The contract trains get chugging

tYesterday's post doubted the ability of Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario provincial takeover team bargainers and school boards to be able to hammer out contract deals by an April 24 provincial deadline. As the day went by, three more contract teacher locals have inked deals, along with three more occasional teacher locals. Though federations will deny and always state they hate and abhor the concept of provincial bargaining, it's a matter of fact they already do it. Local members provide some direction to their executive, but when ETFO places every local in the province in provincial takeover before meaningful local negotiations have even begun, there's a co-ordinated strategy in place within the federation. The Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (who came away from this round of bargaining quietly, having achieved some success) does the same thing-- provincial bargaining staff were at the local tables from day one.
The point here, and the proof in the pudding, is when these deals start to come in. One or two locals works with a board to ink a deal everyone can live with and then it becomes a template for others across the province.
Looking at the locals who've settled, it appears a full-time contract teachers' template for northern / small boards appears established. It also appears an occasional teachers' contract template is nailed down as well.
Consider the following list-- it includes all district boards negotiating with ETFO, along with their contract status and the amount the Ontario Ministry of Education says the boards and teachers will miss out on if deals aren't signed by the deadline.

• DSB Ontario Northeast - none settled contract teachers settled, OT still negotiating (April 21) - $219,001
• Algoma DSB - none settled - $322,569
• Rainbow DSB - none settled - $491,716
• Near North DSB - none settled contract teachers settled, OT still negotiating (April 21) - $355,900
• Keewatin-Patricia DSB - settled both - $153,710
• Rainy River DSB - none settled - $76,220
• Lakehead DSB - settled both - $336,797
• Superior-Greentstone DSB - contract teachers settled, OT still negotiating both setted (April 19) - $29,154
• Bluewater DSB - OTs settled, contract teachers still negotiating - $639,814
• Avon Maitland DSB - none settled - $598,558
• Greater Essex County DSB - OTs settled, contract teachers still negotiating - $1,305,525
• Lambton Kent DSB - none settled - $810,141
• Thames Valley DSB - none settled - $2,705,957
• Toronto DSB - none settled (this includes their OSSTF locals too, which are still negotiating) - $22,614,880
• Durham DSB - contract teachers settled, OT still negotiating - $2,410,141
• Kawartha Pine Ridge DSB - OTs settled, contract teachers still negotiating both settled (April 21) - $1,226,215
• Trillium Lakelands DSB - none settled OTs settled, contract teachers still negotiating (April 21) - $602,505
• York Region DSB - OTs settled, contract teachers still negotiating both settled (April 21) - $3,958,401
• Simcoe County DSB - OTs settled, contract teachers still negotiating - $1,883,835
• Upper Grand DSB - OTs settled, contract teachers still negotiating - $1,166,621
• Peel DSB - both settled - $5,383,764
• Halton DSB - OTs settled, contract teachers still negotiating both settled (April 21) - $1,846,002
• Hamilton-Wentworth DSB - none settled - $1,861,193
• DSB of Niagara - OT talks broken down, contract teachers still negotiating - $1,362,061
• Grand Erie DSB - none settled - $934,824
• Waterloo Region DSB - none settled - $2,132, 863
• Ottawa-Carleton DSB - none settled - $2,509,243
• Upper Canada DSB - none settled - $978,414
• Limestone DSB - both settled - $703,879
• Renfrew County DSB - none settled - $305,630
• Hastings and Prince Edward DSB - OTs settled, contract teachers still negotiating - $579,372'

Education Reporter will try and keep this updated as deals are signed in the coming days.