It is extremely rare that a major labour leader like Fred would weigh in on a tentative agreement made by another union. It is even more rare that he appears to be advocating for rejection. Tentative agreements are rarely rejected by union members in Canada, although there has been a slight uptick recently.

Context: The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) has reached an agreement with the Ontario government to use binding interest arbitration, avoiding the potential for a strike. Interest arbitration is typically used for essential workers, such as firefighters or nurses, that can’t legally strike. It is strange that a union with the right to strike, like high school teachers, are proposing this. While arbitration has been seen as a promising alternative, due to recent positive arbitration outcomes for nurses in Ontario, many in the labour movement are wary. Critics argue that relying on arbitration can weaken the union, deprive members of their voting power, and potentially lead to more bargaining impasses. It can also make unions dependent on the success of other unions in setting good wage standards. Additionally, choosing arbitration might inadvertently undermine the bargaining position of other unions. The choice by OSSTF is especially puzzling to some given the current favorable conditions for unions to achieve significant gains at the bargaining table.

Article with lots of information: https://theconversation.com/for-ontario-teachers-arbitration-is-no-substitute-for-the-right-to-strike-212432

Source tweet: https://twitter.com/FredHahnCUPE/status/1696731147365913071