ETFO Ottawa-Carleton Teachers and Occasional Teachers Begin Work-To-Rule Today

TORONTO, Dec. 3, 2012 /CNW/ - ETFO Ottawa-Carleton Teacher Local and ETFO Ottawa-Carleton Occasional Teacher Local have received no board reports through the conciliator appointed by the Ministry of Labour to resolve their bargaining impasse with Ottawa Carleton District School Board.  As a result, the two locals have begun work-to-rule as of December 3, 2012.

Local bargaining stalled following the passage in September of Bill 115, which has imposed drastic cuts to ETFO members' collective agreements and attacks their democratic rights.

"We did not accept the take-or-leave it terms that the Minister of Education dictated in February and we will not accept those same terms legislated in Bill 115," said Sam Hammond, President of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario.

"Bill 115 has left us absolutely no room to bargain because of the restrictive terms it sets out for local bargaining," said Peter Giuliani, President of ETFO Ottawa-Carleton Teacher Local. "It is regrettable that the ham-fisted approach of this government has taken away the democratic rights of educators to engage in fair negotiations."

"Our members are demoralized by this whole process. The government's actions have left us no option but to engage in strike action to achieve a fair collective agreement," added David Wildman President of the Ottawa-Carleton Occasional Teacher Local.

During a vote on September 24, 2012, both locals received overwhelming mandates for strike action from their members. The Ontario Labour Relations Act requires that a strike mandate and a no board report must be received, and 16 days must pass following the receipt of the no board report, before legal strike action can occur. 

Fast Facts: 

The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) is the professional and protective organization representing over 76,000 teachers, occasional teachers,
and education professionals employed in the public elementary schools of Ontario.

ETFO Ottawa-Carleton Local represents 3,295 elementary teachers employed by Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.   Ottawa-Carleton Occasional Teacher
Local represents 943 Occasional Teachers employed by the Board.

Collective agreements for all ETFO locals expired on August 31, 2012.  Since then, ETFO members have been working without collective
agreements in place.

 

SOURCE: Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario

Valerie Dugale, ETFO Media Relations - Cell: 416-948-0195 
[email protected]