Delegates approve MTS fee increase of 3.3 per cent

The fee teachers pay for The Manitoba Teachers’ Society will increase 3.2 per cent in the coming year, following approval of the 2009-2010 budget at the Society’s Annual General Meeting.

The iincrease works out to $29 per member or $905 annually.

'MTS must speak with one voice about issues that matter to Manitoba educators'

The president of The Manitoba Teachers’ Society challenged delegates to the 90th Annual General Meeting to concentrate on issues that make a difference in the lives of teachers and “how we can make their lives better.”

“Our members are depending on us to be their voice on the issues that matter to them,” she told the 283 delegates. “Teachers don’t want us rehashing issues that have nothing to do with the classroom.

  “They don’t want us spinning our wheels arguing about things they don’t care about. They want us to look forward, not back, with a vision that would make thousands of men and women who founded and built The Manitoba Teachers’ Society proud.”

Isaak focused on the fact that MTS was founded 90 years ago when “hundreds of Manitoba teachers united to create an organization to address their salaries and working conditions.

“But organizing at that time was about much more.”

The creation of the teachers’ society came just three weeks before the Winnipeg General Strike, which was largely focused on workers’ rights to organize and act collectively.

This was no less important to teachers 90 years ago and no less important to teachers today, she said.

“We should never take for granted the right of teachers to act collectively and speak as one,” she said. “The courage of those who came before us, their respect for the democratic process and their insistence that teachers’ greatest strength lies in a single voice are qualities for us to emulate.

“We can honour their legacy by focusing on collective action and speaking with one voice.”

Isaak pointed out that through the years MTS has used that voice to make substantial improvements in the lives of teachers and public education, from elimination of onerous government policies to improvements in salaries, benefits and the pension plan.

Now, the Society must focus its efforts on issues of concern to current teachers and she directed some comments directly at the provincial Minister of Education Peter Bjornson, who was in attendance.

She said the government deserves credit in a number of areas, “but when it come to controlling teacher workload, Mr. Minister, we have work to do.

“Just ask the teacher with 80 students in her phys ed class. Or the teacher with 64 outcomes to report for each student. Or the teacher with five educational assistants in his classroom. Or the resource teacher who has some much paperwork to fill out she rarely gets to work with students.

“We have work to do, Mr. Minister, and I look forward too working with you to give teachers more time to do what they love – teach.”

Government committed to continue improving public education, says minister

Despite tough economic times, Education Minister Peter Bjornson pledged to build on the provincial government’s record of strong financial support for public education.

He said while it is difficult to predict the future, the province has shown its commitment by increasing public education funding by more than five per cent in the face of the current recession.

 On top of operating funds, the province has made improvements to school infrastructure “a main priority.”

Bjornson said the provincial caucus, one-third of whom are educators, are well aware of the impact government policies in the ‘90s had on public education. It was those policies that put the 12 teachers into government.

“Having taught in the ‘90s, I have seen the destructive impact of policies on teachers and students.”

Bjornson said the province has made substantial strides in both eliminating those policies and in looking toward the future.

For example, he said that while student populations have declined, the government has provided enough funding to keep teachers employed and improve on the province’s pupil-teacher ratio.

Bjornson listed a number of areas in which he said this government has improved public education from safety in schools to improvements in teachers’ pensions.

He said the progress would be in stark contrast to what might have happened had promised policies of the Progressive Conservatives been implemented. He pointed out that a promise made by the Tories in 2003 was to spend just on “basic education” with $10 million a year going to schools of excellence.

If that promise had been implemented, Bjornson said he can only imagine the damage that would have been done to the public education system.


Delegates approve equity committee, new Aboriginal bursary

Delegates to the MTS Annual General Meeting approved creation of another bursary for Aboriginal students in full-time undergraduate programs in faculties of education.

The Society will now offer six bursaries worth $2,400 each. The addition of the sixth was to include the University of the North education program.

The bursaries are offered, preferably to those in their graduating year, to deserving students in need of financial assistance and distributed to the faculties for award and administration.

Also during the first day of the AGM, delegates approved creation of an Equity and Social Justice Committee.

The new committee will specifically address issues related to safe, inclusive teaching environments, discrimination and social justice.


Two honoured for long-time work with the teachers' society

Two long-time members of The Manitoba Teachers' Society were honoured at the 90th Annual General Meeting.

Former General Secretary Judy Bradley and former member of the provincial executive, Bob Land, were given life memberships in the society.

Province to be asked to increase funding for newly-enrolled immigrant students

The Manitoba Teachers’ Society says the provincial government should increase funding to school divisions for the education of newly-enrolled immigrants.

Delegates supported a resolution for an increase because of the “significant increase” of students in both Francais (FL1) and Immersion schools (FL2) “that are not receiving adequate funding.”

The situation has led to a significant increase in the workload of educators in those schools.

“There is a funding inequality for immigrant students in FL1 and FL2 programs as these schools receive less funds,” the EFM says. “For similar students in the English program, schools receive $750 in extra funding per student for English as an Additional Language.”

To educate the same students in French programs, school receive only $350 in extra funding for language acquisition.

Experience limits on maternity leave should be increased

Delegates at the MTS Annual General Meeting voted overwhelmingly in favour of pressing the provincial government to increase the maximum allowable amount of credit for experience for parental and maternity leave.

The Society wants the limit increased to 200 days per school year.

“At present, members accessing paternal or maternity leave are only eligible to receive credit to a maximum of 85 days,” says the resolution from the St. James Assiniboia Teachers’ Association. “This is extremely unfair for women accessing maternity leave.”

The association says the change wouldn’t cost the school divisions or provincial government.

The change “addresses and equity and fairness issue and would address the discrimination towards women on the basis of having children. Women who would normally receive their salary increment in a timely fashion have their increment delayed for no rationale or reasonable reason.”

The increase would also bring Manitoba up to the levels provided in other provinces “which count maternity and parental leave as continuous service with experience increments.”

Regional representation for MTS to be investigated

The Manitoba Teachers’ Society will look into establishing electoral regions for election of its provincial executive.

Delegates at the Annual General Meeting voted in favour of establishing a committee to look at the feasibility of electing 11 provincial executive members for staggered two-year terms based on set regions.

“To ensure that every teacher in the province has the opportunity to participate in the selection of executive members, teachers should elect provincial executive members regionally,” says the resolution from the Louis Riel Teachers’ Association. “This ensures that members’ voices in every region are heard directly.”


Pension plan sees worst year for investments, number of teachers retiring drops

There has been a decline in the number of teachers retiring over the past five years and a further decline is expected in the immediate future, says the Teachers’ Retirement Allowances Fund.

After reaching a high in about 2004, the number of retirements has declined.

Currently there are 2,000 active Manitoba teachers eligible for a pension now with another 2,400 who will be eligible over the next five years, says Brenda Venuto, TRAF vice-president of member services.

As well as apparently keeping some teachers in the classroom, the declining economy has hit TRAF investments.

It recorded its worst year ever in 2008 with a minus-11.7 per cent return on investments.

Jeff Norton, president and Chief Operating Officer, said it was the worst return TRAF has ever posted, but still performed well against set benchmarks such as similar pension plans.

And, as he underscored during good times, Norton said the plan does not get excited over great gains or losses in the short term.

In the long-term, the plan has seen a gain of 6.8 per cent over 10 years and projections into the future also expect gains of more than six per cent.

Meanwhile, as the number of active teachers remains relatively stable, the number of retired teachers continues to grow. In 1999 there were about 14,000 active teachers and fewer than 8,000 retired teachers. In 2008, there were about 14,000 active teachers and just under 12,000 retired teachers. It is expected the number of retirees will pass active teachers in the next five to seven years


Committee to examine issues around student promotion and credit

The Manitoba Teachers’ Society will study the role of teachers regarding the promotion and credit of Manitoba students.

A committee will be created to take a wide-ranging look at issues that have an impact on the professional autonomy and judgment of teachers.

Suggested by the St. James-Assiniboia Teachers’ Association, the committee will be expected to examine a number possible practices “to help protect our professional autonomy and the integrity of the diplomas students earn.”

The issues the committee will investigate will include such issues as:

Support for province-wide bargaining upheld at AGM

Delegates to the Annual General Meeting have upheld the Society’s support of provincial bargaining.

Members voted down a resolution that would have eliminated the policy.

However delegates also voted to create a committee to review the model for provincial bargaining.

Currently the MTS policy supports provincial bargaining with the goal of obtaining a single collective agreement for all public school teachers.


Premiums for Disability Benefits Plan to increase

The fee teachers pay for coverage under the MTS Disability Benefits Plan will increase in the new year.

The fee will increase to 2.18 per cent of salary from 1.88 per cent, mainly because of the economic downturn and accompanying losses in investment returns.

“Interim estimates … indicate that the Plan has a deficit of approximately 10 per cent,” the DBP reported. “While the additional proposed premium will improve the funding, the volatility of the market makes it difficult to predict the funded status.”

Last year the premium had been reduced from 2.2 per cent of salary to 1.8 per cent.


Paul Olson re-elected as vice-president of MTS

Delegates to the Annual General Meeting re-elected Paul Olson as vice-president of the Society.

Olson beat out three other contenders in the elections that also seated six people on the provincial executive.

Elected to the executive were newly-elected Norm Gould, St. James-Assiniboia and re-elected: Pat Hamm, Prairie Rose; Pam Stinson, Portage la Prairie; Karen Wiebe, Pembina Trails; Blaine Johnson, Mountain View and Kyle McKinstry, Pine Creek.

 

 

 

MTS 2009 Annual General Meeting
May 28-30, 2009 / Fairmont Hotel, Winnipeg