IMPORTANT MEETING FOR ALL ETFO MEMBERS

The ETFO Thames Valley Occasional Teachers' Local is calling an emergency meeting for all OT Members - June 7, 2012 at the request of ETFO Provincial.  The meeting will take place at the BMO Centre in London,  295 Rectory Street, from 4:30 - 7:30 PM. 
RSVP at tvotpd@gmail.com or call 519-641-3936.
All Occasional Teachers, Local Executive members and Collective Bargaining committee members are requested to attend.  LTO's will attend at their schools.
Please direct any questions to Local President Terry Card at etfotvot@gmail.com or 519-641-3936.

The focus for this posting is the "Salary Grid Freeze".
The government has tabled a salary grid freeze for Teachers, Occasional Teachers, and other education professionals for the next two years. During that salary grid freeze, ETFO members

-  WILL NOT be allowed to advance on the grid due to experience.
-  WILL NOT be allowed to change categories when they take Additional Qualification and university   courses.

The government will not offer future adjustments to return Teachers to their proper place on the salary grid - so the Teacher's salary will always remain two years behind. Over the course of 11 years, that loss compounds to $81,944.  (Note: Compounded loss over 11 years is based on the following assumptions: Teacher remains at category A3 for 10 years; no other wage freezes are imposed by the government after 2014; future salary increases offset the rate of inflation; the salary grid structure remains unchanged. Should any of these assumptions change, the Teacher's overall salary loss would be much greater.)

As if that isn't damaging enough, the government wants to permanently change our salary grids effective September 1, 2014.  The government's demands will have a devastating impact on less experienced Teachers still on the grid and on those who want to move to Category A4 with qualification upgrades.

ETFO, OSSTF and AEFO have left the Provincial Discussion Table, however the government has said it will impose these conditions through legislation if the union doesn't agree to them. That's just plain wrong! Respect Teachers - Respect Collective Bargaining. Use the postcards distributed by ETFO and send a message to the Premier, the Minister, and your MPP.     

How Will the Governement's Offer Affect Me? Part 2

In our second of three excerpts from ETFO's Collective Bargaining 2012 "Control Your Future" distributions, the focus is on Sick Leave.
The government has proposed a permanent change in the sick leave benefit for Teachers and LTOs.  Currently, Teachers and LTOs are allotted 20 sick leave credits per school year; in Thames Valley those credits can be banked for future use.  The government has proposed a 70% reduction in sick days.  This will mean:

- annual sick leave will be reduced to just 6 days per year;
- unused sick days can no longer be carried forward into the following year;
- Teachers will receive only 2/3 salary for each sick day taken beyond 6 days through a short-term sick leave plan.

Receiving a reduced salary while on short-term sick leave will lower Teachers' and LTOs pension contributions; that means there will be negative pension repercussions.

The government's proposal will replace the current sick leave plan with an inferior short-term sick leave plan and Ontario's Teachers and education professionals will pay the price.

"The government has threatened to impose these conditions on ETFO members through legislation if ETFO doesn't agree to them.  That's just plain wrong! Send a message to the Premier, to the Minister, and to your MPP.  Tell the government to :  RESPECT TEACHERS AND RESPECT COLLECTIVE BARGAINING."

We hope to see everyone at the Spring General Meeting taking place tomorrow evening, May 24th, at the Best Western Lamplighter Inn, from 4:30 - 7:30 PM.

How will the governement's offer affect me?

Occasional Teachers need to know that the Governement's Provincial Discussion Table proposal will have detrimental effects on their working conditions:

• Salary Freeze:  With the current inflation rate running at approximately 2.6% per year, a two-year salary freeze will erode the purchasing power of Occasional Teachers.
• Grid Freeze: The government has proposed a salary grid freeze between September 1, 2012 and August 31, 2014. That salary grid freeze will mean that Occasional Teachers assigned to long term occasional (LTO) positions will not be allowed to advance on the salary grid due to experience.   As well, you They will also not be allowed to change categories on the salary grid when they take additional Qualification (AQ) and university courses. AQ courses will not count for salary purposes; when you do get a permanent contract your full experience may not be recognized when you are placed on the teacher salary grid.
• OT Sick Leave: Many collective agreements allow Occasional Teachers to accumulate sick leave credits when assigned to LTOs. Occasional Teachers use those credits for paid sick leave if they become ill and can't work. The government's proposal to cap annual sick leave means that you will only get a maximum of 6 sick days each school year; this will significantly reduce the number of fully-paid sick days available to Occasional Teachers.
• Availability of OT Work:  If teachers are forced to come to work sick, finding teaching assignments will be even more difficult for Occasional Teachers.

 The government has threatened to impose these conditions on ETFO members through legislation if ETFO doesn't agree to them.  Along with OSSTF and AEFO, ETFO has left these voluntary discussions and will continue to bargain at the local level.   Tell the government to Respect teachers and respect collective bargaining - Send a message to the Premier, the Minister, and your MPP.

 

Local Events 

The Annual General Meeting will take place next Thursday, May 24, 2012 from 4:30 - 7:30PM  at the Best Western Lamplighter Inn, 591 Wellington Road South, in London.  Dinner Buffet with salmon, beef or vegetarion options 5:00PM.  RSVP required for meal at tvotpd@gmail.com / 519-641-3936.  Mingle with you peers and have a chance to win one of our many door prizes.      

Respect Teachers - Respect Collective Bargaining!

The Collective Bargaining Meeting held on May 8th, at the new BMO Centre was a real eye opener to those in attendance.  We were pleased to have Provincial ETFO's 1st Vice President - Susan Swackhammer, along with our Provincial ETFO Staff Officers - Mark Hachmer and Ruth Dawson, join us.  Susan Swackhammer explained what has brought us to the point we are at today,  going back to the January 2012 meeting with the Government and why ETFO stepped away from the table.  This was a very informative meeting and your Local thanks those members who were in attendance last night.  As a result, the membership has elected to accept the Preliminary Submission going forward in June.

On May 24th, we will be holding our Spring General Meeting and Banquet at the Best Western Lamplighter Inn, 591 Wellington Road, South, in London from 4:30 - 7:30 PM.  Local Executive Positions will be announced along with a recap of the year's successes. The proposed budget for 2012-2013 will also presented for approval by the membership.  Dinner buffet will begin at 5:00PM.  RSVP required for meal at tvotpd@gmail.com/519-641-3936.  This is always a popular event with a chance for camaraderie and a say in the priorities of the Local.  Avoid disappointment and reserve your spot today. Win one of our many great door prizes.
   

Collective Agreement 2012 Meeting and Annual General Meeting and Elections

On May 8, 2012,  the Local is holding a meeting to present and discuss our preliminary submission for the next round of contract negotiations.  This is a very important period and now is the time to get informed, have questions answered, and provide a say in your future.  We encourage all members to attend!! This is where you can vote on what we take to the table.  This meeting is centered around our Collective Agreement 2012, will take place on Tuesday, May 8th, 2012 at the new BMO Centre, 295 Rectory Street in London, from 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM.   Mark Hachmer, our Provincial ETFO Collective Bargaining Staff Officer will be in attendance.  Votes at this meeting will determine the issues we take to the table!
A Chicken Dinner will be provided.  Please RSVP to tvotpd@gmail.com or 519-641-3936.

On May 24th, 2012, we will be holding our Spring General Meeting and Banquet at the Best Western Lamplighter Inn, 591 Wellington Road South, in London from 4:30 PM - 7:30PM.  Local Elections for 2012 - 2013 Local Executive positions will take place along with a recap of the year's successes.  Dinner Buffet at 5:00PM.  RSVP required for meal at tvotpd@gmail.com/519-641-3936. This is always a popular event with a chance for camaraderie and a say in the priorities of the Local.  Avoid disappointment and reserve your spot today.  Win one of our many door prizes.

Several of the modules for mandatory online training have been posted in the Employee Portal with others to follow at a later date.  Please make sure to Click and Submit after completion of each module.  Members have until June 29th to complete all 13 required modules.