Collective Bargaining

On February 12, ETFO came to a difficult decision: we accepted a framework agreement for bargaining proposed by the provincial government.

ETFO has  been  much  in the  news  in the  past  several  months.  there have  been  dire warnings  of imminent  strikes,  looming deadlines, and other  seemingly  apocalyptic  scenarios.

In 1998, delegates to the first ETFO annual meeting unanimously passed the following motion: That the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario work to restore free and full collective bargaining rights to teachers and education workers.

Since ETFO’s inception in 1998, strong collective bargaining has worked to equalize compensation and working conditions for teacher and occasional teacher members across the province.

As you know ETFO collective agreements expire at the end of August and bargaining for new agreements is underway.

Within  the  next  couple  of  months  you  will receive notification that your ETFO local is holding a vote to ratify the preliminary submission for the upcoming round of negotiations.

On August 31, less than 200 days from now, every ETFO teacher and occasional teacher collective agreement will expire. It is only at the bargaining table that ETFO  can bring about  changes that positively affect every member at once.

On average, Canadians spent 45 minutes less per workday with their families in 2005 than they did in 1986.

During the past four years there have been tremors and shockwaves across the education landscape, but for the most part educators, parents, administrators, and trustees have been lulled into passive acceptance. Most are oblivious to the devastation that is coming.