High school teachers in the Rainy River district were holding picket signs for a third time in two months yesterday as the rotating strikes by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation continue.
Local union president Kent Kowalski says teachers would rather have been in class with a new contract.
“We do not look forward to doing this. We do not want to be here. Nobody wants this to be happening but the fact that it is happening should send a message that what’s at stake and how valuable it is,” says Kowalski.
Kowalski says the job action is necessary in their push back against cuts to education and the government’s desire to increase class size and implement mandatory e-learning.
Kowalski feels it has been effective.
“It’s a process more than an event. This is constantly in the news across the province on a regular basis day after day and the provincial government has to answer for it.”
Teachers are back in class today but will continue job action at schools that includes stepping away from certain administrative duties.
