The Sudbury Catholic District School Board and the union representing its high school teachers will return to the bargaining table May 3-4 in an attempt to work out a deal.
Meanwhile, the teachers — members of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA) — say they're considering taking job action if a deal can't be worked out by May 9.
Work-to-rule is a possibility as of that date, said Dan Charbonneau, president of the OECTA secondary unit, but added the union hasn't yet decided what form the job action would take.
It could be an administrative work-to-rule with little effect on students or a full work-to-rule, including a withdrawal from extracurricular activities.
“In terms of a rotating strike or full withdrawal of service, we'd hate to go there,” Charbonneau said. “That would be a last resort. It would be a possibility if this thing would progress. But we're hopeful we can resolve it.”
The union has been meeting with Sudbury Catholic since last fall to work out a local deal. A provincial contract was signed between the government and OECTA in September.
OECTA's elementary unit reached a tentative deal with the board last week. The union's occasional teachers' unit also has a deal with Sudbury Catholic. Provincially, 53 out of 75 local OECTA units have contracts.
Negotiations between the board and its high school teachers have hit a wall, as the appointed Ministry of Labour conciliation officer, Diane Bull, was unable to assist the parties to come to an agreement.
OECTA has requested a “no board report,” meaning the parties have been unable to reach a deal, and setting the wheels in motion for job action as soon as May 9.
The chair of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board assures parents it plans to do everything it can to avoid job action.
“I would suspect parents are very concerned, as we are,” said Michael Bellmore, the board's chair. “Our goal is to reach an agreement. Right now, there is plenty of opportunities for both parties to come to an agreement.”
Charbonneau said he's also hopeful the two sides can come to an agreement before his members engage in job action.
He said one of the big sticking points is the board's attendance management system, which involves the board intervening if teachers are frequently absent due to illness, something they find intrusive.
“Essentially, the elementary panel was able to resolve that issue,” he said. “We went in with the same resolution. This is where we hit a snag. The board put concessions and wanted us to withdraw a couple of essential proposals.”
