ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO BILLION STEPS BACK

Days of Action

After years and study and discussion, FWTAO and OPSTF achieve a final pay equity settlement, which gives non-degree teachers (almost all women) between $3,000 and $13,000 extra salary every year.

However, Mike Harris is elected premier and cuts $2 billion from the education system. The cuts reduce special-ed, ESL, music, physical education and many other programs. Class sizes increase, support staff are fired, libraries are closed and schools start to crumble for lack of maintenance.

Teachers participate in the Days of Action protests but the government dismisses the hundreds of thousands of protesters as “special interests.”