Thanks for sharing, Muna. I also get the impression that a lot of our @osstfd19 members don’t have the time or energy to learn about what their local reps do on a daily basis. The vast majority of our TBU Exec in Peel are volunteers. https://twitter.com/munakadri/status/1306399477205471232

They do a ton of work on behalf of our members on top of their full-time job as a classroom teacher. We have 4 elected time release in Peel, and we work from 8:30-4:30 at a minimum each day.

Some days, we have meetings that go into the evenings, such as our TBU Council and Executive which both meet at least monthly. We also have regular meetings with HR, Health and Safety, Assessment and Evaluation, Spec Ed, and the Equity and Inclusion committees of the Board.

Most days lately, we are having conversations with senior admin about the re-opening of schools so that we can share the concerns and questions that our members have brought to our attention. We also currently have multiple grievances that are at various stages of the process.

If I have time on my calendar without a meeting, I like to work on researching and preparing for upcoming grievance hearings or letters that we may have to submit to the board.

But more importantly than all of this, we are the people who our members reach out to with questions and concerns. Most days, I’ll get about a dozen phone calls and 30-40 emails. I always strive to answer members’ questions as quickly as I can, but sometimes I have to follow up.

Sometimes phone calls with members can be very difficult. People experience challenging situations at work and in life. It can be hard and emotionally draining to spend hours on the phone with someone who needs support and still feel like you can’t solve all of their problems.

Most days, I have to reach out to principals or superintendents on behalf of our members. Often, it’s as simple as reading the administrator an email that the director’s office had previously sent, explaining what should be happening in their school.

However, some days, these conversations end up going on for days or weeks because change doesn’t happen quick enough for our members. Ultimately, we may need to pursue the formal grievance process.

Regularly, a member calls and asks if OSSTF can discipline one of their teacher colleagues. This seems to be a common misunderstanding among our members. We offer support and can offer formal mediation to support members in conflict with one another, but...

Your union CAN’T discipline you. Only the employer can discipline employees. When employees are disciplined by the employer, we support them as their representatives and also ensure that due process is followed.

If discipline is unwarranted, we grieve the Letter of Discipline to hopefully have it removed.

Not to end abruptly, but I thought I’d contribute some info here. Gotta get to work now. In solidarity.