OT/LTO Picket Locations; TVOT Paid P.D.; Mental Health Awareness;

OT/LTO Picket Locations

Because Occasional Teachers belong to a separate Local, ETFO Provincial requires separate membership reports after each day of picketing.  To assist with this tracking, the following sites have been designated as OT/LTO only picket locations for Tuesday, Feb. 4th and Thursday, Feb. 6th:

LONDON:

• Fairmont Public School
• Woodland Heights Public School
• John Dearness Public School

OXFORD COUNTY:

• Southside Public School in Woodstock
• Hickson Public School

ELGIN COUNTY:

• Elgin Court Public School in St. Thomas

MIDDLESEX COUNTY:

• Mary Wright Public School in Strathroy

LTOs cannot picket with their home schools - All OTs are expected to participate!

Shift 1 begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 11 a.m.

Shift 2 starts at 11 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m.

There is no need to pre-register, just sign in with the Picket Captain at the site and shift you select.

No identification or ETFO membership number is required.

Contact your OT Local at etfotvot@gmail.com or 519-641-3936 for further information.

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Paid PD at the BMO Centre

For those who are registered to attend the paid PD workshops being held after school on January 30th at the BMO Centre, be assured that this event is allowed under ETFO Provincial's Work-to-Rule Protocols and will proceed.

We look forward to seeing you there!

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It Affects Us All

We comment Bell for their work to end the stigma surrounding mental health.

TVOT highly recommends checking out Bell's Toolkit page, for those "who want to create positive change but don't know how" -

letstalk.bell.ca/en/toolkit

TVOT Members Picket Jan 22, 2020

Occasional Teachers take to the Streets!

Thank you to everyone who kindly showed support to all the ETFO Thames Valley Occasional Teachers who picketed this morning in defence of public education and for the 

right to a fairly negotiated Central Agreement.

How wonderful to see your passion and to speak to so many TVOT members.

It is truly a privilege to serve you as Local President. 

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Paid PD under Work to Rule

We have received many questions as to whether or not the PD Sessions that the Local is hosting on January 30th, will proceed in light of Work-To-Rule.

The Local is pleased to confirm that these workshops are in compliance and will go ahead so if you are one of the lucky members who registered while there will still spaces, please do not hold one of these coveted spots if your plans have changed.  Contact Staff Development and inform them that you cannot attend so that they may release your spot to one of those who are waiting.

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What do LTOs do on this Friday's TVDSB PD Day?

Your TVOT Local Collective Agreement is very clear that any member who has reached the 

10th day of replacing the same Teacher in the same assignment "will be paid for the day

and is required to participate ....pro-rated according to the FTE of  the assignment" L20.03

Strike Action and OTs

There comes a time when bold action is needed - this is one of these times.
Prefacing negotiations by stating that ETFO needs to find $15 million dollars in savings, is not bargaining - it is holding Teachers hostage for the sake of a fully funded public education system.
Starting Monday, ETFO Locals will begin full strike action and all ETFO members will be called on to show their support. Daily and Long-Term Occasional Teachers will be called on to picket with their colleagues. Participation is mandatory. Those in non-compliance may be subject to disciplinary action as stipulated in the ETFO Code of Professional Conduct Article 6.1.3: "A member shall support collective bargaining initiatives, including a strike authorized by the Executive."  The penalty for those found not to be in compliance may include a monetary fine of up to $500 per day.
In Thames Valley, members will be apprised of picket locations via the Local's website www.etfotvot.com so now is the time to ensure that you are registered on that site and receiving our blast emails.
Here are answers to a few frequently asked questions:
- How long will I be required to be on picket duty?  3 hours
- Does this picket duty count as a day of work for retired Teachers? Only for those in LTOs
- Is strike pay tax deductable? No it is not taxable income 
- Does a strike interrupt the count towards the 10 day LTO threshold? It has not in the past
- What if I have physical limitations and cannot participate? Contact your Local Office
As always, we remind TVOT members that your OT Local and Provincial ETFO are the only reliable sources of information. Do not trust rumours on Social Media or in the press.
Your OT Office can be reached at 519-641-3936.

Courage is contagious  - Together we are Stronger!

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The Education Minister should invest in public education, not attempt to bribe parents with their own tax dollars.
http://www.etfo.ca/AboutETFO/MediaRoom/MediaReleases/Pages/Education%20Minister%20should%20invest%20in%20public%20education,%20not%20attempt%20to%20bribe%20parents%20with%20their%20own%20tax%20dollars.aspx

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Paid PD Opportunities

Our current Work to Rule situation has forced the cancellation of the Board hosted paid PD opportunities that were to be offered on January 24th.
TVOT members can still participate and be paid for online training as posted in the Employee Portal or register for the paid PD sessions that the Local will host after school on January 30th.

The 3 TVOT workshops being offered that afternoon are:

1) Planning for Success: Integrating Curriculum in your LTO!
2) Brain Breaks in The Mindful Classroom
3) Physical Education and Daily Physical Activities (DPA) for Occasional Teachers

Please register for only 1 (one) workshop.
Since this is a paid PD event, registration for this PD event will be on the TVDSB Employee Portal and NOT on the etfotvot website.

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2020 ETFO Membership Validation Sticker and Work To Rule continues

After reading through and before recycling your Winter 2019 issue of ETFO VOICE magazine, don't forget to look for your 2020 Validation Sticker included in the inside cover so you can get rewarded in the Edvantage Program.
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WORK TO RULE continues -
With no resolution to bargaining in site, you are reminded of ETFO's protocols. Here are some of the things TVOT members will:
- NOT participate in the LTO evaluation process
- NOT prepare bulletin boards or post success criteria if requested by Administration
- NOT plan new field trips
- NOT register for AQ courses if offered by the Board
- NOT attend staff/team meetings
- NOT participate in EQAO activities
- NOT distribute memos or letters from the school or Board
- NOT collect monies for school based activities unless for charitable causes

For clarificatino of these, members should call our Local TVOT Office:
- PH 519-641-3936
- EMAIL etfotvot@gmail.com
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Don't Be Left in the Dark - 
Make certain you know what is going on.
Register for our blast emails and for access to our subsidies by using a personal email address at www.etfotvot.com