My TSU Election Picks!

Here are my election picks. First there's a list for quick perusal. Afterwards I'll explain why I chose each candidate. I won't engage in negativity by putting anyone down. I have provided you with positive info on everybody in my election postings. Now I'll provide my views on different issues which either made or discouraged my election choices, but I will not name names. I look forward to working with whomever you vote for on May 23. These then would be my first choices for your executive team.

President:
Rene Jansen

1st VP: 
Dave Szollosy

2nd VP:
Gillian Vivona

Recording Secretary: 
Ewa Lipinski

Councillors: 
Bianka Hudak
Steve Watson,
Michael Nicolaidis

President Jansen: Rene came to office with a plan for modernizing our unit so it works more fairly and effectively. His focus is on policy and process. This has helped TSU make the best of our relations with each other and with the school board. He sees the big picture and has been very active and involved as top dog at TSU. Continuity is important as we enter "dangerous times". TSU executive needs him for one last term to continue the many important  initiatives we've been developing with his leadership skills.

1st VP Sollosy: Dave has the most extensive background in labour and politics, not just at TSU but at the municipal, federal and international level too. He's firm in his stands and beliefs, especially on social justice. He's also ready to consider other points of view. Think of a steel fist in a velvet glove, that`s Dave. He is never closed minded. He fights hard to negotiate a fair and equitable "win-win situation" for everybody through teamwork.

2nd VP Vivona: Gillian is the hardest worker I know. She's also the Queen of LLSAC and SSSAC. Heck, she`s practically written the book. Her knowledge and understanding of staffing issues is far superior to even the school board. She`s narrowed them down to a fine process by adhering to policy and our contract. She also mentors younger teachers. They look up to her and will hopefully also pursue the union path.

Recording Secretary Lipinski: After much deliberation I chose Ewa because of her knowledge, involvement and commitment. This is not really a starting position. All her hard work over the years at TSU  has certainly earned her this sometimes difficult and very tiring job. As a courtesy you can read Mark Stelmacovich's letter in the next blog about why he thinks our members should vote for Melissa Ammendolia.

Councillor Hudec: Bianka works well as a team member. She's worked hard lobbying our connections at the Ministry of Education. We need her to help open doors for us, especially during the current PDT dilemma.

Councillor Watson: Steve is a long standing, experienced and active TSU member. Councillor is a good choice as he re-acquaints himself with executive operations, and sees closely how we now work. He is also a good advocate for our members.

Michael Nicolaidis: I gamble on the new guy. He's worked real hard on his election campaign. That suggests he'll take the councillor position very seriously. Let's see him apply his resume for the good of the unit as he learns the ropes.

I highly recommend you vote for these candidates on May 23.

Now for some notes on various issues that have frequently come up during the campaign. A candidate's approach or position often encouraged or discouraged me in choosing my picks

Collective Bargaining [CB]: Truth is TSU will have to work with what we get at the provincial dialogue table [PDT] in negotiating our next contract with the board. The PDT situation doesn't look good. We may  be fighting just to hang onto the gains we've all ready made. During tight times we can sometimes get good concessions on working conditions and so on in lieu of what isn`t otherwise available at the table. I'd put 50/50 odds on TSU becoming involved in some form of labour action within the next year, if our members so choose. I don`t think it`s realistic or wise to raise contract expectations right now. We likely face a rough road ahead, no matter how brilliant or skilled in CB anyone is. More frank talk is in order as we brace for the dangerous times ahead. Nobody can realistically promise you everything will work out well if you vote for them, so be careful!

Grievances:  They are frustrating. I'm currently involved in my own grievance at school. Know that it's a process with many outside time lines and roadblocks. The grievance has to go through many parties and steps. OECTA Provincial is currently handling a flood of  grievances. It can be hard going with the school boards. Capacity depends upon staffing and resources both at TSU and provincial. Nonetheless, TSU currently meets, even slightly exceeds the settlement rate of other comparable teacher units. We also often find a solution at the local level without having to pursue the more formal, time consuming and legalistic grievance method. It isn't a question of just working harder or being more aggressive. If anybody promises you they can do a lot better then they probably don`t understand the process or are just talking election talk.

Member Involvement and Good Service: The last crisis during the Harris years galvanized teacher participation in our union. During a crisis members will naturally rally. This time will be no different as we face impending salary and grid freezes, a reduction in sick days and gratuities, and any tampering or cuts from our pension. Teachers have gone through a long period of complacency. Out of mind is out of sight. Most members are busy enough at school and will think everything is okay until they come under attack. Such is the state of our union involvement. It happened before and it will happen again if we are to survive.

During the lull, TSU has been very busy reorganizing and modernizing our union operations. We have a very active committee base. Many more members apply than there are spaces. TSU has very become very proactive instead of reactive in dealing with problems. Members are becoming more educated in understanding our contract and how it works. Also that it applies to both the school board and us. We need good process and policy to get the most out of our contract talks rather than suffer needlessly. TSU has negotiated and achieved many very important precedents with our board. Many empowered, effective and committed unionists are developing among our membership ranks at school and on the executive.

In short, for the past two terms TSU executive has been focusing upon developing our capacity and infrastructure to serve you better through both good times and bad. Member involvement might seem low. You are very busy teaching at school. You elect an executive to take care of your union affairs.We are here to serve you. Unfortunately TSU is understaffed and under tight funding for an active unit our size Our capacity to help is thus sometimes compromised. There are limits on what TSU can practically do for our members with so few resources. Hence the emphasis on educating the staff reps and you about our contract and procedures so that you can also help yourselves when trouble strikes.

There isn`t any easy formula for increasing member involvement or getting more work done with the resources we have. Very hard decisions and compromises sometimes have to be made with the services we can realistically provide, often on quite short notice, but in the long term TSU is ready for whatever the future may bring. It`s not realistic for a candidate to claim they can somehow just magically fix the problems quickly and better than anyone else because of their own personal ability and skills. Either they don't understand team work and how our teacher union actually functions, or they are just talking election talk.

Democracy: TSU is a very democratic organization with an elected executive, a charter, by laws and general meetings. All our meetings, be they for the general membership, committee work, or executive are governed by Robert's Rules of Order. I've noticed far less procedural wrangling and polemics at all our TSU meetings this year. If anyone feels they aren't being treated fairly you can call personal privilege or challenge the chair, to have your concerns addressed right away. Since we are all only human, real or perceived mistakes can sometimes happen. That's the exception rather than the rule when good policy and procedures are in place. TSU has developed these for you. Also an open door opportunity to have your concerns personally addressed should you still believe our system has somehow failed you. A candidate who says TSU is undemocratic, is either unable or unwilling to learn the rules of order and good procedure, or how to reasonably seek help. Possibly they are once again just talking election talk, so beware.

Vote on May 23 between 8-6pm. Please get out your cellphones or use a land line at home, school or wherever you are. Telephones are easy to find. The new telephone voting system shouldn't  be any more difficult than SEMs. See the letter you were sent at home for your registration number. Check the top left corner for the SAP employee number on your recent pay stub. Then dial away at your convenience.

I hope my election coverage is of some help regardless of how you decide to vote. We all speak for teachers because we are teachers, but if you don`t vote, well then please don`t complain. You have forfeited your right to democratically choose your executive by your own inaction. TSU is only what you make of it through participating as need be regardless of all the busy work at school and in our own lives. Please vote!

I will review some of the important motions passed at TSU UAGM 2012 when the election is over. I will also post the election results and my commentary here asap, so please stay tuned to my blogspot, and share the link with our teachers.

More very recent election info below...................

Election 2012 Vision Statements

My experience on executive is that the best officers have a sense of vision. They can see the "forest for the trees", so they aren't merely caught up in the issues or events of the day. They seek the "big picture" of where TSU is headed, of where we should go. This will govern their decisions and actions. It's for the greater purpose and benefit of all. It is a very important aspect of real leadership. It goes beyond the everyday and mundane. It rises above acrimony and infighting. It is based upon the goal of providing the best service possible for all our members.

During the TSU UAGM election debate I asked all the candidates, as promised, the following question:

What is your vision for TSU? Where do you see TSU 5 years from now? How would you get us there?

Here is a summarized version of their answers. The answers are organized by executive position and in alphabetical order, to avoid any perception of bias. They are based upon my understanding of what they said,
when they said it. So be it

President:

Ian Hedley: TSU will be a stronger because of increased skill and focus on CB [Collective Bargaining] in our contract talks.

Rene Jansen: TSU will have a greater capacity for meeting your needs through increased teamship, member involvement and skills development.

1st VP:

Frank Bruno: TSU's success at settling grievances will have the school board "shaking in it's boots"

David Szollosy: TSU will be stronger through putting CB gains into practice and engaging our new teachers in the ownership of our unit.

2nd VP

Ottavio Ariganello: TSU will be bigger and better with more committees and member involvement.

Gillian Vivona: TSU members share more pride and efficacy in our union collectively with increased assistance in learning how to use our tools and skills.

Recording Secretary:

Melissa Ammendolia: TSU will have grown as a community. Everybody, including our new members, will have learnt they can openly express their opinions and be heard.

Ewa Lipinski: TSU will be involved in "less talk and more action". More members will also be involved in our Unit AGMs

Counsellors

Bianka Hudec: TSU member awareness and engagement will have lead our members to take more pride in our union.

Luigi Martelli:  TSU executive will be more democratic. We will "play by the rules with a level playing field".

Peter McKay: TSU will have engaged more member involvement in the office and with the executive.

Michael Nicolaidis:  TSU will be empowering and supporting our members with more resources so we can better help ourselves.

Steve Watson: TSU will be more like an extended family. Different opinions will be respected in the pursuit of mutual agreements.

TSU UAGM 2012

As we all should know the TSU UAGM (Unit Annual General Meeting) is tomorrow (May 16) at the OFL labour hall, 16 Gervais Dr. in Toronto's east end. It starts at 4pm. It is very important for many reasons. First, you vote on the members' resolutions to provide direction for our unit. Secondly, you get a chance to hear the TSU election candidates' speeches. You can ask them questions so you can better decide how to vote.

A few notes:

Resolutions: Here are a few biggies. Resolution 8 would extend all executive terms in office to 2 years. I support this motion because I believe 2 years is a more reasonable time period to forward an elected executive officers mandate. Also I believe it would create a more stable political environment at TSU. We wouldn't always be in a permanent state of election readiness. Of course the change wouldn't apply until next year.

Resolution 23 would require committee members be selected by early July each year. Resolution 24 would require a successful applicant to sign and return a form accepting their appointment to the committee. These are both very important for making our committees more efficient. You will know in advance what committees you are on so you can commence your committee work immediately in September. That would be well before the budget proposals are due. Secondly, when somebody changes their mind the next person on the waiting list can be more immediately offered the opening.

Special Education Committee Resolution: I forwarded this resolution through executive and plan to seek your support. For the past 2 years we have had an Ad Hoc Sped Committee. It should become a formal standing committee. Special education is a huge area of concern. We have been meeting with the superintendents, the department heads and our members to very good effect with our member issue and trends survey. It's time to make this committee permanent in acknowledgement of it's importance for our Special Education teachers.

These are only a few of the resolutions in the handbook that's been sent to each school. Please look it over for much more information. Let me now highlight a few important considerations for the election candidate speeches, Q and A, and meets and greets.

I believe there are 3 important areas you should focus on:

1) Service: Most candidates present a hefty resume. Why are the skills they emphasize so important  in providing service to our members? What have they actually done in their areas of expertise, committee work and so on? What was the process they followed or would recommend? What outcomes did they actually accomplish, or still wish to do? Why is that especially important for our members?

2) Issues: What member issues do they consider most important and deserving of their immediate attention? Why? What specifically do they want to do? How can it actually be achieved?

3) Vision: TSU is a constantly developing and growing teachers' union. We face many challenges in the years ahead. Can the candidate reasonably "see the forest for the trees"? How does everything they want to do fit into the "big picture" for our unit! What do they think the biggest challenges will be? Where do they want to see us headed and how do we get there? What can they realistically do in the next year to that end? Where do they see us 5 years from now? Why is their vision in the best interest of all our members?

Please come to our annual general meeting, ask questions, vote, and have your say! TSU is a very democratic organization. It's very unfortunate when members don't exercise their right to determine our leadership, and the directions in which our teachers' union will go. It's of course easy to get frustrated or complain, but it only takes a little of your time to come out, get involved, and make a difference. See you at TSU UAGM this Wednesday after school!

Telephone Voting Approved!

Yes, it's true! At the last staff rep meeting it was announced that the TSU executive approved telephone voting for this spring's election. It can help avoid your issues and concerns from last year. If you are an itinerant or out of school on a class trip, at a meeting or coaching a sporting event, you can still vote. We don't need ballot boxes, short fixed voting times or scrutineers anymore. The voting can be done all day using a school or private phone and the results tabulated within minutes.

Second Vice President Frank Bruno and I put forward an important friendly amendment to further protect the security and integrity of the telephone voting procedures, before we both could support it. Your voter registration number will be mailed to your home rather than handed out at school or otherwise through the TSU office. In addition a second number, for example the last 4 digits of your phone number, will be used as a safeguard against proxy voting. You can vote, as a TSU or TOTL member, but you must do it yourself, which is only fair. Nobody should be going around school collecting numbers and voting for you or the others who don't vote anyway! 

The by-law approved at last spring's UAGM also allows for computer voting. That option can be considered more carefully and in more depth for next year. A paper ballot can be cast in an emergency situation at the TSU office on election day, details still forthcoming. You can hear the candidates' speeches and have a Q+A  at the UAGM.  The executive scheduled May 16 for the UAGM with the Elections to follow on May 24.

No voting system is ever perfect. It takes time to set them up right. It's great that TSU is moving forward using the new communication and info technology available today. If you check my Blog Archives from May - June 2011 you will note that there were many views expressed, especially by our members, about the pro's and con's of in school balloting last year. Paper ballots with manual counts posed many difficulties that our new telephone voting system can address. Ask your staff rep for more details about the announcement and discussion on telephone voting at their last meeting if need be.

You can see my May - June Blog Archives for more of my thoughts on  technological advance, and the issues that arose with paper balloting during our last TSU election. Scroll down the page to the bottom of this blog column. Truly our TSU executive has worked together very well in your interest. Telephone voting will move TSU one step further to improve our unit's voting procedures for you!

Our Social Media Protocols + Confidentiality Agreement

Here's what's new regarding the public discussions on our new TSU Confidentiality Agreement and Social Media Protocols at our Wednesday December 8th executive meeting. A revised Confidentiality Agreement has been prepared. All executive members were to sign it before they left the meeting. All committee members must sign it the next time they come to the TSU offices. This is effectively immediately.


We need some frank talk here. Of course I don't disclose info from our private executive sessions, as abhorrent as I sometimes might feel the very concept can be. There is a longstanding and clear ruling on this. Despite my discomfort with the frequency of these they often are quite necessary for very practical and necessary reasons. For example it would be wrong to share sensitive grievance information. Similarly info about our unit's Collective Bargaining strategy and the like.


Otherwise, I feel it is necessary, as your elected TSU 3rd VP to be able to discuss the important issues you want to know about; the teacher members whom I was elected to serve. Our monthly executive meetings are publicly open to you, just like the information we share and discuss there. It's the same with any other democratically elected body. Most of you can't attend in person during school hours but the info shared and discussed is, repeat is, publicly available for you to read and hear about. Likewise the revised Confidentiality Agreement is now available for you to sign.


You will recall, I wrote quite a few blogs last month about freedom of speech issues, especially in regards to the development and implementation of our new Social Media Protocols and Confidentiality Agreement initiatives. No need to repeat those here. You can review them in my November Blog Archives below this column. My "Blog Manifesto Revisited" might be of particular interest, or perhaps my "Weekend in Late November" blog or even some of the political satire in my "Just Supposin' - A Bloggers Christmas Tale", should you wish to revisit these on your own.


Anyhow, let me update you on what has since transpired. President Jansen assured me before the December 8th executive meeting that the Social Media Protocols and the Confidentiality Agreement are two separate, and not inclusive documents. As such, I would find neither particularly controversial  in and of themselves. For example, at the top of the TSU Confidentiality Agreement, which all members of executive and committees are now required to sign,  it states that the information covered refers to "confidential, private and sensitive data", such that;

TSU and OECTA maintain and handle confidential, private and sensitive data. In order to safeguard this information TSU restricts access to information to those who have a legitimate and approved need to access, it is required that all who have access acknowledge that information  will be accessed for legitimate business reasons on as-needed basis only.

Of course this has always been the case for a lot of TSU business when we are representing the member's private interests, be that with documents or "in camera" private committee discussions. Again consider the example of grievance and collective bargaining strategies and sensitive information. These have never been freely and publicly shared without very specific and necessary restraints. That's common practise for any large organisation such as our own.


If it's just a formality to codify this with a new "TSU Confidentiality Agreement", who could argue or complain? We are dealing with very specific "confidential" information that can't be justifiably shared and quite reasonably so. This is of course perfectly fine and acceptable. I'm not aware of this being a particularly pressing concern at TSU as of late, but if that is all it's about then so be it. But why then the dire, pressing need for every executive member to sign the new revised copy before the end of our last meeting? Likewise why require every TSU committee member to sign it, effective immediately, the next time they come in the office? Something seems out of proportion here.


At the executive meeting I explained to President Jansen, that I never would sign ANY document that was just handed to me without having ample chance to consider it thoroughly. This would apply to a commercial contract, a board form and now similarly a union agreement. As I prepared to leave the executive meeting I assured him that I would afterwards look it over, seek clarification if need be, and then if it was acceptable, hand it in at my earliest convenience. I got the impression he seemed to think this was perfectly reasonable, and the problem was solved. No more issue here I thought, or was there?


Unfortunately, the ugly gossip mill was going full tilt at Thursday night's Christmas Pub at the Crooked Cue. Most of us are above it but invariably there is always somebody or other going around from table to table badmouthing somebody else, usually for political reasons. Rather ironic I should think considering the issues at hand. The latest is that I was being called into Rene's office next day. I was going to be given an ultimatum. I must sign the confidentiality agreement before I left. Of course our members immediately came to ask me what this was all about as the story crept across the room. Sigh. Alas. Such is public life.


As a political figure, I expect this from time to time and was quite amenable to address the surprise story for anyone whom might ask. I must admit I was very disappointed that it was being shared in an unbecoming, backhanded, gossipy manner. The person in question never identified themselves to me, though of course everyone else told me who they were. I was somewhat surprised especially since she didn't even ask me first if it was true. But such is gossip. This isn't the first time, nor do I suspect it will be her last. Vague apologies and excuses quickly grow wearisome.


Please note; with my blog any "information" I share is upfront. It's not secret information that would even be covered by our new agreement. What raises my ire is unnecessary secrecy within our union affairs.I believe that should be challenged. Here it was now, in the whispered words and cold stares behind my back. Creepy or what? If I had been called into the office by Rene for a private talk on the alleged issue would such confidential information be covered by the agreement? Also consider, what purpose does such gossip serve? It's highly unethical and suspect at best. It does not provide good, useful, informed and honest service to the members who have elected us. So who is being served?  What's really going on?


Of course the gossip isn't true. At least I received no such request from the president, nor did I see him, or have any plans to meet with him next day. All of our discussions have been perfectly amicable, even when we disagree, as far as I am aware. I think so. So as I continue to be very suspicious about the kerfuffle over the need, haste and gossip mongering involved in the writing up and enforcing of our new Confidentiality Agreement, well now you know why.


Equally puzzling was the much heated public discussion at our Wednesday executive meeting about how to enforce the new Confidentiality Agreement. In fact, there are no provisions in place for disciplining members like myself or anyone else who chooses not to sign it upon demand.


Vice President Bruno seemed quite perturbed. He quite publicly exclaimed he might very well have to go to the school board to complain if our new TSU policies are not enforced. I am afraid this left me at an utter loss. My understanding is that the Social Media Protocol and the Confidentiality Agreement are not one and the same. In his comments he mentioned both, most specifically in the case of Social Media Protocols in direct reference to executive member blogs. Whose blog could that be? TSU's confidentiality issues in regards to the Confidentiality Agreement being discussed haven't been violated. Why then is this all back on the table again? Also as any teacher unionist should know, union issues are dealt with at the union level, and not through adverse reports about members or policies to board management. There are names for this but I won't repeat them here. It should be very interesting to see where this might all now lead from such a unionist perspective!


It's very interesting how Social Media actually figures into all of this. My understanding from the meeting and my talks with Rene is that Social Media, such as blogs, email, cellphones, Twitter and Facebook, will be covered separately by a new protocol our executive will develop for our unit. OECTA Provincial is currently developing a Social Media policy that we will certainly want to consider. I was quite satisfied earlier in our meeting, when it was made clear that a wide range of other existing materials on the subject could also be consulted and discussed. I've eagerly offered to contribute to the effort and abide, of course, by the new protocol. To the best of my knowledge I'm the only TSU member with a blog but if any of the rest of you have any particular knowledge or interest in the wide range of social media that is being used so much to communicate these days, I would certainly hope you are consulted in the process too.


You elected me to serve you. I will not violate TSU confidentiality, as I now understand it, but quite clearly a lot of clarification and debate will need to follow, especially I would think, as each of you on our committees, from Staff Rep, to Beginning Teachers and everyone inbetween, is told to sign our new Confidentiality Agreement, or perhaps even more so, as we develop our Social Media Protocols in the months ahead.

We have a lot to consider. Many if not most of us have a cellphone. Then there's Facebook, Twitter and at the very least you have email. The list of social media to consider goes on and on. Our younger teachers have grown up with it, our hardcore teckies of all ages live by it. It is everywhere, and like it or not it is how people increasingly communicate these days. For better or worse, it is not a genie we will be able to force back into a bottle, or contain by the old methods and rules.


The Supreme Court of Canada is currently bracing for a wave of appeals on the use of electronic media and challenges about how to make our old privacy laws fit the same modern day high tech scenarios. Quite clearly a TSU executive with  nine teacher members will not be able to do so on it's own, in private session, nor simply with our own immediate resources. The challenges can only be expected to increase and become more widespread and diverse in the years ahead. As Toronto lawyer Scott Hutchinson, grappling with the issue, recently lamented;

"Rules made back when we talked about kings and castles do not work when we are talking about mobile devices and information technology"

Clearly Social Media Protocols and Confidentiality Agreements are not something that can be created in secrecy, or enforced with a similar old school approach to rules. The future is very divergent by nature. You need to be in the know, and we need your help. Let's see if we can rise to the challenge wide eyed and aware within our TSU teacher's union!

BTC Rocks The Madison Pub!

Friday night TSU BTC [Beginning Teachers Committee] totally rocked the house upstairs at the third floor party room in the Madison Pub! Everyone seems to love the Madison. If you grew up in Toronto, or went to university here, you probably used to go to the Madison, or maybe still do. It undoubtedly proved to be an excellent place for the BT's to hold a pub night.


TSU Social Director supreme Theresa Oakley helped with the food orders and drink tickets but otherwise it was very much the BT's who were running the show. The party was very well organized. BT'er Sasha designed a brilliant flyer which was distributed to all our schools. It featured a group of BT's from Dante. It was definitely one of the best BT party invites I've seen yet, as BTC executive liaison. Chair Helena Suite has been working on updating our BT lists, and making sure the flyer was distributed on three different occasions, hoping everybody would get the word. Marie and Lori joined us at the ticket table, and like Mariko made the rounds helping to greet all our guests. We nicely filled the party room, it was cozy, and intimate -a great way to start the weekend. Teachers came from Dante, Percy Johnson, St. Joseph College, Fraser, Marshall McLuhan, St. Mary's and St. Mike's. The list goes on and on. If I missed your school name as I was going about having the pleasure of meeting you all, please let me know and I'll add it too.


Everyone had great fun lifting glasses high, and enjoying the chicken wings and other snacks. Our beginning Teachers are any TSU teacher with five or less years experience at our school board. This also includes our occasional teachers who meet the same criteria. The BT pub is always great because it allows our new teachers to network, meet each other, and exchange tips and tales from the classroom with your peers. These will be the colleagues you will be working with for the rest of your career teaching at our board in some capacity or another. Maybe you will be teaching together some day, or fulfilling different roles within the board; administrative or union. This way you have an opportunity to meet each other "back in the day" as you first start out as a group. The BT's also got to mix and mingle with the TSU executive to chat, ask questions, and find out more about our OECTA TSU teachers union.


It's especially great when we get a top notched organized BTC like we did again this year. Our committee members have tripled since September, and they were able to basically set up and run the event themselves. There is hope yet for the TCDSB [Toronto Catholic District School Board] it seems!


I will share a hot tip with you: The committee is looking into setting up a BT Bus trip to Niagara Wine Country in the days ahead! You could sample the wines, pick up a few bottles and have a lot of fun with your BT colleagues on the bus. Sounds like a party for sure. Stay tuned for more details from your BTC. It's still not for sure but everybody seemed quite excited about the idea and the committee members have been shopping around for some good package deals. Hooray BTC!


Also if you haven't emailed in your application for the Beginning Teacher's Conference, which will be held in Toronto this year, please do so asap. It's turned out to be a very worthwhile and popular event over the years. Everyone from the Premier of Ontario to our Education Minister has come to meet with you and answer your questions. There's lots of great workshops on topics of interest to beginning teachers. Please email in your application today! The last day to apply is December 5th and can be completed online. It was sent out by email from the main office a few weeks ago, and basically just asks for your name and a few questions on why you would like to go. Don't miss out!


Some photos from tonight are highlighted in the slide show on the top left side of my blog screen. Enjoy! If you took any of your friends or group, please forward them to me and I can post them too.

A Weekend In Late November + More

I suppose like most of my other secondary teacher colleagues out there in cyber-land I find mid to late November a very busy time of the school year. Mid term report cards are due. Then there's parent teacher interviews. With my AU-DDME [Autistic Developmentally Delayed Multiple Exceptionality] students it's somewhat different. They can't read write or talk, so the assessment is often heavily based on checklists, and a lot of teacher observation. After about 26 years in the classroom I can pretty much tell you intuitively how they are doing but of course administration always requires paperwork. I talk to the parents on a regular basis, so the report itself, let alone the parent teacher interviews isn't much of a big deal anyways, they all ready know what's going on. Our class had two big changes, first coming back to school from the holidays and then a room change. Routine is everything, but they seem to be settling down nicely now. I'm still working on all my other paperwork but basically with all that out of the way we've now just got to wrap things up for Christmas. Then get two weeks off to catch up with my own life. Whew.

By the way, for those of you who`d rather just get to the blog ban scuttlebutt, please scroll to the bottom of my blog. I`d rather ruminate a bit today, rather than just jump back into the melee. More time for that later. But please, be my guest, if you would like to cut to the quick. I understand.


It's been a mild autumn this year in Toronto. By mid day the temperature has often hit the low teens and we've had a lot of sunshine. Most of the leaves  have changed colour and fallen off the trees. I've got my long winter coat out, my woollen winter hat, and my winter boots. I am wearing them all ready. It's a pretty bleak and barren landscape outside our condo window. Gone are the birds and the bursting green foliage of summer. I'd sit then, out on the balcony with my morning coffee and paper. Maybe post a blog about how wonderful it all looks. Now? No. I'm always out and abouts during the weekdays coming and going from work at school and union. More evenings are spent cuddling up with Janet on the couch maybe watching movies or t.v., if we don't have errands to run. Or I'll just retreat to my man-cave, the back music room where I've got all my cd's, records, books and electronic equipment. Relaxing in my easy chair or just working on my music collection. Life is not without it's own late fall charms, when everything moves back indoors and we begin to hunker down for the long cold months ahead. Very Canadian I suppose.


December is perhaps my favourite winter month, even though the season doesn`t technically arrive until the solstice towards the end of the third week. One can expect the first snow, a gentle blanket of white covering the ground, the trees, the rooftops and landscape four floors below. There`s the steamy breath as one steps outside into cold. The slow drive into work. Everyone, especially the kids are usually quite happy and delighted. It all seems so fresh and new and of course Christmas is just around the corner. We`ll be off for holidays, returning in January. The winter blahs will settle in within a month or so after that with the short days, the snow piling up, the tedium of work, school and just getting by dragging on and on. Then and only after that will there be any hopeful sights of spring once again bring everyone and everything back to life. Maybe it isn`t the same for everyone, but I am a summer person with a lifetime of Canadian winters behind me and probably still more than a few to go. I suppose it shows.


So on Friday night Janet and I met downtown. I had a doctor`s appointment during the day. Then I got a haircut, checked out the music stores and met her at Winners by 5pm to clothes shop. Empty nesters, but not yet grandparents, we can just buy for ourselves now. After we walked down Yonge Street to Dundas Square, which can be mercilessly barren and windswept this time of year, stripped of it`s summer delights. The Christmas lights are going up everywhere along Yonge Street, thousands of tiny shining stars in the night, strung through the trees, up and over the street poles, the store front windows, well practically everywhere. Dundas Square is still just basically lit by the huge LED screens on all the high towers that surround it, flashing out their non- stop advertisements to buy buy buy. Rather ridiculous scantily clad models  models advertise the latest fashions on a cold late fall night. More ads for cars. Electronics. Trips down south.


We walked west to Chinatown and the Spadina Gardens, my favourite Chinese food restaurant. Big plates of chicken in peanut sauce, beef in black bean sauce. Bowls of steaming rice. We dig in with our chopsticks just talking about work and mostly the weekend ahead. Then amble over to the University Line to catch the subway north to Wilson Station where our cars are parked in the vast expanse of freezing cold parking lots. It`s easier than driving and trying to find parking downtown anymore, especially during rush hour.


 Saturday was more errands but that`s okay. It`s our routine. We drive about north Toronto going here and there and then returning home for the luxury of a late afternoon nap. We had tickets to go down to Harbourfront to see a Japanese Drum Troupe, the Nagata Shachu Taiko and Music Group perform their yearly Toronto showcase performance. They are locals who tour the world throughout the year. There`s a pretty small Japanese community in Toronto. Seemed everybody in the crowd was somehow related or knew each other and the band members. Janet is pure Japanese, 100%, but truth be told her family has been in Canada a few generations more than my side has. In talk, dress, and  mannerisms, she is 100% Torontonian. Asian women are so beautiful, and the Japanese Canadians are especially well cultured, polite and very friendly in a down to earth manner too. It was a very nice crowd and a great two hour show with one short 15 minute intermission. The drummers are very strident with an incredible sense of beat, playing solo and with and off each other. The arrangements and moods created were fantastic. There were the wind and stringed instruments, very light but vibrant. The backdrop was a flat screen of evening hues, changing slowly and delicately together with the atmosphere of the music. It was an incredibly moving performance.


Sunday finds me cleaning up at home. I went through all my clothes, putting away the last of the lighter stuff til next spring. Organizing my clothes closets for home and school. Getting together a few bags for Goodwill. I`ve put on a few pounds and don`t like anything snug. Come January I plan to shed some weight, but with Christmas just around the corner, it`s pretty pointless right now. Janet went out with her girlfriends shopping for gifts at the  big Christmas sales. We don`t have much we need to buy anymore, once we are all adults it seems rather pointless, but it is fun just the same, for her perhaps, not me. I had a nice nap, spaced out in my man cave and am waiting for her to get back so we can make supper, and cuddle on the couch watching t.v and wasting away the last of our weekend before we go to bed. And so goes a day, or weekend rather, in the life of this blogger, come late November. I suppose it`s not without it`s own charms and contentment. I hope everybody else is doing okay too.


And now it`s time for the news. I will be posting some more about the blog ban. Seems now it`s been downgraded to a Appropriate Protocol for Social Media or something like that, whatever that's supposed to mean. No matter, the devil is always in the details. I would think the Confidentiality Agreement with all its restrictions including sharing any TSU information on a need to know basis and through the main office is where that will be found.

2nd Vice President Frank Bruno was very adamant that he wanted it signed by everybody, executive and members alike at our last executive meeting, effective immediately. That or they'd be kicked off all our TSU committees, maybe even executive. Make any sense to you? Me neither!

Nothing is written about that in our by-laws. I would like to see the exact motion as it was approved made public to our members asap. At any rate, this was all said at our public November executive meeting, outside of the all too frequent private in camera sessions we have these days. Most of you would have been in class anyway. Seems to me that most everything is like a big secret this year. I can understand an info ban on grievances or collective bargaining talks, we have always acted accordingly anyway.

I've told President Jansen if he wont put a stop to the rest of this malarkey then I will give it a good try. Maybe its high time for a little whistle blowing so we can actually get more important work done, and leave the nonsense for those who would like to head out to the local watering hole later. This is not the TSU I know, love and where I have worked to serve you. Well, there will be time enough for this debacle later. I hope you had a good weekend and are getting braced for the school homestretch to Christmas. Cheers!


My fortune cookie. Not much new.

My Budget Notes

TSU Budget Meeting: It was exciting how many different members showed up to ask questions about and debate our financials for this upcoming year and last. Unfortunately there wasn't a full fiscal account of our PAC provincial election spending available, so that we could examine it in detail. We were told this would be provided later on, by the executive liaison. Proposed cuts to our Religious Affairs Committee were reversed in part on budget night, with the addition of an extra thousand dollars, to bring it up to $7000. Member TM enquired why a Catholic group such as ourselves would spend so little of our total budget on religious issues. She certainly seemed to express the heartfelt sentiments of many others who showed up with the same concerns. It was also confirmed that the June "educational aid" donation to Right To Life was withheld in September, and the budget actuals for TSU Solidarity funding were adjusted accordingly. Clarification was sought to the affirmative on whether a new executive can reverse the decisions of a previous executive in the matter of withholding a previously approved but late cheque like this. Attempts to publicly clarify for the membership the who, why's and wherefores of the following statement in our TSU Executive Minutes from September 13th were ruled out of order in that they were not germane to the purpose of this general meeting, only accountability for the monies from the cancelled donation were. The minutes stated:

Solidarity Requests -Follow-up on the request to hold the cheque for Right for Life. The request was made after disparaging remarks about OECTA were seen on the Right for Life website. There will be a follow-up on this inquiry.

After all was said and done a balanced budget was approved for our TSU fiscal year without a whole lot of changes. Accolades must go to our new Treasurer, Rosemary Lavery, for the calm, steady and efficient manner in which she presented and answered our members questions about her first budget. Bravo Rosemary!  Also to our the chair Maureen Riggin for keeping the ball rolling with her admirable knowledge of Robert's Rules of Order.


Right To Life: Last spring, Right To Life Director Paul Klotz enthusiastically thanked TSU for our active participation in promoting and boosting the number of students at the Leadership Conference down at St. Mikes. I'm not sure exactly what was supposedly said on his website since then that was critical of us. As a Catholic community we often deal with some very challenging issues . They can prove difficult  to resolve without a lot of information and debate, but as our Religious Affairs Chair MS writes;

Folks should be asked if they support the pro-life clause, and if so, then work for it. Cooperating with other stakeholders in the Catholic community, even those who have been critical of us, can only be for the good.

This year's Religious Affairs Committee has made promoting Respect for Life Week and the Ottawa March a top priority with both our board and union. Many of our TSU members from the Respect For Life Committee, and other pro-life groups such as Right to Life, and Campaign Life were in attendance Thursday night to support RAC funding. It is of course their privilege as our members. It is an honour to act as executive liaison to help facilitate all our members' RAC activities. With everyone's help we have restored funding closer to the old levels for the committee's ambitious agenda this year. For more info on my Right for Life Spring TSU Election Campaign Platform, please see the blog in the April Archives, located below the main column on this site.


Paid Release Time Help: President Rene Jansen and 1st VP Gerard Ardanaz spoke passionately about the need  for more release time help in the main office with our unit's growing number of service initiatives. Having worked with them both for the past two terms I can tell you, they really are doing more work than anyone practically can to carry the load and help implement the many new and exciting initiatives our executive has approved over the past four years. There are the flurry of often precedent setting grievances, the joint TSU-TCDSB committee work. The list goes on and on. Both Rene and Gerard post an office schedule of where they are on a daily basis. It's always quite full of work, as are their evenings, weekends and even holidays. There's a budget line for an executive office secretary, but the tasks they need more help with are quite separate and apart from that. Members on budget night expressed their concern over phones being unanswered, calls not promptly returned, and in wanting to know what their release officers do everyday. Unfortunately it seems the workload solution must stay the same. TSU will continue to provide other executive officers and knowledgeable members with class time release as needed to assist with the tasks. This has been a quite controversial situation that I know President Jansen is keen to fix for our members in a more cost effective and efficient way. I'd bet the TSU 3rd VP position will be fulltime release someday, though probably not on my tenure. It would be quite fitting for an organization of our size and scope. At any rate a budget line for another release position, even a part time one was not approved on budget night. It remains allusive and the exact job description open to endless debate. I would think the matter needs to be taken to TSU UAGM, our Annual General Meeting for another attempt at resolving it next spring. TSU will need to continue to rely more and more on Rene and Gerard with few members perhaps realizing what is really going on beyond the obvious political wrangling. The $8000 required for the position was moved over to the PD line, which stands to gain up to $800,000 in leftover self directed PD funding next year anyway. Pity.


Upstairs Conference Room: Unless you are sitting at the main conference room table, the acoustics in the large upstairs room often make it very difficult for the many members sitting in the other chairs to hear and understand what's going on. The overhead projector could help make it easier to know the exact wording and terms of the motion being voted upon. Confusion reigned supreme in the back as members voted on an amended bill few could actually hear let alone understand. It ended up settling the RAF funding, and release time funding issues I 've described but not in the way many of us thought. Pity. I was in the back and let me tell you, it was near impossible to tell what was going on by the time the vote was called


Beer in the Fridge: What next? A wine bottle on somebodies desk? I should think not. As a union hall TSU has traditionally kept some beer in the upstairs fridge. It's no secret. Few members have ever abused this privilege. Maybe they enjoy a cool one after a long hard night of debate or to celebrate a special unit occasion, but of course from time to time problems do occur. Nobody would want to see anybody drunk in the office, and surely booze on one's breath is unbecoming, with so much important, serious work and meetings going on in the office. It wouldn't be in our members best interests, that's for sure. I was happy to point out on budget night that of course soft drinks, juice and the like in the fridge are a welcome reminder of this and a pleasant supplement to our trusty old water cooler.


Robert's Rules of Order: Many of our new attendees expressed interest in how these are used to run  important meetings at TSU, including the committees and general membership meetings such as budget night. Others probably just wondered "What the heck is going on?" OECTA Provincial Training Workshops are offered on a pretty frequent basis. You might want to go so you can understand and use the procedures better. Provincial has suggested that we might even want to form our own speakers bureau. It would consist of well trained members who would be available to expertly chair our various meetings. Robert's also has many practical applications at school, in class, and in your other group activities. I'll notify you know here when the next one becomes available. Please apply if you are interested!


Next General Meeting? Resolutions to the 2112 OECTA Provincial Annual General Meeting will be debated and voted upon at TSU on Thursday Nov 24 at 4:30 pm. Resolutions will be due Friday Nov. 10th by 5pm for consideration. These resolutions deal with amendments to the provincial handbook. The Legislation Committee will then review your submissions, and we will meet to vote on which ones to adopt, and forward to OECTA Provincial on the 24th. "E" version and hard copy resolution forms are available from your staff rep. The OECA Provincial Handbook should be available at your school, or check http://www.tsu.oecta.org/


Many thanks to everyone who came out to this year's TSU Budget Night.

Last spring, TSU helped promote the RFL + RTL Leadership Conference and paid for the student's lunch. TSU members and conference organizers are pictured above at the TSU lunch. It seems this year everybody isn't on the same page. RTL + RAC funding was cut. Please contact me personally for more information.

My Blog Readers Write #3

My June 21st Manifesto Blog has received quite a wide range of comments! I'm glad. They have been as thought provoking as the blog itself was intended to be. Comments can be posted below each blog in the space provided or sent to me by email. I am also often stopped for some great discussions or insights into the issues I write about. Quite frankly, most of my readers have been overwhelmingly positive, and very encouraging. I won't labour these. Often they are just quite nice and to the point. Here's an example. Thanks Julia for writing;

"Hi! Informative blog. Thanks for sharing."

Other times the writer quite disagrees with me. Here's one I'd like to comment on at greater length. As I know and respect the writer's intent I am withholding their identity upon request;

"There is only one voice for TSU and that is Rene Jansen in de Wal, TSU President and whether you like or or not David, the President trumps every one else on Executive including the 3rd TSU VP."

As is my prerogative, I only plan to publish constructive criticism on my blog. I enjoy a good debate. I don't respond well to ambushes, attacks, demands, ultimatums and threats real or implied. Believe it or not, these are sometimes part and parcel of political life even at the teacher union level, but I digress. In this case I am only interested in clarifying some confusing issues the comment raises.

If my readers will recall, in my June 21st Blogspot Manifesto piece, I wrote;

...Other elected officials including MPP's, MP's and even city councillors have their own newsletters. Mine is electronic. These allow us to communicate regularly and directly with our constituents long after the election is over. That is just good, plain, honest political representation.

My David Chiarelli TSU 3rd VP blogspot contains my teacher and union news and views as your elected representative. It focuses on our public issues, our public political figures, our unit procedures and our teaching profession. These are unfiltered. They come directly from me to you, as I see it, from my 3rd VP's point of view.

The postings aren't the official voice of the TSU executive or any other powers that be. I have never attempted to represent my blog as anything else but my news and views as your elected representative. Make no mistake, I have always clearly stated so even on the masthead of my blogspot....

There seems to be a question here about the legitimacy of my speaking to you directly through this blogspot on my own. Let's be clear. TSU is not a registered trademark. If I want to say that I am your TSU 3rd  VP and use that in my blogsite title, I can and will. I have also always made it very clear that these blogs are my thoughts and views as your duly elected 3rd VP. I was elected your TSU 3rd VP. This was all ready dealt with at some length in my Blogspot Manifesto.

Even if somebody thinks my blogspot's presence is wrong, or it somehow breaks our rules, there aren't any actual procedures in place to enforce unit or provincial discipline anyway. We've vividly seen that with the poison pen emails and "scab letters" to the board, especially during election time. A member is really only bound by their professional principles, moral persuasion, and sense of duty to not engage in such behaviour. An offender can be reminded of this but beyond that it's there's very little if anything TSU can actually do.

A big often ignored elephant in our tent is that if the offender doesn't care, then unfortunately that's pretty much it for your case against them. If they are running for office maybe the members won't vote for them, then again maybe they do. Like it or not it's a fact. Our absence of an enforceable professional code that can be evenly applied to everyone needs to be openly acknowledged and addressed. Little to no progress has ever been made at the unit or provincial level beyond creating professional ethic guidelines and statements.

Now let's suppose somebody did find a technicality somewhere in our by-laws or constitution to use to object to my blogspot, arguing that only the President can speak as an elected executive member about our unit business. Quite frankly with so many other really negative missives often circulating about over the past few years it would seem ironic to suddenly go full tilt after my rather innocuous blogspot. Still, what if TSU did decide to put down it's foot and try to change or silence my blog? Meanwhile others continue to write or say as they please. They don't care what TSU decides because they know TSU can't stop them. This happens quite a lot! Why then does it make sense for the rest of us to just remain quiet and hope to set some sort of example by that?

The argument grows very tiresome. It can wear down an executive member who is just honestly trying to do good work. Consider this; it's like telling everybody in your class to ignore those who are misbehaving, as if the good example is going to change the bad behaviour of those who just continue to go nuts. Do you then punish those who speak out? Put another way, the lack of enforceable rules would be about as convincing and effective as handing out speeding tickets at a car race. Anybody can just tear them up and then speed off along their merry way. For our unit this becomes especially ironic. We actually have much more power in effectively taking to task the school board, than we do in enforcing our own union rules! 

The message that I get from your comments overwhelmingly suggests that a lot of members appreciate more frank, direct, plain talk about the problems we all face. They are glad I have set up a blogspot for that as your duly elected, independent TSU 3rd VP. There is another point they often bring up, although not in the sense of the writer's criticism in question. They also have a lot of member respect for President Rene Jansen.

My blogspot isn't a put down or a sign of lack of respect for him, or for that matter his executive team, just because I am writing here and not in a TSU approved issue of Highlights. Any such claim is confusing at best. I have independently worked with Rene and the 2010-11 executive team for many years. Please know that Rene does not have a "slate", or a "party" at election time. If you hear such claims they are false and misleading, over simplistic at best

I cannot recall Rene ever insisting on some impossible gag order of allegiance to his one true voice, as if he were the Grand Poo Bahr on our executive, or what have you. I have never seen any front or back stabbing, political game playing,or self serving ambition. Anyone who supports his vision and goals for the unit could be considered a member of his "team" in that we share these virtues in common.

That is where my political allegiance to Rene's "team" lies. That's how I have understood, and continue to understand the president's "team" now for many years. I suppose I could be wrong. Somebody could decide to try imposing some rules on my 3rd VP blogspot. Maybe the president becomes convinced he has to crack the whip! Guess how unsuccessful that could be after all is said and done?

Quite possibly it would just boost my readership because of all the interest and intrigue it could create. So far I average 100-300 reads on this blogspot during a slow week, up to 1000 when it's hot. Nothing attracts readers like a good conflict story, but then as my Blogspot Manifesto points out, ratings is not what I am all about.

Nor is this how the Rene I know works. But make no mistake. President Jansen is first and foremost bound by office to follow the rules and regulations of OECTA TSU, and set a good example. He is always in the public eye. He would try to stop me if he thinks he must, but trump me? I don't think so. That's just not him, and it probably isn't possuble anyway for the different reasons I've explained.

Quite frankly I serve on TSU with great respect for Rene and what he stands for. So do many other executive members. Still he doesn't have a political "party", so to speak. I am not his "party" member nor am I on, or do I plan to lead any opposition "party". Rene's strengths are in his vision to help lead others who would share the same principles for building a stronger, effective and modern member service organization. I also work for that, and indeed come election time have always endorsed him because he does too.

On executive, I support Rene when he's right, and speak out when I disagree. In the vision department that support is very strong. I've worked closely in tangent with him in many different TSU capacities for over a decade now. I remember being among those who first strongly spoke out for him to run as our president way back when. I have worked with Rene and others who share his ideas as a group "team", not a slate, for the past five years now, based on our common goals for TSU, not out of any blind allegiance to him as our leader.

I am and remain an independent. I do disagree and question Rene and for that matter anybody else on TSU executive, if I think they are wrong. As it stands, I can say that usually only concerns strategies for achieving the goals we hold in common. Should Rene or an executive member need to criticize me, that's what I would expect. I can dish out criticism and I can take it. As long as it is attempted fairly I won't get too mad. So if anyone wants to disagree or try to change my David Chiarelli -TSU 3rd VP blogspot, then so be it. Good luck! But worry not dear reader, the world as we know it is not ending, it's just changing with the cyber-times. I hope others at TSU soon realize that too.