New Contract Deal “Too Much To Ask!”

Cold water is being poured on a provincial demand to have Ontario school boards reach contracts with teachers unions before the end of the month.
Jack McMaster is the Director of Education for the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board and he says there’s no way the public board will reach a deal with its teachers unions before the start of the school year.
McMaster says it looks like they will have to suffer the consequences being proposed by the government.
The province has upted the ante saying if local deals aren’t signed, proposed legislation would impose similar terms reached with Catholic teachers on all teachers on September 1st.
The legislation would include a wage freeze and other measures such as bans on strikes or lockouts.
McMaster says there’s no local issues and both parties are anxious to end the summer break and sit down at the negotiation table.
Local union leaders insist that their members are planning to return to the classroom in the fall and that the government is creating a crisis where none exists.