TORONTO, ON — On January 16, 2024, OSSTF/FEESO and ETFO stood before an arbitrator to argue for a fair remedy to the Ford government’s unlawful Bill 124 wage suppression legislation affecting public sector workers. Today, Arbitrator William Kaplan issued his decision on a remedy, awarding members an additional 2.75 per cent compensation increase for 2021- 2022, for a total amount of 7.25 per cent for the 2019-2022 contract term. Compounded, the total percentage increase is 7.41, including the one per cent increases allowed under the unlawful Bill 124.

The arbitrated award comes 15 months after Bill 124 – which the government knew would cause serious staffing issues in public services – was declared unconstitutional by the Courts.

Toronto, ON – Teacher and occasional teacher members of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) voted 90 per cent in favour of accepting the 2022-2026 Teacher/Occasional Teacher (T/OT) Central Agreement reached with the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) and the Ontario government. The term of the four year central agreement is from September 1, 2022, to August 31, 2026. OPSBA ratification is required for the agreement to take effect; their vote is scheduled for next week. 

“While this round of bargaining was exceptionally lengthy and difficult, ETFO members stood firm in the face of cuts, pressed for improvements to working and learning conditions, and won,” says ETFO President Karen Brown. “This agreement is proof that the legal bargaining process works when it’s allowed to unfold as intended. I want to thank members for their strength, resistance and persistence.” 

TORONTO, ON – The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has reached a tentative central agreement for its 80,000 teacher and occasional teacher members with the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association and the Ontario government.

“After 14 months of central bargaining, we’re pleased to be able to bring forward a tentative agreement to our teacher and occasional teacher members that protects their collective agreement entitlements and also addresses key bargaining goals,” says ETFO President Karen Brown. “This has been the longest round of central bargaining in ETFO’s history, but we persisted. We remained focused on getting government cuts off the table and on addressing members’ working conditions, which are students’ learning conditions.”

Details of the agreement will be shared with ETFO teacher and occasional teacher members on Thursday, November 23, after a meeting with their local presidents and chief negotiators. A ratification vote is being scheduled; details of the vote will be shared with members once they are confirmed.

TORONTO, ON – Today, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) announced that its teacher and occasional teacher members voted 95 per cent in favour of central strike action.

“This strong strike mandate sends a very clear message to the government,” says ETFO President Karen Brown. “Our members have been working for over a year without a contract, and their patience has run out. We need the government to stop stalling and start negotiating seriously on our members’ key priorities, like providing more supports for students with special needs, acknowledging the staffing crisis in education, putting a fair compensation offer on the table, and addressing violence in schools.”

This strike mandate does not necessarily mean that ETFO members will be engaging in work-to-rule strike action or heading to picket lines at this time. Negotiations will continue at ETFO’s Teacher/Occasional Teacher Central Table.

TORONTO, ON – Given the unacceptably slow pace of bargaining, earlier today the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) advised school board agency and government representatives that the Federation would be applying for conciliation with the Minister of Labour for its two central tables – teacher/occasional teacher and education worker.

“Over the past year, ETFO’s central bargaining team has attempted to resolve key issues to secure a fair deal for its teacher, occasional teacher, and education worker members. But after a full year of bargaining without sufficient progress and negotiations at a standstill, the Federation is filing for conciliation,” says ETFO President Karen Brown. “Our members have been incredibly patient, but their patience has run out.”

TORONTO, ON – Given the lack of sufficient progress being made at the central bargaining table, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) will hold in-person meetings to conduct central strike votes and address bargaining issues. These all-member meetings will be held across the province from mid-September to mid-October.