Ontario English elementary teachers vote in favour of 4-year agreement

Strike action at the province’s public elementary schools has been taken off the table.

Members of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) voted 90 per cent in favour of accepting the central agreement with the Ford government.

The term of the four-year central agreement is from Sept. 1, 2022, to Aug. 31, 2026. Ratification from the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) is required for the agreement to take effect, and their vote is scheduled for next week.  

In a statement, ETFO President Karen Brown said, “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.”

“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,” Brown added.

Lecce praises new deal as other unions bargain

A statement from Education Minister Stephen Lecce reads in part, “From day one, we have worked hard to ensure kids can stay in class learning without disruption, with a focus on getting back to basics.”

“I am pleased that the ETFO has ratified their teachers’ central agreement, ensuring that 950,000 children benefit from three stable school years,” Lecce said.

ETFO represents approximately 80,000 teachers and occasional teachers and 3,500 designated early childhood educators, education support personnel, and professional support personnel.

Parts of the deal include funding for 401 full-time teachers and new specialist teaching positions for the 2024-2025 school year and increased funding in 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to maintain the positions.

The agreement will also see what the ETFO called a Bill 124 remedy for 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, with a referral to arbitration for a remedy for 2021-2022. The 2019 law Bill 124 capped salary increases for public sector workers to one per cent yearly for three years.

The government is still bargaining with the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA), whose members also voted in favour of a strike, and with the union representing teachers in the French public system, while Ontario secondary teachers remain in binding arbitration.

“We continue to call on Catholic and French education unions to get their deals done so that all kids are in class without the threat of disruption, with an emphasis on strengthening essential skills like reading, writing and math,” Lecce said.