The current conflicting views with regards to the Putting Students First Act, Bill 115, have created a turbulent educational, political climate within Ontario. As teaching federations (such as the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation and the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario) launch court action and as teachers express outrage through various work-to-rule resistance techniques, the Ontario Legislature faces scrutiny from many in teaching. Numerous union leaders and their constituents agree that the Bill has surpassed teachers’ union collective bargaining rights and one political leader in particular, Andrea Horwarth, has proclaimed that the Bill is “unconstitutional.” Bill 115 is one of many pieces of legislation the Ontario government has adopted in relation to the education system over the past few decades and it is currently regarded by many in the teaching profession as a seizure of their rights.3 In 1975 with the adoption of the School Boards and Teachers Collective Negotiation Act, Bill 100, teachers gained more rights within their profession as they fought to win the right to legally strike. Bill 100 laid the foundation for the proper processes and protocol that were to be followed by teachers’ unions and the Ontario government when negotiating teacher rights. In particular, with the establishment of possible legal strike action, teachers gained more leverage when sitting at the bargaining table. The adoption of Bill 100 was a significant moment for teachers and teaching unions across Ontario; and although adopted more than 35 years ago, it continues to guide teachers in their actions within the education system.
Given the current political climate in Ontario, we decided to research the formation of teachers’ unions province-wide with a particular focus on the 1970s and the passing of the School Boards and Teachers Collective Negotiation Act. Bill 100 was a monumental occasion for teachers as it is understood as the “birth of bargaining legislation” within the teaching profession.3 We plan to trace the role teachers’ unions played in negotiations with the provincial government and outline the causes and consequences of 1970s legislation that significantly impacted teachers. We centralize our research around why Bill 100 came into effect and how the adoption of this Bill affected teachers across Ontario.
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