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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1978-03-30, Page 1Seek volunteers to replace striking teachers the As expected, striking Huron county secondary school teachers continued to stay away from classroom this week. The Huron County Board of Education announced last week that it was lifting its lock out of the teachers and that the schools would be open Tuesday morning. Parents of the affected students heeded OSSTF’s spokesman Shirley Weary’s warning that the teachers would not show up, as ap­ proximately 35 students out of the 900 who normally ride the 19 buses that drop Here they come ••• Enthusiasm for plow match termed 'great' Thursday’s meeting at the Pineridge Chalet of all concerned in planning for the 1978 International Plowing Match was termed very successful. Huron’s Ag Rep Don Pullen who is doubling as secretary for the Huron International Plow Match committee said, “the en­ thusiasm and interest was great. I was told this was the largest meeting of its kind ever held. Meeting with Huron of­ ficials were executive members of the Ontario Plowmen’s Association and Area rivers are slightly higher According to Ausable- Bayfield Conservation Authority resources manager Don Pearson “all is under control’’ with regards to the spring run-off and providing that weather conditions remain constant, there should be no flooding problems this spring. Pearson stated that the rivers within the watershed peaked over the weekend due to the constant rains and warm temperatures. Earlier this week river levels returned to slightly above normal for this time of year. There is still the potential for spring flooding, the resources manager emphasized, if a prolonged spell of warm weather takes place but that the conserva­ BEAN TRUCK TURNS OVER — A Dorner Transport truck carrying 45,000 pounds of white beans from Hensail to Montreal tipped over at the Elginfield intersection on Highway 4 Sun­ day night. The beans were being shipped to Angola, The above picture shows the beans being reloaded onto a W.G. Thompson and Sons truck while below the truck is being pulled back into proper travelling position. T-A photo students off at South Huron District High School in Exeter showed up for classes. The students were met at the main entrance by principal Joseph Wooden who told the students to go home. About 30 representatives of District 45, Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) council, composed of the negotiating team and representatives from all five county high schools, unamimously agreed not to • return to the schools. from Frontenac and Kent counties. The 1977 match was held in Frontenac and the. 1979 will be staged in Kent county. Pullen continued, “The OPA directors are very valuable in these planning sessions. They are really the key people. They have the experience of a number of matches and provide the necessary continuity.” Thursday’s meeting was held to discuss matters of mutual concern regarding the 1978 match which will be held on the Jim Armstrong farm near Wingham from tion authority is monitoring water levels on a twice daily basis. This information is sent to Toronto where, com­ bined with other informa­ tion, a forecast of water levels takes place. Some problems could take place if the ice jams up in the river mouths at Port Franks, Grand Bend or Bayfield, he stated. At the Parkhill dam, the conservation authority is trying a new approach to spring runoff with the release of water prior to ex­ pected periods of heavier flow. Pearson warned area boating enthusiasts that to travel either the Ausable or Rayfield river once the ice has left would be un­ wise due to the fast flowing and near freezing water. In a release Tuesday, the board said in view of that morning’s development whereby almost 100 percent of the secondary school teachers of Huron decided not to report to school, the buses would not be operating until further notice. The board said when acknowledgement is received from the teachers of their interest in the educational process of this county bus service will be resumed. In the meantime the schools will remain open for any student who derive can benefit. September 26 to 30. OPA secretary-manager Ed Starr said “more exhibitor space has been sold than ever before at this time.” Huron’s chairman Howard Datars of Dashwood said he was very pleased with the co­ operation of all of the 23 local committees. Datars added, “All but one of the com­ mittee chairmen were in attendance Thursday and that committee was represented by the vice- chairman. Pullen said interest for future International matches is continuing high. In ad­ dition to the 1979 match in Kent, the next four years are already booked. They are 1980, Oxford; 1981, Simcoe; 1982, Middlesex; 1983, Ottawa-Carleton. Wellington and Elgin will be attempting to get the 1984 match. The first International match was held at the Sunnybrook Farms in York County in 1913. It has been held twice before in Huron. They were at Port Albert in 1946 and the Scott Farms near Seaforth in 1966. Chairman Datars said a meeting is being held with potential caterers this week to plan the plowing match banquet which will be held September 29. He said close to 1,700 persons are expected to attend the banquet. The ladies committee under the direction of Carol Armstrong, wife of the host farmer has lined- up a complete program. This will include flower displays, craft shows, fashion shows and cooking demonstrations. The board announced Tuesday morning that it is considering the use of adult volunteers in the secondary schools who feel capable of acting as tutors or discussion, leaders at the grade 12 and 13 level. The board has asked that people interested in providing the service for the students contact the school principal in their area or contact the board office. When the board has deter­ mined how many volunteers it has to work with it plans on making a decision on how to implement the program. At South Huron, vice­ principal Herb Murphy said that as of Wednesday morning the school had received one call about being a part of the volunteer teaching staff. John Cochrane, the Board’s administrator said that 16 people have volun­ teered to man the county’s secondary Schools. Negotiations between the two parties had broken off February 14. The teachers began the rotating strikes the next day and with no sign of settlement the board, the following week, removed doubts about whether schools would be open by im­ posing the lockout. Both sides were optimistic Good Friday after a series of proposals were shuffled back and forth between the two negotiating teams. The board lifted its lockout and offered to negotiate two one- year contracts with the teachers if they would return to the classrooms with the stipulation that no work sanctions would be Picketers continue at Huron Park, but Fleck employees out-fox them The picket lines at Fleck Manufacturing cooled considerably this week as United Auto Workers were out-foxed by company of­ ficials. About 80 UAW members from Talbotville arrived at Huron Park around 7:00 a.m., Tuesday but there was no repetition of their earlier visit when windows were smashed and a car over­ turned. The union members were at the gate with striking Fleck workers awaiting the arrival of non-striking members, but after they had paraded for almost an hour they learned that their ef­ forts were in vain. The workers had arrived at Fleck around 4:00 a.m. After receiving that news, the London UAW members paraded off to the Fleck plant, but soon disbanded and departed for home. “We’re not going to serve any purpose here,’’ a spokesman said over a loud speaker system. Only one OPP car was at the gate. Inside were two female officers and one male constable. Another cruiser was in the Fleck plant area, and while pickets hooted and beckoned at the officers, they didn’t get any response. Some of the pickets ap­ peared disappointed that the policemen were not on hand to continue the scuffle that had broken out last Wed­ nesday with UAW members from Kitchener. Major crime is non-existent For some 40 prospective jurors from all parts of Huron County their stay in Goderich Tuesday was very short. The only case on the Supreme Court docket was settled out of court shortly before 2 p.m. and Justice Peter Cory of Toronto dis­ missed those eligible for jury duty. _ Justice Cory said it was the first time in his three years as a presiding judge that no cases were heard. taken until September of 1978. Cayley Hill, in an outburst following the 45 minute marathon session, said he had never encountered such militancy from teachers and said the board of education “will not be blackmailed by the teachers and will no’t have the children of Huron County put up for ransom as far as their education goes”. Hill said the teachers came into the meeting with a proposal that amounted to demands that must be in the contract and weren’t negotiable. He said the teachers made it “abundant­ ly clear” that the working conditions they proposed there they go Schools in Huron county were opened on Tuesday for business but few students and fewer teachers bothered showing up. At South Huron District High School in Exeter, the ap­ proximately 35 students who came on the buses were met at the main entrance by principal Joe Wooden and were told to go home . Staff photo imes - Advocate Serving South Huron, North Middlesex One Hundred and Fi , J h Year & North Lambton Since 1873 EXETER, ONTARIO, MARCH 30, 1978 Price Per Copy 25 Cents nesday pickets Walker showed up. They had left the city at 4:00 a.m. and while they eagerly marched to the picket line, their enthusiasm“cat and mouse” the Hiram Windsor game continued on Wed- when a busload of from plant A busload of officers was parked south of Huron Park but they were not called into and another bus and several cruisers were on an Usborne sideroad east of Highway 4, action. FOILED — UAW pickets are told to go home after it was learned Tuesday that Fleck workers were already at work. The latter had arrived at 4:00 a.m. T-A photo Will operate from Creditor! Stephen approves new fire truck At a recent special meeting, Stephen township council approved the purchase of a new pumper fire truck for fire area No. 2 with headquarters in Crediton. The new vehicle a Class A triple combination pumper on a 1977 Ford chassis is be­ ing purchased from King Seagrave Limited of Woodstock for $39,400. Clerk Wilmar Wein said some of the equipment in­ cluding ladders and hoses from the present vehicle will be transferred to the new machine and this move was instrumental in keeping the purchase price a bit lower. An agreement with On­ tario Development Corpora­ tion to provide snowplowing and grass cutting services at Huron Park was approved. The township will pay ODC $3,000 in 1978 for these ser­ “must be in the contract”. He said the teachers refusal to budge brought the marathon session to an early end. He added that no other proposals were even dis­ cussed. Hill’s disappointment was increased by teacher re­ quests for the 1978-79 school year that the board of educa­ tion simply couldn’t pay. He said the first proposal for salaries for the next con­ tract year amounted to a 13.5 percent increase. He added that the parties didn’t discuss salaries for the com­ ing year and that he didn’t know how adamant teachers were about proposal. vices. This is an increase of $500 from last year. Negotiations are also un­ derway with ODC to rent the annex to the Huron Park recreation centre. Need subscription? Three incidents of theft were reported to the Exeter police department this week. Thursday morning Dave Rogers of Exeter Roofing reported the theft of an asphalt tar trailer. Constable Kevin Short is in­ vestigating. Sometime between mid­ night Wednesday night and 8 a.m. Thursday *80 copies of The Exeter Times Advocate were taken from in front of Stan Frayne’s general store Shirley Weary said the fiasco on Good Friday clear­ ly showed that as the con­ troversy wore on both sides became more firmly en­ trenched. She said the teachers have become “in­ creasingly militant” and have as much as said to her “we’ve gone this far don’t even dare to ask us to go back for that (the latest board offer) after what we’ve given up”. She said last Friday’s ses­ sion left her with the feeling that things had never been worse. She said it was as though “someone had driven a bulldozer between us”. Weary said she planned to go to the Education Organizations in the Huron Park area are being asked to submit suitable names for a Community Centres Board. Council will be making application to the Ontario at the north end of Exeter. Constable Short is the in­ vestigating officer. Constable George Robert­ son is investigating the theft of four tires and four mag wheels owned by Gord Beuttenmiller. They were taken from the basement of an apartment at 301 Senior street. A man’s ring was found in the downtown area this week. It may be claimed at the police office by proving ownership. Relations Commission and request that a mediator be appointed to assist the con­ tract talks. She said she felt there was no way the two parties were going to come to any agreement and it would take a third party to settle the matter. She said the request for a mediator was the first step in ob­ taining ERC intervention. “I don’t think there’s anything more we can do directly”, she said. “The board won’t talk to us direct­ ly but maybe they’ll talk in- directly through a mediator.” Hill said he was surprised with the attitude of the teachers and felt the board could do no more to settle the situation. He said the teachers today wanted a “crown in heaven” and that the contractual problems basically boiled down to who was going to run the educa­ tion system, the teachers or the board. He said he felt the board had done everything it could. He said it had lifted the lockout, agreed to pay the teachers under the terms of this contract despite the fact it hadn’t been settled, and had set the stage for a settlement of this contract and commence­ ment of serious negotiations for the next pact. “They won’t negotiate.” he said. “We can’t bargain with a gun at our heads. As an elected body of public of­ ficials we are not, in my opi­ nion, in a position to accept that kind of an ultimatum. ’ ’ Hill said the board had been accused in the past of not being conscious of public needs. He said that if the Ministry of the Environment to establish a water system for the hamlet of Shipka and permission to obtain a supp­ ly of water from the Lake Huron pipeline. Despite continued restraints on spending by the provincial government, the township has been in­ formed by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food that $570,200 Will be available this year for tile drain loans. This is an in­ crease of $140,000 from 1977. Clerk Wein said current application are more than the new figure and added, “We will have to be careful with further applications.” A land severance applica­ tion from Ferman Snyder and Sons at Lot 19, Conces­ sion 17 was given approval. Council meetings for the balance of 1978 will be held the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. public was not satisfied with the board’s efforts to protect ratepayers they (the public) had better let it be known. He said ratepayers should make their opinions known through signed letters to the editors of com­ munity newspapers or letters to the board office. The board negotiator said he felt “professionalism” was lacking in Huron’s teachers. He said he hoped that the teachers would realize what the strike is do­ ing to the county education system and would return to the classroom. Shirley Weary said she felt the teachers had to con­ tinue to stand up for what they believed. She said she was not happy with the strike but said she didn’t feel. as much guilt about staying out of school Tues­ day as she did when she first walked out in mid-February. The proposal issued by the teachers for the Good Fri­ day session stated that workload conditions be written into the contract for both years under negotia­ tion. It specified that no teacher shall be responsible for more than 180 students in advanced credits, 155 in general credits other than commercial subjects, 140 students in technical credits and 100 in special education classes. Along with that a total pupil period contact proposal stated that no class shall exceed 30 students in advanced credits, 25 students in general credits, 20 students in technical classes and 15 in special ed. The board was also re­ Please turn to page 3 quickly waned. The tem­ perature was below freezing and few of them were dressed for the occasion. They paraded at the main gates from 7:00 a.m. but their ranks thinned about an hour later when their bus returned and many sought refuge from the cold. There was no police in­ tervention. There were three cruisers near the gate, but the occupants never left the vehicles. Once again, the pickets learned that their trip had been primarily in vain. None of the Fleck workers at­ tempted to cross the line. There appeared to be a difference of opinion as to when the Fleck workers started on the job, Tuesday, but Don Richardson, president of the Talbotville local said that it didn’t really matter what time the workers were bused in. “Fleck must be scraping the bottom of the barrel to get workers out so early”, he said. The picket lines were quiet Monday as four female OPP officers escorted a bus and some cars carrying 69 non­ striking production workers, office staff and supervisors from Fleck through the picket line of 23 strikers. On Friday the OPP laid three more charges against three Talbotville workers based on photos taken by London Free Press Please turn to page 3 School official dies during trip Alex Corrigan, 67-year-old vice-chairman of the Huron County Board of Education, died Tuesday night while returning to his Bluevale home from a NHL hockey game in Detroit. Several other board members made the trip to the game. Corrigan, who served On the board for six years, was stricken with a heart attack on the bus north of Hensall. He was taken to Clinton Hospital. He represented Wingham and the Townships of Turn­ berry and Howick.