First off, greetings to those of you from OSSTF and ETFO who recognized me at the press conference from my blog. I'm honoured to be so widely read. As it transpired, for whatever reason, I didn't get tossed out on my butt. I have a blog report to post on the Joint Press Conference, held by ETFO, OSSTF, AEFO and CUPE at the Sheraton Hotel at 10:30am today, as promised.
I have posted photos on my slide show. They sometimes take a while to appear and seem slow today, but they are coming. Sometimes a picture says a 1000 words. Well, you can look and decide for yourself. I'm not sure myself, but at any rate, they are always an interesting addition, and can help flesh things out, with a more human touch.
I am revamping and adding on to my "quickie blog" posted earlier today. I was downtown. It was sunny and hot. I realized I haven't been out much since school ended, so I enjoyed a little music shopping on Yonge St. Also a stop or two for a frozen coffee and icy soda while I just relaxed in air-conditioned splendour watching folks pass by the coffee shop windows. The Toronto tourist season is certainly in full swing.
I walked up Yonge Street to Bloor Street, then headed a block west to meet my wife Janet. She got out of work early today. We enjoyed mussels in a tomato cream sauce and a Caesar salad sitting in the solarium at the Bloor Street Diner overlooking rush hour on Bay Street in the Toronto financial district. The Bloor Diner is pretty much a Toronto institution. Old school Toronto perhaps. Well healed with a few trendies but never, in my experience, stuffy or pretentious. Outside of being polite and respectful one leaves any attitudes at the door and doesn't have to be particularly dressed up or put on any airs. Check it out some time if you haven't, especially if you're just visiting Toronto!
It can be a quite a very Toronto experience, and is open all hours, or at least very, very late. Oh the stories I could tell.......
I know. I know. I digress, but it is summer holidays........................... :-)
Anyway, I haven't read or seen the news reports yet, nor have I talked to anyone at OECTA, so these are just my immediate impressions of the press conference, take or leave them as you will.
Not much new, if anything, was seemingly said except to reassert each affiliate's position. I did not hear any immediate public snarling or gnashing of teeth over OECTA's PDT deal. Nor did I hear much direct reference to the terms of the new agreement either, from the joint presidents. The MOU was widely leaked and readily available on line from the Globe and Mail. In fact, I got my copy from an OSSTF connection overnight. On the whole the press conference lacked any news or views I haven't heard before. With all due respect to my colleagues in the other affiliates, I'd pretty much have to rate it C minus, and wonder why it was set up at all. I'd really expected some fireworks.
ETFO President Sam Hammond seemed most strident, comparing the Liberals to the Harris Conservatives. He also claimed Minister Broten wasn't very accommodating in meeting for any further talks with ETFO. A Toronto Star reporter focused on his strategy of going after the Liberals when a a much more voracious Conservative opposition is waiting to be elected, so they can implement the extreme anti-labour platform outlined in the recent White Paper they have been waving around. Maybe it was just me, but I could not quite follow Sam's response, except to note that he really is royally p.o'ed with the Liberals.
OSSTF's President seemed to pretty much stay the course on the themes of lack of discussion and the unacceptable PDT terms put forth by the Liberal government this spring. He emphasized teachers being unsettled and ill at ease with the way they are being now being treated by the Liberal government. He talked about how OSSTF wanted what was best for the teachers and so the students. He argued cuts certainly won't remedy the situation.
AEFO's Acting President did not have a translator. I'm afraid I am not bilingual so most of what she said was lost on me. However, a francophone reporter seemed rather exasperated in repeatedly asking her why the new PDT offer wouldn't be good for the students, a position she also seemed to be insisting upon.
CUPE's President pretty much repeated the well known union argument against the Liberal government's approach to the current economic crisis. Also that any form of contract stripping sets a bad precedent and is completely unacceptable for labour, teachers and support staff alike. The other presidents all were on the same page in their focus on the PDT deal. At no point though did I hear a clear concentrated attack upon OECTA, nor the details of our agreement at today's press conference. There was some talk about the need for solidarity, and a reporter also asked about that too. Certainly none of the presidents were about to uncork any champagne bottles in our honour, as I had guessed, but the exact details of the OECTA deal were not discussed at any great depth or length either, if at all.
Quite frankly, the press conference seemed rather dull and uneventful. I don't know exactly what I expected the joint presidents to say, but again, I didn't hear anything of special note. It will be interesting to see what the media will pick up on. And no, I didn't get hassled, though I suppose everyone just considered me the blog guy, if at all, so all seems to remain tranquil -for right now that is :-)
However tomorrow is a different day. As is the day after that and the day after that and the day after that. Please don't interpret my observations to think everything is fine and dandy. Odds are that there's still much excitement and many more challenges ahead. Let's hope cooler minds continue to prevail.
Kindly note, all the "Comments" submitted in response to my blogs have been "con", or against OECTA's PDT deal. That's why I published so many of them of that bent. I can only hope this shows journalistic integrity because I am of course an OECTA member.
Our OECTA TSU executive meets on Monday, before President Jansen attends Tuesday's OECTA Provincial's COP [Council of President] meeting. There's certainly a lot to think about and discuss. Also more info to gather. Definitely I will want to discuss our OECTA position on the PDT deal further in my upcoming blogs once I can get a better bearing and perspective on all that's happened.
Stay tuned for more news, views and interesting links as they become available to post.
Well it's past midnight, and bedtime beckons. I hope this helps even if only in some small way for now.