The Ontario Teachers Unions versus the Ontario Government: The Public Gauges the Rancour, Recriminations, and Remedies
The poll was conducted January 7th to 10th, 2013 among 809 Ontarians just prior to the January 11th Ontario Labour Relations Board hearing and ultimate decision at 4:00 am on January 12 ordering teachers back to the classroom in spite of their objections to the governments controversial Bill 115 that imposed contracts throughout the province on New Year's Day 2013 for unresolved negotiations between many school boards and local union collective bargaining units. The Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation had also planned to stage a day of protest for January 16, 2013 but have also cancelled that action.
Public Perception Divided on Central Issue Driving Current Dispute... `Ballot Question' Dead Split...And the Same on the Right to Strike...
Despite the Teachers Unions saying that their fight is not about wages and working conditions but rather the right to collective bargaining which has been usurped by the legislation, the public is not clear on what the central issue is driving the current combat. When asked to choose between two potential causes of the rancor, just four in ten (43%) believe that its "The right of teachers unions to bargain locally on a school board by school board basis and not to have a contract imposed on them by the government centrally" is the cause while a near identical proportion (40%) say the main issue relates to "A contract that freezes wages, slashes sick days and ends the long-standing practice of banking unused sick days until 2014." Another two in ten (20%) Ontarians say they `don't know'.
On what would be called the `ballot question', half the public (52%) agree that "the government was right to impose a contract on the teachers until 2014" while the other half (48%) disagree. Noting that in order to get a majority government in the province takes roughly 41% of the vote, the government is clearly on the high ground here at the moment.
And similarly, half (48%) `agree' (26% strongly/22% somewhat) that `the Ontario government should permanently ban the right of teachers to strike', with the other half (52%) `disagreeing' (26% strongly/26% somewhat).
Measuring the Motives and Conduct of the Combatants: A Pox on Both Houses...
When asked to rate the motives and conduct of both the government and the Unions during this most recent dispute neither side should be holding any victory party soon as the public gives neither combatant a fruitful count:
Teachers Working Conditions and Compensation: No Sympathy Here...
While the Unions say they're not arguing about the compensation package and have agreed to the government's wage freeze and benefit reductions over the next two years to help trim the province's deficit, as noted above almost half the public still thinks that this is part of the current conflict. It's clear from the findings that the Unions were right to get off this part of the bargaining process soon even though it's clear that their current message as to why they are still in this current fight is not abundantly clear:
- Only one in three (33%) Ontarians `agree' (9% strongly/24% somewhat) that `teachers have working conditions and compensation that are unfair and they deserve better', while two in three (67%) `disagree' (29% strongly/38% somewhat)
- Seven in ten (68%) `agree' (31% strongly/36% somewhat) that `teachers have jobs, conditions, and pay that make them pampered compared to most workers in Ontario', compared to one-third (32%) who `disagree' (12% strongly/20% somewhat)
So, What about Extra-Curricular Activities? Make them Mandatory or Have Screened, Liability Protected Parents Do Them...
The withdrawal of extra-curricular programs from students has been a Union tactic in the current dispute. No doubt the term "extra" added to the "curriculum" is something the Unions see as non-compensatory and thus expendable. However, that's not the way the majority of Ontarians see it:
- Two Thirds (65%) of Ontarians `agree' (29% strongly/36% somewhat) `with the compensation and benefits package that teachers have what are now extra-curricular activities should be made part of their regular work day', although one in three (35%) `disagree' (11% strongly/24% somewhat)
- Six in ten (62%) `agree' (31% strongly/31% somewhat) that `extra-curricular activities should be made part of the regular school work day for teachers and not be separated from the classroom for after school', compared to four in ten (38%) who `disagree' (12% strongly/26% somewhat)
- Eight in ten (79%) Ontarians `agree' (35% strongly/44% somewhat) that `if teachers won't run extra-curricular activities then volunteer parents screened and approved by the Principal should be able to do so and be covered for liability insurance', although two in ten (21%) `disagree' (6% strongly/14% somewhat)
Finally, How Would Ontarians Want to See Future Contracts Negotiated in the Future? Centrally, Face-to-Face, and a Few Years Apart...
The crux of the current dispute centers around the "right of collective bargaining" by the Unions on a school board by school board basis versus an across the board imposed contract by the provincial government of the day.
For the public, a full majority would meet smack in the middle of the two extremes to try and resolve matters in the future: three-quarters (75%) `agree' (25% strongly/50% somewhat) that `instead of negotiating teachers contracts on a school board by school board basis, the province and the teachers unions should just do it centrally, face-to-face, every few years', while one-quarter (25%) `disagree' (6% strongly/19% somewhat).
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between January 7th to 10th, 2013, on behalf of the National Post/Postmedia News, Global Television, and NewsTalk 1010. For this survey, a sample of 809 Ontarians from Ipsos' Ontario online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within +/- 3.9 percentage points had all Ontarians adults been polled. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.
For more information on this news release, please contact:
John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid Public Affairs
416.324.2002
[email protected]
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