ETFO has done a great deal in the past couple of years to fight for our collective bargaining rights and the democratic rights of all Ontarians. I have been inspired and awed as I’ve watched ETFO members respond to unfair and undemocratic government initiatives with strength, commitment, and dedication.
The last year has been a tumultuous one for education Politics in Ontario and one that has seen democratic rights and principles die on the altar of political expediency.
The past year of negotiations has been difficult for ETFO and other public sector unions. With the release of the Drummond report in February, the government began a systematic assault on public sector workers.
ETFO's member communications campaign for the 2012 round of collective bargaining.
Teachers often talk about coming to our profession as one comes to a calling.
As the vice presidents and I have travelled around the province over the last two months meeting with members to discuss the parameters tabled by the government at the Provincial Discussion Table, some questions have consistently been raised. I would like to share them here.
In the Winter 2011 edition of Voice, you were introduced to the approved bargaining goals that ETFO will pursue in the upcoming round of negotiations. These goals form the foundation of what we would like to achieve for our next collective agreements.
When Mary Bell became the president of the Wisconsin teachers’ union in 2007, she didn’t envisage she’d be leading a grassroots battle against a government assault on public sector unions. Wisconsin workers had some cause to be complacent about their bargaining rights.