Roger began teaching in England. He moved to Canada after marrying Margaret Wilson, a secondary teacher activist. Almost immediately upon arriving in this country, he was elected an executive member of the Toronto local of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation
(OSSTF).
Roger was a member of the committee that tried to take OSSTF out of OTF. After that short-lived effort, he joined the committee fighting for seniority rights. He went on to become the chief negotiator for Toronto following the 1975 strike. Much of Rogers’ career involved the changes brought into effect by Bill 100, the legislation resulting from the one-day, province-wide, 1972,
teachers’ strike that gave teachers the legal right to strike.
Roger explains the “resignation” strikes and “pink letters” that preceded Bill 100 and the Education Relations Commission that followed it. He related the complications and evolution of the Toronto Metropolitan School Board as well as solving problems with teacher resignations
and maternity and parental leave. He also talked about some of the internal conflicts within the OSSTF.
Roger retired in 1976, before the Mike Harris conflict.
Interview by Harry Smaller and Andy Hanson