The union local representing secondary school teachers for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board said it may be forced to take job action next month if an agreement isn't reached with the board.
A press release from the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA) said negotiations on a local agreement between the Sudbury Catholic District School Board and its secondary school teachers hit a wall on Friday.
The appointed Ministry of Labour conciliation officer, Diane Bull, was unable to assist the parties in coming to an agreement.
The Catholic secondary teachers requested the aid of a conciliation officer in early March after negotiations with the school board, undertaken since November, failed to produce a local agreement, the press release said.
At the conclusion of the conciliator-assisted talks last Friday, the Catholic secondary teachers requested a "No Board" report, which indicates the parties are unable to reach an agreement. If the parties do not reconvene and reach a settlement, job action may be taken as early as May 9.
Early last week, the school board reached a tentative agreement with its elementary teachers after the parties overcame major obstacles.
“We are facing many of the same bargaining positions in our negotiations as our elementary counterparts faced,” said Dan Charbonneau, president of the Sudbury Secondary Unit of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA), in a press release.
“Unfortunately, our team was given an ultimatum that it had to agree to concessions in order to get the same agreement.
“We are disappointed that the board has taken a position that has stifled further negotiation. Fifty-three out of 75 local OECTA units have been able to reach local agreements.
“It is our sincere desire to reach an agreement without job action, but it may be necessary to protect our members’ from expanded management rights and further job losses.”
A locally negotiated agreement is the second part of the teachers’ collective agreement. It accompanies the provincially negotiated 2014 – 2017 central agreement, ratified by the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA), the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association, and the Government of Ontario.
The Sudbury Secondary Unit of OECTA represents 152 members in four Catholic secondary schools and one Adult Education school in the Sudbury area.
Sudbury.com is reaching out to the school board for comment, as well as OECTA for further explanation. Check back for more on this story as it becomes available.
