ETFO Provincial Tentative Agreement; Updates in light of Covid-19; Strike cheques

As you have heard, Provincial ETFO has now reached a tentative bargaining agreement at the Central Table. Details about the deal and voting will be released to members via the ETFO CB eNewsletter so be sure to register at https://etfocb.ca/stay-in-touch-2/easy-to-stay-in-touch/ . Improtant news will be sent out March 30th so don't hesitate to subscribe ASAP. You need to keep informed/

To vote, you will require your ETFO ID number which is found on your ETFO ID Card
or on the mailing addressof your ETFO Voice Magazine, just above your name.
Contact the provincial office if you require assistance.


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News in light of Covid-19

• the Local OT Office is now being monitored remotely so please contact us at etfotvot@gmail.com for assistance
• Teachers, Occasional Teachers/LTOs cannot enter TVDSB buildings and have been advised not to post lessons online - future direction is expected from the Ministry and the Board 
• TVDSB has undertaken to pay LTOs during the 2 week closure per their contract
• TVDSB will pay daily OTs based on the average number of days worked in the 8 weeks before March Break (NB neither Teachers nor LTOs are paid for March Break) for the school closure up to April 5th, 2020. 
• TVDSB has not agreed to pay daily OTs past April 5th so we recommend members look into Employment Insurance assistance.
• Occasional Teachers who are retired and collecting a pension may wish to contact the Board to waive the payments if this averaging would cause them to exceed the OTPP re-employment limits

Now is the time to listen to the advice of experts - do what you must to keep yourself and those around you, safe and healthy! 

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Strike Cheques

With 83,000 members eligible for strike pay, it is understandable that Provincial ETFO has experienced some difficulties processing strike pay cheques.

Please know that the Local will continue to help members address these issues so please email us with full details at etfotvot@gmail.com and we will help sort out such difficulties. 

ETFO Solidarity Signature and bargaining; Ensuring TVARRIS is accurate; Free Skate; Strike Pay

How to affix the ETFO Solidarity Signature to your TVDSB Outlook emails -

• Go to www.etfocb.ca/phase-6-resources/
• Copy the small ETFO solidarity signature from there
• Open your TVDSB Outlook email account 
• Click on the "Settings" wheel in the TVDSB banner 
• Type "email signature" in the search box and click "enter"
• When the signature box opens, click inside and paste in your copied ETFO Solidarity Signature
• You may want to add your name etc. at this time too
• Be sure to click "Save" at the bottom right when you are finished. 

Some Bargaining Facts:

• More than $200 million Special Education funding has not been restored for 2019 - 2020 (already underfunded for student needs and without accounting for inflation)
• When taking inflation into account, per student spending has declined by 3%
• Government continues to ignore the results of public consultation (class sizes, spec. ed) 
• Government has discarded findings of Min. of Education's independent research regarding Regulation 274 and fair hiring which found:
  
  
  

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TVARRIS Depends on Accuracy

Just as Occasional Teachers expect an accurate description of the jobs we accept, the Board has a right to accurately know who is available to work each day.

Ensure that your availability is accurate from day to day so that TVARRIS works effectively and your fellow OTs have a chance to accept teaching assignments.

There is no penalty for booking off time so long as you fulfill the required 10 days needed to remain on the elementary OT Roster, so please mark yourself as unavailable, even for a half-day, if you are not available for a call.

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The Cheque is in the mail...

Please note that the Local has mailed cheques for strike pay for February 4,6,10 and 11 to TVOT members. Unfortunately, these will not include any errors or omissions from the January 22nd strike day.

Free Public Skate; We appreciate your support; Thinking about Retirement? & Columbia Sportswear Invitation

FREE PUBLIC SKATE -

sponsored by your local OSSTF, OECTA, ETFO Teacher and ETFO Occasional Teacher Locals.

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WE ARE GRATEFUL - 

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Considering retiring?  You are invited to attend - 

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Columbia Sportswear Invitation - 
As mentioned last week, once again, we have been invited to shop the Columbia Sportswear Employee Store.
The invitation, along with details as to what to bring can be found on the ETFO TVOT website under "Member Services".

LTOs and Friday's pay; ETFO Solidarity Signature; Columbia Sportswear Invitation

Message to LTOs about Friday's pay -
The Local had thought we had an agreement with the Board that no more than 2 strike days per pay period would be deducted from LTOs. The Board now tells us that because of the way absences are input for LTOs, this has not been possible and so LTOs will lose pay for 4 strike days this Friday.
This is a great disappointment to us all but it is ultimately out of our control.
Please know that we are doing all we can to get February's strike pay from ETFO Provincial and out to members as quickly as possible. All members should have received payment for the January strike day by the end of this week.  Please contact the Local if yours has not arrived in the mail by then.
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EFFECTIVE Today - 
All ETFO member are asked to affix the ETFO Solidarity signature to their school board signatures per the Phase 6 Strike Protocol.
Download yours at
www.etfocb.ca/phase-6-resources/
Though we will not be fully withdrawing our services this week, ETFO is counting on members to apply continued pressure and show solidarity by sharing the messages and template letters available at buildingbetterschools.ca/ , using the hashtags #CutsHurtKids and #Istrikebecause in your posts and participating in school pickets when you are teaching at a school that day.
For more information please contact us at the OT Office
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Columbia Sportswear Employee Invitation -

It's that time of year again.
TVOT members are invited to shop the Columbia Sportswear Employee Store.  The invitation can be found on the ETFOTVOT website under Member Services - Happy shopping!
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National Day of Action for Education
Friday, February 28th is the Canadian Teachers' Federation sponsored National Day of Action to bring awareness of the threats to public education that are sweeping the country.
Teachers, parents, students and all educators are urged to show support by wearing Red for Ed that day and posting their support with the hashtags #RedforEd and/or #EnsemblePourAgir

Feb. 21st OT Strike Locations; Striking; Strike Pay

Friday, February 21st Picket Locations from 8AM - 11AM -
Whether you are a TVOT Occasional Teacher in an LTO assignment, or one who takes daily calls, these six are your OT designated picket sites for this Friday:
In London - Woodland Heights P.S., John Dearness P.S. or Fairmont P.S.
In St. Thomas - Elgin Court P.S.
In Strathroy - Mary Wright P.S.
In Woodstock - Oliver Stephens P.S. (not Southside)

Your Local Executive acknowledges that some members may want to picket with the permanent Teachers, but we are one of the largest OT Locals in Ontario and administratively, this has proven to be the most effective way to reconcile our OT data and submit it to Provincial ETFO in a timely manner - the first step to getting strike pay to our members. That obligation must supersede individual preferences.
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Striking 
ETFO strike pay is relatively generous but we must keep in mind that this is not "money for nothing". It is the Union that sets the parameters around strike pay: length of shifts, expectations of the line, location of sites, exemptions etc.  Please respect this and keep in mind that picketing is a very public act. Your peers and those in community notice when someone leaves early or flaunts the rules. As Teachers, we must strive to be professional in all that we do, whether in the classroom or on the picket line.
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Strike Pay
Your TVOT Office is rightfully receiving calls from members about when they can expect their strike pay and we wish we had an answer.  The Local has submitted up to date reconciled data to Provincial ETFO for all strike days thus far. The ball is in Provincial's court and we assure you that we will get cheques to TVOT members as soon as possible.
Also be aware that if this is your sixth day of picketing, your strike pay will increases by $25 on Friday. Day #6 is the threshold ETFO Annual Meeting members set when they passed the OT motion determining rates for picket pay.  If you have missed a day or two, you will have to wait until you meet that threshold to be eligible for the increase.

As always, please contact your Local TVOT office at 519-641-3936 if you have any questions.

Winners of "Fun on the Picket Line" Sign Contest

                                      Congratulations!

               $50 each to these TVOT Sign Contest Winners!

Ericka Deakin

Thank you to all those who submitted signs!

We are on Strike and the Sign Contest; What about inclement Weather? Why OT only Sites?

Yes, We Are On Strike
Thank you to the many hundreds of TVOT members who have shown up on the picket line for the two days of full withdrawal.
We recognize that nobody wants this and that strikes come with a cost not only to our members but to their families, but we must do all we can to support ETFO Provincial at the Central Bargaining Table and to pressure the government to properly fund Ontario's well-respected public education system.
You Can Win $50
To help lighten the mood, your Local has decided to award five prizes of $50 each for the best home-made signs worn on the picket line from those submitted from our members to etfotvot@gmail.com. We will select 5 different signs submitted during the week of February 10th for $50 prizes as well.  Please note that all signs become the property of the Local and may be posted on social media.
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What if the Weather is Treacherous?
Once a strike is called, it stands but we do not want members jeopardizing their safety!
If the morning weather makes travel dangerous to an OT Designated Picket site for either the 8 AM shift or for the later 11 AM shift, then email us at the Local - we won't require the formal exemption form for prohibitive weather the morning of a strike.
Those who attend will be paid.
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 OT Designated Sites
Many members have let us know that they are enjoying getting to know their peers at the designated Occasional Teacher Picket sites. Others feel that they would rather be part of the larger group and picket alongside the permanent Teachers. As someone who has given up many weekends to travel to Toronto and rally for education, I understand the thrill of being part of something large.
However, individual preference cannot override the need to ensure that members are paid in a timely manner. Administering and processing the picket information and exemption requests may seem fairly straightforward but it is a monumental task.  Your Staff Administrator, several of our Executive members and myself, have spent hours and hours working into the evening and during our weekends tackling the task. Our registration data from January 22nd when almost a thousand OTs picketed alongside permanent Teachers at just a few sites, is still incomplete and may take weeks to ensure accuracy. Designating sites for Occasional Teachers only, is making this much easier and more accurate.