Getting Politically Active and Engaged
Growing up, my parents were both Canadian Auto Workers, union members at General Motors and Chrysler. My aunt, Phyllis Lennox, was a teacher in Kawartha Pine Ridge (KPR) and worked her way into local leadership. She became only the second woman to be elected president of the Ontario Public School Teachers’ Federation (OPSTF). After the merger of the OPSTF and the Federation of Women Teachers’ Associations of Ontario in 1998, she became the first president of the newly formed Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario.
As a child, I knew that being a union member was important. I heard conversations about collective bargaining, member meetings and strike action. I attended rallies and pickets. I remember seeing my aunt on television disagreeing with someone who I now know was the infamous former Progressive Conservative premier of Ontario, Mike Harris. Seeing my aunt stand up for teachers during the 1997 teacher “strike” (really it was a political protest against the PC government) was inspiring to me as a little girl. Watching her, I knew that I wanted to be a teacher and get involved in the union.
As an Intermediate French immersion teacher in Kawartha Pine Ridge, I have taught grades 7 and 8 for the majority of my career. KPR is a smaller local with just under 1,500 teacher members. It spans east to west from Quinte to Clarington, and north to Kawartha Lakes. As a former KPR French immersion student, teaching here feels like coming full circle.
I didn’t always understand unionism or political context as a child, but I knew that it was meaningful. Now, political action has become one of my passions – both as an ETFO member and as a community member. I have been chair of the KPR ETFO Political Action committee for the past several years and serve on the ETFO provincial Political Action standing committee. I even took a chance and put my name on the ballot as a candidate in the federal election in 2019!
There is a very real possibility that we will have a spring election in Ontario. Together, we have the opportunity to help organize for change in our communities. We can help elect progressive candidates across the province who will stand up for the investment our public schools and other public services need. This province deserves a government that will listen to stakeholders and work to improve quality of life for all Ontarians.
Connecting With Your Local
Many educators are feeling the impacts of system-wide underfunding daily in their schools and in their classrooms. Survey after survey tell us that educators are stressed and burnt out – but that’s what makes organizing even more important. The key for us in KPR has been to cultivate connections with one another, to learn about the issues together and to share what is happening in our local communities.
Our local has some consistent communication tools in place. We have a bi-weekly e-newsletter called The Good Stuff. The newsletter is sent to teacher and occasional teacher members and includes pertinent information about workshops, collective bargaining news, local events and committee updates. If you haven’t already, check if your local has a newsletter and sign up for it. These, along with the ETFO provincial e-newsletter, are great ways to find out about events and opportunities in your union at both the local and provincial level.
Social media is also a great resource. Our local has a closed Facebook group where the same types of news and events are shared. Beyond sharing information, members can ask questions or seek advice from colleagues. Sometimes the group is an outlet to bring up concerns at work sites, and this helps members see they are not alone in the issues they are facing at school. Although it is virtual, the group fosters a great sense of community. It also allows us to promote events like our AGM or local office open houses where members can gather in-person.
As a local, we have worked hard to be both representative of our community and to make sure that there is a diversity of voices at our decision-making tables. We have facilitated focus groups for members who self-identify as racialized, 2SLGBTQ+, and/or members living with a disability.
We also work to connect with new members. Our local hosts annual 4th Block Socials, where members are invited to gather for food, drinks and conversation. It’s a way for members to meet the released officers and executive members in a relaxed setting. ETFO locals are doing things like this across the province. If you are not connected to your local but want to be more active and find out more information, I encourage you to connect and get involved.
Building Broader Relationships
Being active in ETFO has opened many doors for me. I have been able to participate in programs like Union School, collective bargaining conferences and parliamentarian training. I am thankful to have participated in Women’s Programs like And Still We Rise, Sisters in the Struggle and Women in Action. I have learned so much through programs such as these, and I feel confident bringing this knowledge back to my local to share with others. You can find all the programs that are available to you through your local and through the provincial office at etfo.ca.
I keep in touch with colleagues I’ve met through these programs who have now become friends. We keep each other posted on life events and things going on in our locals. We look forward to seeing each other at events throughout the year – especially Annual Meeting in August. We have meaningful connections to one another thanks to our work in our union. One of the greatest gifts of being a union member is the sense of community and connection.
As we connect with one another, through meetings, programs and events, we build relationships. Your local will have opportunities to meet you where you are, understanding that the threshold for engagement will be different for different people. The key is to decide to get engaged. Maybe that means signing up for email or text notifications, maybe it means coming out to a general meeting or program, or maybe it even means leafletting and door knocking at election time.
Something unique about KPR ETFO is that the teacher and occasional teacher locals work very closely. We are proud of the relationship that we have fostered over the years. Likewise, our local works with affiliates like the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF), CUPE and the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA). This collaboration has been useful when planning events such as town halls and community forums. It is also powerful to have KPR ETFO and the affiliates working with school board trustees and being present at board meetings.
We also try to be present at community events. KPR ETFO makes a point of having a booth at events such as Pride marches and Labour Day picnics in conjunction with the local labour councils. If you are at one of these events anywhere in the province and see an ETFO booth, come introduce yourself! If you are interested in volunteering, that’s a great way to get involved.
The ETFO provincial office works alongside the education affiliates (OSSTF, OECTA, Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens [AEFO] and CUPE) on shared positions related to public education. ETFO is a partner in the broader labour movement as a member of the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL), and in the country as a member of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC).
These connections with other workers and labour unions are invaluable when supporting one another through conflicts like strikes and during bargaining or Charter challenges. We have seen what can happen when the house of labour stands united.
Both locally and provincially, our goal is to support public education and other public services, and to recognize the contribution of educators and other workers. With both federal and provincial elections on the horizon, mobilization and engagement are a priority for unions, not only in Ontario, but across the country.
Mobilizing Educators
Our voices hold power. They hold power in our schools, in our homes and in our communities When it comes to politics, polls have consistently shown that community members trust educators more than the government. As educators, a good many of us have been graced with the gift of gab. Talking about issues – about our experiences in our schools and classrooms, and about what public education could look like if our schools were fully funded – is useful and necessary.
Among the things members can do to help advance the needs and priorities of public schools is to have open and honest conversations with family, friends, colleagues and neighbours about the issues that affect both educators and students. We can share our concerns about the negative effects of underfunding on our schools – the lack of special education supports, neglected repairs, increasing violence, excessive heat and large class sizes, just to name a few.
One of the best tools available to ETFO members to support these conversations is the Building Better Schools website (BuildingBetterSchools. ca). You don’t have to have all the answers when you chat about public education, you can direct people to the BBS site for more information. There, people can read about ETFO’s vision for public education and access a tool to look up how much funding has been cut from their local school since the Ford government came to power in 2018.
If you’re interested in getting active around the next provincial election, don’t hesitate to contact your local political action committee. Ask them whether there are plans to engage members in the next election and how you can get involved. If your local does not have a committee, ask what opportunities exist for organizing. If the PAC chair is a committee of one, join them! There is no need to be a political expert; you just need to be someone who cares about our public schools, students and communities. As the largest education union in Canada, ETFO members have the opportunity to make a very real impact on the provincial election.
The next time your local holds a meeting – be it an open house, AGM, collective bargaining information session or strike vote information session – plan to attend. Bring a friend. Talk to colleagues and encourage them to bring a friend. Being an educator is inherently political, so pay attention, educate yourself and get involved! Our public schools depend on it. Your union needs you.
Sarah Whalen is a member of the Kawartha Pine Ridge Teacher Local.