April 17, 2015
TEACHER/OT CENTRAL BARGAINING UPDATE:  
ETFO REQUESTS A "NO BOARD" REPORT

As you may recall, on March 31 ETFO applied for conciliation regarding teacher and occasional teacher central bargaining after the Ontario Public School Boards' Association (OPSBA) and the government refused to remove their demands for concessions and strips to our collective agreements. (To view President Hammond's video announcing ETFO's application for conciliation, click here).

This morning, a conciliation meeting took place between representatives of ETFO, OPSBA and the government. At the meeting, ETFO again expressed its concern about the demands being made at the central bargaining table.

The government and OPSBA appear intent on eroding our existing rights and taking us back to the bad old Mike Harris days. They do not appear to be serious about finding a reasonable way to resolve this collective agreement which has been expired now for eight months. Instead, they are provoking a crisis.

ETFO has shared the concessions being demanded by OPSBA and the government with our members in several bargaining bulletins. Thousands of ETFO members, in turn, shared their thoughts about those demands with us. Our members could not have been clearer. They are shocked, appalled and angry. They believe the demands being tabled and the approach being taken are completely unreasonable. They feel their professionalism is being demeaned and undermined by OPSBA and the government.  

It's clear to us that OPSBA and the government have no interest in addressing our concerns. In response to their failure to show any movement away from the significant concessions they have demanded, your ETFO Bargaining Team requested a "no board" report from the Minister of Labour for the teacher and occasional teacher central bargaining table at this morning's meeting.

It may take several days for the "no board" report to be issued. During that time, ETFO continues to be open to meaningful negotiations that meet the needs and respect the professionalism of our members. Our expectation is that ETFO's application for a "no board" report will bring clarity to the situation in which OPSBA and the government find themselves, and they now have incentive to approach central table discussions seriously.

More information about the request for a "no board" report will be provided to ETFO members in Bargaining Bulletin #16, which will be released early next week through your ETFO local.

Questions about conciliation and the "no board" report? Click here for our Conciliation/No Board Report FAQs.