SUDBURY, Ont. -- High school teachers in Sudbury hit the picket lines Monday, following the breakdown of negotiations with the Rainbow District School Board over the weekend.
Rainbow District is the second district hit by a strike -- last Monday high school teachers in Durham Region went on strike.
The Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation District 3 President James Clyke said Sunday that the board rejected every single substantive issue the union raised during negotiations.
He said it was unfair to give members, parents and students "false hope" that the negotiations were productive, which prompted the strike.
Rainbow District School Board Chair Doreen Dewar denied this claim on Sunday and said that the board is "ready to negotiate at any time."
He also said the board was willing to continue talks but accused the union of saying negotiations were at an impasse.
Clyke says the union is willing to return to the table as early as Monday if the board is willing to discuss their proposals.
Dewar says she encourages the union to join the board in resuming local negotiations as quickly as possible, but that due to the break down of talks secondary schools will be closed in the district today.
