ETFO’s education workers vote in favour of new four-year deal
Posted October 23, 2023 5:26 pm.
Last Updated October 23, 2023 8:22 pm.
Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) education workers have voted 80 per cent in favour of a new four-year contract with the Council of Trustees’ Associations and the Ontario government.
The deal with ETFO’s 3,500 education workers — comprised of designated early childhood educators, education support personnel, and professional support personnel — is valid from September 1, 2022, to August 31, 2026.
In a release, ETFO President Karen Brown said members showed “their support for a four-year central agreement that addresses many of their key bargaining goals, including salary increases, maintaining funding for current benefit levels, paid professional learning, job security, and a Supports for Students Fund that protects special education roles in our schools.”
A tentative deal with ETFO’s education workers was first struck in September, leading to the vote.
“While these negotiations were prolonged and difficult, ETFO stood firm refusing to accept contract strips, and will continue to do the same as we negotiate a central agreement for ETFO’s 80,000 teacher and occasional teacher members,” Brown added.
Just last week, elementary teachers voted unanimously (95 per cent) in favour of strike action if necessary.
Negotiations are still underway, however, and a strike deadline has not been announced.
Ontario’s Minister of Education, Stephen Lecce, called the news of the teachers’ strike mandate “extremely disappointing” in a statement released on social media, accusing ETFO of “rejecting every opportunity” to secure a deal.
Lecce celebrated the ETFO workers deal on Monday, while urging elementary teachers to follow suit.
“This is a positive reminder that when unions put kids first, we can land agreements that provide stability for parents and continuity of learning for their kids,” he said.
“With the overwhelming majority of union members supporting Ontario’s proposals, it’s time the other teacher unions get on with it, end the delay, and get a deal done so we can guarantee three full years of uninterrupted learning for all Ontario students.”
