and other Agapè supporters enjo y - ing live jazz and dance. All m onies raised will support our local food bank which is a tangible resource for Cornwall fa m ilies in need. Robyn Guindon Pharmacie Ltée. Centre d’achats Cornwall Square Cornwall Square Shopping Centre 1, rue Water St. E., Cornwall ON • 613 938-6060 LIVRAISON/DELIVERY Home Medication reviews Étude sur soins à domicile Mail East Court Mall 1380, 2e rue Est, Cornwall ON 1380, Second Street East • 613 937-0956
Cornwall children reall y benefit fro m the food that is given freel y at our food bank which assists those who are going through so m e challenging ti m es. The Agapè Centre will keep providing m eals as long as there are hungr y kids in Cornwall. It recognizes that there is a need here and wants to offer as m uch support and help to those in need in our co mm u- nit y . “Our Wine, Dine and All that Jazz Festival is our signature annual benefit which funds ke y progra m s like our food bank and soup kitchen,” said Al y ssa Blais, executive director of the Agapè Centre. For m ore infor m ation on the event or tickets, please call Al y ssa Blais at the Agapè Centre at 613-361-0332. Tickets are on sale NOW for $85 at Scotiabank on Brookdale Avenue. The Agapè Centre is a not-for prof- it organization, supported b y the co mm u- nit y to ensure that no fa m il y goes hungr y , cold or without an y of the basic necessities of life.
625, ch Montréal, Cornwall, Ontario K6H 1C3 Tel.: 613 938-1433 • Fax.: 613 938-2798
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