Key test for high school teachers’ deal today

A tentative agreement between public high school teachers and the province reached early yesterday morning faces a key test today as the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation presents it to local union leaders.

Those local leaders have to give their approval before the deal is sent to the general membership for ratification.

A full vote wouldn’t happen until after Labour Day — but the endorsement of local union leaders now could mean plans for a work to rule campaign would be postponed.

Most school boards still have to reach deals on local issues, but getting a province-wide agreement on issues including money and class sizes was seen as the bigger hurdle.

Sources say the deal includes slight pay increases even though the Wynne government had said no more money was available while the budget remains unbalanced.  That may mean costs have been cut somewhere else.

OSSTF union president Paul Elliott says talks finally began moving forward when the premier got personally involved and school boards dropped their request for more freedom to set class sizes.