So mass havoc yesterday after Ontario's elementary teachers staged a one-day walkout. The schools belonging to eight school boards—including the province's largest—closed their doors as part of a staged strike.
In Toronto, nearly 14,000 traded the classroom for the picket line in what was dubbed "Super Tuesday."
According to an article in the Huffington Post, teachers are protesting legislation that gives the "provincial government the power to end strikes and impose a collective agreement on the teachers."
By repealing Bill 115, the government can put an end to strikes, involvement teachers claim goes against their human rights.
"It's gotten a little sticky, that's unfortunate," Premier Dalton McGuinty said on CityTV's Breakfast Television, "but I am convinced we are doing the right thing for the long term. Thankfully, it's just the one day," he said of the strike, which was permitted with 72 hours' notice.
McGuinty urged teachers back to the bargaining table, yet the Liberals have "prepared the necessary legal documents" should they need to quash further strike action.
A Toronto teacher quoted by Metro claimed the strike was an "empty gesture." Do you agree? Should teachers be denied striking rights, like other public servants?
What did your kids do on their 'day off'?
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