President Hammond welcomed Representative Council members to their first meeting at ETFO’s new building. With the completion of the 2012 round of collective bargaining earlier in October, President Hammond thanked local presidents for their unwavering leadership over the past two years.
Bill 122 was introduced in the legislature on October 22, 2013 and will establish a formalized process for two-tier – central and local – bargaining for the education sector.
Free and fair collective bargaining is at the heart of what we do as a union.
The minority government at Queen’s Park means Ontario could face an election this school year. ETFO members may still harbour strong feelings about the Liberal government’s attack on collective bargaining rights and the failure of anyone in the legislature to vigorously defend them, but we should not overlook the bigger threat to the public sector and to unions: the agenda of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party.
ETFO has done a great deal in the past couple of years to fight for our collective bargaining rights and the democratic rights of all Ontarians. I have been inspired and awed as I’ve watched ETFO members respond to unfair and undemocratic government initiatives with strength, commitment, and dedication.
The last year has been a tumultuous one for education Politics in Ontario and one that has seen democratic rights and principles die on the altar of political expediency.
The past year of negotiations has been difficult for ETFO and other public sector unions. With the release of the Drummond report in February, the government began a systematic assault on public sector workers.
ETFO's member communications campaign for the 2012 round of collective bargaining.