Collective Bargaining
Elementary Podcast: Professional Learning
New tabled legislation that, is intended to ‘refocus’ the education system and improve outcomes for students.
On Monday, April 17, the Ontario Minister of Education tabled new legislation that, in his words, is intended to ‘refocus’ the education system and improve outcomes for students.
This was the second time in two days that ETFO was caught off-guard by a Ministry of Education announcement, demonstrating the government’s clear lack of consideration and respect for education stakeholders.
Read ETFO’s response to Bill 98, the Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act.
And, in case you missed it, here is our response to the Ford government’s ill-conceived plan that will not improve literacy, math for students.
Listen in to ETFO’s member-only telephone town halls on collective bargaining
From March 8 to March 22, the audio of ETFO’s member-only telephone town halls on collective bargaining is available for ETFO members.
You can listen to the town hall at ETFO’s Secure website. Click here to listen to the town halls.
If you have not yet registered at members.etfo.ca you can do so by clicking here. You will need your ETFO ID to register.
Bargaining Update: Teacher/Occasional Teacher Central Bargaining
Today, on Wednesday, February 15, ETFO met with representatives from the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) and the government at ETFO’s Teacher/Occasional Teacher Central Bargaining Table. Talks are progressing slowly, but the tone of discussions remains positive.
Additional bargaining dates have been scheduled for Teacher/Occasional Teacher negotiations (on Tuesday, February 28) and Education Worker negotiations (on Monday, February 27). Additional central bargaining dates will be shared with members when they are confirmed.
Central Bargaining Member Telephone Town Halls in March
During the evenings of Wednesday March 1 and Thursday, March 2, ETFO will be holding telephone town halls. During the telephone town halls, members will be provided with a central bargaining update. Please mark these dates in your calendar.
ETFO will be sharing more information with members regarding town hall allocations on Tuesday, February 21 via CB eNewsletter and on the ETFO Collective Bargaining website.
For more information about ETFO’s bargaining goals or the bargaining process, please visit etfocb.ca
Bargaining, Step by Step – ETFO
In the latest episode of the Elementary podcast, ETFO General Secretary Sharon O’Halloran and Deputy General Secretary Lisa Mastrobuono take us through the collective bargaining process in the education sector, step-by-step.
The Elementary podcast can be found on most podcast apps or at etfo.ca.
Plus, don’t miss the opportunity to be part of the Elementary podcast for ETFO members. Two elementary school-aged children introduce each podcast; if you know a child who would like to participate, email podcast@etfo.org to find out more.
Collective Action Reverses Bill
It’s up to all of us to stand up against a government that uses legislation as a blunt instrument to legislate away our constitutional rights.
It’s up to all of us to rise against oppressive and draconian measures intended to attack democracy by trampling on Charter rights.
And it’s up to all of us to welcome and inspire others to join our fight.
This is what we did this past week when our union stood shoulder to shoulder, united with private and public sector unions. Together we forced the Ford government to rescind Bill 28, the legislation that would force CUPE education workers back to work and interfere in their bargaining process.
At the November 7 joint labour media conference Karen Brown, ETFO President, said, “Let there be no doubt that we will not stand by and watch the government strip away our constitutionally-protected rights because they want to avoid the inconvenience of negotiations. Never—not today, not in this province.”
Read the media release from the Ontario Federation of Labour on this issue and you can watch the media conference here.
CUPE Solidarity – Stay Tuned!
This week, the CUPE bargaining team returned to negotiations as Ford confirmed that on Monday, November 14, the Ontario government would rescind the back-to-work legislation and remove it from the legislative record.
What a significant victory for all workers in the province and across Canada.
Please remember that your solidarity and support for CUPE education workers are still needed as bargaining continues. To stay up to date on CUPE negotiations, visit the Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU) site at osbcu.ca.
In the News
It’s been a busy couple of weeks thanks to the heavy-handed actions of the Ford government. Here are a few ETFO provincial media stories from the past month:
- CTV News – Back-to-work legislation an “outrageous assault on workers,” union says
- CityNews – Parents react to possible education workers’ strike
- Global News – CUPE to stage province-wide protest Friday in response to Ontario’s ban on strike
- CBC – TDSB to close all schools for in-person learning on Friday as education workers vow to walk off job
- Globe and Mail – Ontario school boards tell parents to keep children home Friday as CUPE workers ready to strike
- CBC – Notwithstanding clause puts ‘dark cloud’ over collective bargaining, union leaders warn
- Toronto Star – Broad union support for general strike unprecedented, labour experts say
To view all of our media releases and statements, visit etfo.ca.
ETFO Podcast Elementary begins Season 2 with a conversation about collective bargaining history
There are two parts to the collective agreements governing workers in the education sector: central terms and local terms. But it hasn’t always been this way. In the latest episode of Elementary, renowned labour lawyer Howard Goldblatt, founding partner of Goldblatt Partners LLP, on the history of the School Boards Collective Bargaining Act and what it means for teachers and education workers in Ontario who are bargaining their collective agreements.
You can listen and subscribe to the podcast here, or on most podcast apps.