Teachers say little about next move

Teachers are tight-lipped on what, if any, action they’ll take next after their day-long strike Thursday. “At this point, I can’t comment publicly about where it is we’ll end up going next,” said Gwen Dueck, general secretary rift gold of the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF).
Teachers walked off the job Thursday for the first time in the province’s history, holding rallies and meetings across the province. Schools were closed and extra-curricular activities cancelled or postponed.
In Saskatoon, teachers met at Prairieland Park for a day-long session with union representatives from the STF and Saskatoon Teachers’ Association. Traffic was backed up for blocks in the morning as teachers reported to their mandatory session.
None of the more than 100 teachers asked to provide comment before and after the event in Saskatoon would speak to the media.
One teacher leaving Prairieland Park in the afternoon did say “things are changing.”
While teachers are instructed not to speak with the media, Dueck encouraged the public to talk to teachers one-on-one about the job action.
Grade 12 student Rebekah Gara is a bit concerned about the impact of the strike, but supports her teachers.
Gara, 18, attends Dalmeny High School and spent the day at a Saskatoon mall with friends. As Grade 12 students, they’re worried more job action could affect graduation.
“If they don’t get their new contracts then it might continue and it might affect us then,” she said. “I really do hope that the teachers can get more money out of this because they deserve it. They put in their hours and they’ve worked for their degrees and they deserve more.”
The Ministry of Education sets the school year at 197 days. School administrators are uncertain whether the lost day will affect the end of the school year. Calls to the ministry were referred to the government-trustee bargaining committee. Earlier this week Sandi Urban-Hall, spokesperson for the government-trustee bargaining committee, said it’s too soon to speculate whether job action would jeopardize the end of the school year.
For parents with young children home from school, the day forced some to reschedule work or find a caregiver.
Randy Luty switched his shift at work to care for his eight-year-old daughter Anika, while his wife, an educational assistant, remained at school. Father and daughter spent an afternoon cycling downtown.
Luty said he understands both sides of the story.
“I’m in rift gold a union myself so I believe people have the right to take job action if they need to,” he said.
Terry Fast took her two young nieces out for ice cream Thursday afternoon. Fast had the day off work and agreed to watch them. She supports the job action.
“I don’t know a whole lot about it, but I think they should give the teachers whatever they want,” she said. “They work hard and put in a lot of personal time and personal money. I think they do a lot more than they get credit for.”
For some, the strike was a surprise. While teachers have been without a contract since August 2010, details of the negotiations have been kept quiet. The government has offered a 5.5 per cent increase over three years, while the union is asking for 12 per cent over one year. The length of the contract is one of the items up for negotiation.
“Is 12 per cent set in stone? No, it’s not,” said Steven Allen, president of the STF, during a teacher rally at the legislature Thursday in Regina. “We don’t want to start low and have to work our way up. We’re looking at job action to get us back to the negotiating table. That’s been our message throughout all of this.
“We want real negotiations. We don’t want somebody coming in with a set agenda saying, ‘This is the maximum,’ or, ‘This is where we’re at.’ We know what teachers want; teachers have told us all the way through it. Don’t bring us an offer we’re going to reject,” he added.
The STF said it hopes the day-long strike got public attention and prompts its employer to return to the bargaining table with more resources.
“We hope that the public has become more aware of the resolve of teachers, the unity of teachers, of the importance that teachers place on being valued by their employer,” said Dueck.
Classes were scheduled to resume as normal today. The union has committed to providing 48-hours notice before further job action takes place.