Collective Bargaining

Just over 100 delegates and 35 Union School participants attended Representative Council in February. Delegates welcomed guest speaker Cathy Crowe, a Toronto street nurse and advocate for eradicating homelessness.

Navigating a path for bargaining under the new two-tiered collective bargaining legislation continues to be an unprecedented voyage requiring time, patience and commitment to our bargaining goals.

More than 185 members attended the October Representative Council, including 23 participants in ETFO’s Leaders for Tomorrow program.

ETFO representatives have been meeting with the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) and the provincial government throughout the fall to determine central and local table items as is required under the School Boards Collective Bargaining Act, 2014.

ETFO collective agreements expired on August 31, 2014. Preparations for bargaining have been well underway for many months at both the provincial and local levels.

President Sam Hammond opened the ETFO 2014 Annual Meeting with a reflection on ETFO’s victories over the past year in the face of challenges that “were varied and at times daunting.”

As part of its priorities, ETFO provides learning opportunities for all members whatever their role or interest: classroom teacher, occasional teacher, ESP, PSP, DECE, local leader, chief negotiator or member of an equity-seeking group.

In August, just over 600 delegates gathered in Toronto at ETFO’s 2014 Annual Meeting to debate resolutions to guide our union and enhance the teaching profession.

President Hammond welcomed Representative Council members to their first meeting at ETFO’s new building. With the completion of the 2012 round of collective bargaining earlier in October, President Hammond thanked local presidents for their unwavering leadership over the past two years.

Bill 122 was introduced in the legislature on October 22, 2013 and will establish a formalized process for two-tier – central and local – bargaining for the education sector.