FORT FRANCES—Local occasional secondary teachers ratified a tentative agreement with the Rainy River District School Board last week.
“We definitely voted to ratify,” said Andrew Hallikas, chief negotiator for the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation District 5B Occasional Teachers’ Bargaining Unit.
“It was a very high percent. The membership was quite pleased with the deal,” he added.
It’s now up to the public board to ratify the agreement. A vote is expected at its next regular monthly meeting slated for June 13.
Until then, no details of the agreement are being released.
The teachers voted on the tentative deal in Fort Frances on May 10, in Atikokan on May 11, and in Rainy River on May 12.
They had been fighting to have their rate of pay tied to the salary grid for regular teachers.
The board, on the other hand, said it wanted to retain the right to negotiate an entire contract rather than having certain portions signed off to other unions.
The local secondary occasional teachers, of which there are 40-50, went on strike April 18—a rare instance of occasional teachers striking in Ontario.
Local secondary occasional teachers have been working without a contract since August, 2004, and have been in a legal strike position since December.
(Fort Frances Times)
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
