OSSTF/FEESO Members to Withdraw Voluntary Activities by December 10

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Dec. 4, 2012) - On December 3, 2012, at a press conference in Toronto, Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) President Ken Coran announced that effective December 10, a withdrawal of voluntary and extra-curricular activities by all members will commence.

"Our teachers will begin their work day 15 minutes before classes begin, and leave immediately after their final class as required in the Education Act. Our support staff workers will report to and depart from their workplaces at the beginning and end of their regular work hours.

"Our members will continue to provide quality services and support as well as deliver curriculum to students, while ensuring their safety," continued Coran.

"It is Bill 115 that has caused chaos in our schools," said Coran. "The government could have chosen to prevent these actions from having to be taken by our members, but instead chose to remove the democratic rights of education workers and to interfere in the free collective bargaining process. Bill 115 has continued to be the obstacle preventing education workers and school boards from moving forward to solve the present impasse in negotiations," he emphasized.

"We hope that students and parents recognize that this fight is not with them, but with the Ontario Liberal Government. We encourage them to contact their local MPPs to express their concerns about Bill 115 and demand that it be repealed, so that the chaos in education is ended," Coran concluded.

OSSTF/FEESO, founded in 1919, has 60,000 members across Ontario. They include public high school teachers, occasional teachers, educational assistants, continuing education teachers and instructors, early childhood educators, psychologists, secretaries, speech-language pathologists, social workers, plant support personnel, university support staff, and many others in education.