Hundreds of public high school teachers across Lambton-Kent hit the picket lines Wednesday morning as part of a one-day walkout by OSSTF members across Ontario.
Great Lakes Secondary School teacher April Brander said they'd rather be in the classroom with students but a stand has to be taken against the Doug Ford government's damaging education cuts.
Teachers picketing at Northern Collegiate - Dec 4/19 (Blackburnnews.com photo by Josh Boyce)
"Teachers are givers and we have a heart for children and we spend every day, all day, with people's kids," said Brander on the picket line. "The one-day hit to their education today, is unfortunate and the one-day hit to our pay cheque is unfortunate but we are doing this one-day protest so that people see we're willing to sacrifice because the cuts are going to have astronomical effects that are going to last years to come."
Brander said she believes the public is on the side of children and opposed to unnecessary cuts that she says will "rip the heart out of learning conditions for our kids."
Alexander Mackenzie Secondary School teacher Trevor Waller said they're opposed to larger class sizes and mandatory online learning.
"We're standing up for students and education, no cuts to education," he said.
Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce called the union's move to strike a "needless escalation that's hurting children, parents, and families." He accused the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation of not making a substantive move for over 200 days of bargaining.
Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey said the strike is desperation on the OSSTF union side, with wages and benefits being a main issue.
"I think at the end of the day that's what it's going to boil down to, they're looking for, I think over the length of the contract, something like one and a half billion dollars more money," said Bailey. "We're spending a lot of money on education now but the most important thing is that we have the teachers at the front of the classroom with the children at their desks, and they need to come back to the bargaining table with the minister. He's willing to work day and night on this."
Teachers picketing at Alexander Mackenzie Secondary School - Dec 4/19 (Blackburnnews.com photo by Josh Boyce)
OSSTF District 10 represents 600 full time equivalent secondary teachers in Lambton-Kent.
Elementary schools locally were not impacted by today's strike but classes were cancelled at elementary and secondary public French schools. That's because the OSSTF represents their administrative, educational, technical, and support staff.
The OSSTF represents 60,000 members across Ontario.
-With files from Josh Boyce