Seventy-five Local ETFO Presidents Receive Prestigious President's Award

TORONTO, Aug. 15, 2013 /CNW/ - The 75 local presidents of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO), who stood up for democracy with their members over the past year, received the prestigious annual President's Award at the Federation's Annual Meeting dinner last night.

In announcing the award, ETFO provincial President Sam Hammond paid tribute to their unwavering solidarity, passion, and tenacity in standing up to the draconian legislation passed by the government in 2012 that took away collective bargaining rights of educators.

"Bill 115 was a threat to the fundamental rights of all working people in Ontario. These presidents took a united stand and marshalled opposition to the bill through rallies, information pickets, and concerted actions," said Hammond. "They sent a loud, clear message that governments in this province and across the country cannot trample the democratic rights of citizens."

"ETFO's local presidents perform a vital job in ensuring that teachers, occasional teachers, designated early childhood educators, education support personnel, and professional support personnel have the appropriate working conditions, professional support, and curriculum resource opportunities to create and maintain a high quality learning environment for students," added Hammond.

"They continue to lead the way in strengthening public education in every school in the province."

The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario represents 76,000 elementary public school teachers and education professionals across the province and is the largest teacher federation in Canada.

SOURCE: Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario

Valerie Dugale, [phone] (cell); [email protected]
Izida Zorde: [phone] (cell); [email protected]