Will public elementary teachers reach a deal before school starts?
Posted September 1, 2015 7:03 am.
Last Updated September 1, 2015 9:16 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
With the start of the school year exactly one week away, contract talks are set to resume on Tuesday between Ontario’s public elementary teachers’ union and the province.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), which represents 76,000 teachers, has been in a legal strike position since May 10.
The union started a work-to-rule campaign back in May, citing wages, class sizes and teacher prep time as major sticking points in their negotiations.
If a deal isn’t reached, teachers are vowing to step up their work-to-rule action on the first day of school.
The head of ETFO Sam Hammond said teachers won’t participate in any field trips, fundraising activities, meeting or training sessions, professional development sessions or respond to any electronic communications from the principal or vice-principal outside the school day except where student safety is involved.
The contracts for all Ontario teachers expired last August.
With files from The Canadian Press
