Court Challenge Succeeds; ETFO's Early Learning Website; Union Representation; To Remain on OT List;

 

Court Upholds Challenge by Unions

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) and other unions have won a major court victory at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. The Court found that the Ontario government’s decision, under Bill 124, to impose a three-year wage freeze for ETFO members and other public service workers was unconstitutional and violated workers’ collective bargaining rights. The decision does not address a remedy for this Charter violation. “

Given the content and timing of the legislation in 2019—in the midst of negotiations for the renewal of collective agreements in the education sector—Bill 124 was a direct attack on teachers and education workers,” says ETFO President Karen Brown.

“Today’s decision reinforces what we have known all along: Bill 124 violates the democratic rights of all workers in Ontario’s public sector and is a clear violation of ETFO members’ freedom of association as guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”

Bill 124 unilaterally imposed a one per cent cap on annual compensation increases in the public sector for a period of three years. For the education sector, this three-year period started in 2019.

In his ruling, Justice Markus Koehnen ruled that the passage of Bill 124 infringed upon union members’ right to freedom of association under the Charter. He stated that, “(t)he Charter protects not just the right to associate, but also the right to a meaningful process in which unions can put on the table those issues that are of concern to workers and have them discussed in good faith. Legislation that takes issues off the table interferes with collective bargaining.” 

Justice Koehnen also noted in his decision that the Ontario government was imposing a limit of one per cent on wage increases because it feared that taking that position at the bargaining table would lead union members to exercise their constitutionally protected right to strike. He noted that, “Although inconvenient, the right to strike is a component of a free and democratic society.”

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Your TVOT Executive is really looking forward to seeing all those who registered for the Fall Meeting tonight at the Elm Hurst Inn!

Always a good time getting together will colleagues!

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TVOT members are entitled to Union representation at any meeting or informal ‘chat’ with Administration, especially if you suspect the meeting might result in discipline. NB: School stewards represent the permanent Teachers at the site, not OTs/LTOs.

Whether the meeting is to take place during the school day or immediately after school, if you feel uncomfortable in any way, you may ask for a delay until the Local can be contacted. PH: 519-641-3936 or email etfotvot@gmail.com .

If the meeting entails contact in any way with the CAS or the Police, do not say anything except “I am willing to cooperate but I am unable to comment until I contact the Federation and legal counsel.” Then phone ETFO at1-888-838-3836, state that your call is urgent.  An “on-call” counselor will assist you.

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Did you know that ETFO has a website that provides resources, videos etc. for those working in the early years?

To explore more, visit ETFO's  Professional Learning in the Early Years

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Remember: Daily Occasional Teachers/LTOs will be removed from the OT List in TVDSB unless:

· They teach 10 full days/school year in an elementary school (N.B. Daily OTs may take a 1 year leave by Laserfiche application no later than December 30^th for the current school year per Article L10.16. When members take leaves taken after that deadline, the required number of days is pro-rated to an average of one day per month).

· Pay their OCT fees by April 15^th (only those in LTOs on January 1^st have their fees deducted by payroll automatically)

· Complete mandatory online training modules posted in the Spring

· Complete Annual Offence Declaration, WHMIS review etc. posted in the Spring

· Notify the Board of any changes to name, address or telephone number

December 1, 2022

Dinner at the Elm Hurst Inn; About LTO Pay; Cancelling Daily Assignments; Teaching After Retirement

 

Win one of 3 Gift Cards of $100 each!

All members are invited to attend our upcoming Fall General Membership Meeting.

Those who register to attend will enjoy a lovely festive dinner prepared by the chefs at Ingersoll's Elm Hurst Inn.

Take this opportunity to meet some of your OT peers and your Local TVOT Executive. We look forward to seeing you there! 

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As an LTO, you are eligible for salary that reflects your qualifications, however the onus is on you to provide the Board with a QECO / Qualifications Rating Statement or a card indicating your rating is in progress, prior to July 31st for retroactive adjustment.  Note that the process can take several weeks

To obtain a QECO Rating, follow the instructions at www.qeco.on.ca or call QECO at 1-800-385-1030 and request an application form.

Once received, submit the results to TVDSB Staffing Officer, Jessica Grison Roeder - j.grisonroeder@tvdsb.ca before the July deadline or forward a copy of the green QECO confirmation card if your application is in progress but will not   be available by the due date.

You may also be eligible for credit for post-certification teaching outside of TVDSB. This includes working as a daily OT in Ontario. The same July 31^st deadline applies to proof of any post-certification teaching experience, outside of TVDSB so be sure to submit those documents to HR so  they will be considered when advancing you on the LTO salary grid.

For further details contact your ETFO TVOT Local  at etfotvot@gmail.com .  

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- Daily assignments, LTO days and paid PD sessions all count toward the requirement that Elementary Occasional Teachers in TVDSB must teach at least10 days in order to remain on the List. 

- If you have cancelled a daily assignment but later become available that day, then email Jessica Grison Roeder in HR to let her know you have accepted another job because OTs are not allowed to cancel one assignment to take on another/better/closer/longer/ daily assignment.

- Daily OTs who teach on Mondays, Fridays, 35 days and at certain schools until January 31st can earn up to a $1000 under TVDSB's Retention Stipend Letter of Understanding (check our Wednesday Blog of Oct. 16/22).

- Your TVOT Local encourages all members to keep track of any lost prep, periods. These are in violation of our Collective Agreement so we hope to negotiate compensation for affected members.

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TVOT Members interested in meeting 2 or 3 times this school year for an afterschool dinner meeting to plan relevant professional development for our members.

Email us at mail@etfotvot.com if you would like to participate.

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Teaching After Retirement

Last year, the decision to increase the number of days that retired Teachers could work (directly or indirectly) for a participating employer, was announced in late December. At this time, the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan/OTPP has not changed their limit of 50 days in each school year with no pension implications.

To find out more and to review scenarios that might be helpful, go to Teachers' Pension Plan Rules on Re-employment

Know your
re-employment
limit

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Congratulations Canada, on making it to the 2022 FIFA World Cup!

Parent -Teacher Interviews; Being in the Loop: Meet Marit Stiles; Amendments to Local Constitution; Flourish with French

Friday, November 18/22 is Parent- Teacher Interview Day.

As with the permanent Teachers, the expectation is that:

- LTOs will be responsible for scheduling parent interviews

- LTOs will let their Administrator know when those interviews will be held

- LTOs will let their Administrator know of their expected arrival and departure times as it is flexible on this PA Day

- LTOs will record the time and date of communication related to the interviews in the OSR Communication Log.

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Elementary Occasional Teachers in TVDSB are members of the largest education union in Canada. To keep abreast of information that impacts you provincially, we recommend you register as an ETFO Provincial Member .

Elementary Occasional Teachers in TVDSB are also members of their ETFO Occasional Teachers' Local (TVOT). To avail yourself of membership opportunities, including a $60 resource rebate and our $400 Professional Learning Development Fund/PLDF subsidy, please register on our Local's website as a TVOT Local Member /www.etfotvot.com.

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Elementary: is a regulary updated Podcast from ETFO Provincial which outlines issues in public education and opportunities for ETFO members. Recent posts include a discussion of the School Board's Collective Bargaining Act with prominent labour lawyer, Howard Goldblatt, Educating on Climate Change and Environmental Racism and How Does ETFO Select its Bargaining Goals?

You can listen to Elementary here or find it on most podcast apps. 

Click on Registration to attend this event with Marit Stiles who for the past 4 years has been the Official Opposition Education Critic for the Ontario NDPs.

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Visit ETFO Provincial's Health and Safety  website HERE / etfohealthandsafety.ca for information on your right to refuse unsafe work as a Teacher, workplace hazards, ergonomics, workplace violence and more. 

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Don’t miss out on discounts from Edvantage, your exclusive savings program! Register for your FREE Edvantage account TODAY to access all your favourite discounts. It’s easy! Learn more here: Edvantage Discount Program .

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Amendments to the TVOT Local Constitution moved by the Executive and to be presented to the membership on November 30th (TVOT Members can log into the TVOT Local Website / www.etfotvot.com for exact wording.)

- Housekeeping Amendments (to be moved en bloc) which will correct capitalization, consistent use of numbers e.g., five (5), and consistent use of terms;

- that Article 6.1.1 b) be amended to change "Vice President(s)" to “First Vice President” and “Second Vice President”;

- that Article 6.1.3 a) and b) be amended so that as of July 1, 2024 the term of office for the President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Chief Negotiator and Health and Safety Officer would be 2 years;

- that the Outreach Committee be deleted as a standing committee since this work is done by the full Executive; 

- that whenever possible, Local General Membership Meetings shall be presided over by a Parliamentarian from outside the Local;

- that 9.1.2 be amended so that President, First Vice President, and Second Vice President candidates must have a minimum of two years of Local Executive experience;  

 - that Article IX – ELECTIONS, Section 9.2.7 the Returning Officer shall have an additional duty to receive and vet the candidate profiles to be posted on the website and emailed to members according to Local Campaign Procedures;

- that Article IX – ELECTIONS, Section 9.3.2 be amended so that candidates have up to five minutes to address the Local Annual Meeting before the elections;

- that Article IX ELECTIONS, Section 3 Election Procedures, Subsection 9.3.7 be amended so that the vote count for all elected positions shall be announced to the members present and recorded in the minutes; 

- that Article IX – ELECTIONS, Section 3 Elections Procedures, Subsection 9.3.9 be amended so that when the elected position is not contested, the Parliamentarian will declare the candidate acclaimed to the position;

- that Article 11 be amended so that Resolutions to the Federation Annual Meeting shall be passed at the Fall General Meeting and Members shall be notified that submission of resolutions should be forwarded to the Executive of the Local prior to November.

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Looking for a resource that will give you the confidence to accept a daily French assignment when you are not FSL qualified?

Consider using some of your $60 Resource Rebate on this locally published resource. It's available from the TVOT Local at $15.35 plus postage. Contact us by email at mail@etfotvot.com or call 519-641-3936 for further details.

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See you at the Elm Hurst Inn; Donations for Merrymount; Congratulations CUPE; Missed Prep Periods; CPP Correction

 

Congratulations to CUPE Education Workers who were successful in fighting Bill 28!

Your TVOT Local was proud to stand with our local CUPE 4222 and CUPE 7575 colleagues as they protested against this injustice. Click on Union Solidarity to see the press conference where labour leaders from across Canada, stood united in opposition to the Ford Government's high-handed imposition of working conditions and their unprecedented use of the "notwithstanding" clause as they tried to avoid accountability through the courts.

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YOU ARE INVITED TO - 

Elm Hurst Inn and Spa - Nov. 30/22

Join Your OT Colleagues at the TVOT Local Fall General Meeting, being held at the lovely Elm Hurst Inn in Ingersoll from 4:30 - 7:30 PM on Wednesday, November, 30th.

Enjoy a lovely festive dinner (free to members who register)!

Win one of three $100 gift card door prizes.

Register HERE / 519-641-3936

We ask that those who attend consider bringing a new unused item in support of Merrymount  Family Support and Crisis Centre - an organization that supports the children we teach throughout Thames Valley.

Click here to see Merrymount's Donation Wish List

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- Given the late release of TVDSB's Retention Stipend, the Board will not require OTs to teach 2 days in October for eligibility; the 2 days per month requirement remains for November, December and January.

- OTs needing a Supervisor's signature to prove eligibility for Part 2 AQs etc., should email Jessica Grison-Roeder in TVDSB's HR department;

- To maintain continuity in the classroom, OTs may want to check with the office at the end of class to see if they are needed the next day;

- QECO does not submit rating statements to the Board so LTOs need to ensure that HR has a copy on file. The deadline to submit this is July 30th of the same school year as the LTO assignment;

- LTOs requiring pregnancy applications will find the form in the TVDSB Employee Portal,  in the section called "Electronic Forms".

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Please Keep Track!

The TVOT Collective Agreement provides that a daily OT assumes the schedule of the absent Teacher they are replacing, including scheduled prep periods and supervisory duties. Your TVOT Local is again advocating that members who lose prep periods, be compensated for this violation of the Agreement. We urge members to note each occurence and how many minutes were lost and we will advise members if we reach an agreement.

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CORRECTION to previous post - 

CPP - Canada Pension Plan - Everyone pays this except those who are 65 years of age or older. Those older than 65 have a choice and can opt out if they complete a CPT 30 Form . No contributions are required at age 70 or older.  Go to Applying for CPP to find out how you can apply for CPP.  If you begin receiving CPP, you will have to provide payroll with a copy of your statement from CPP indicating that you are receiving this benefit and payroll will cease these deductions. 

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Click here to visit The Heart and Art of Teaching and Learning , where Teachers share their ideas and resources.

We answer the top 5 questions asked by education members -

Will taking a deferred salary leave increase your RRSP contribution room? Should you invest in an RRSP or TFSA; is one account better than the other for education members? Should you start collecting CPP if you’ve retired and turned 60?

Education members often have unique questions when it comes to their finances. Here are the top 5 financial questions asked by your fellow colleagues (and their answers): https://bit.ly/3VWMXk7. Brought to you by Educators Financial Group.

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"The dead soldier's silence sings our national anthem" - Rev. Aaron Kilbourn

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CUPE Protest on Friday; Fall General Meeting; Recognized Teaching Experience; Taking Daily Assignments

 

TVOT Members and Friday's CUPE Protest

At this time, TVDSB has not cancelled pre-arranged jobs for Friday, November 4th.  Please note however, that any daily assignment can be cancelled so long as the Board provides 2 hours notice. 

Those in LTOs are expected to post online learning activities by the start of Friday and they can work remotely that day.

Your TVOT Local strongly supports our CUPE education colleagues in their struggle to freely negotiate a fair Collective Agreement. To that end, we urge members who are not working this Friday, to join CUPE as they plan to rally at:

- Monte McNaughton's office (PC) at 71 Front St. in Strathroy

- Ernie Hardeman's office (PC) at 12 Perry Street in Woodstock

- Rob Flack's office (PC) at 750 Talbot St. Unit 201 in St. Thomas

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To read more about ETFO Provincial's response to the high-handed actions of the Ford government, click on ETFO President Karen Brown's Statement

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TVOT Fall General Meeting

Elm Hurst Inn in Ingersoll
Wed., Nov. 30, 2022

4:30 - 7:30 PM 

Dinner included

- that once you are in a long-term assignment, Article L7.08 (d) provides that: "...teaching experience with the Board shall be recognized such that twenty (20) days of accumulated post-certification experience in Ontario shall equate to one-tenth of a year of credit. All credited experience shall be maintained for subsequent long-term occasional assignments.

- that you don't need FSL qualifications to take a daily French assignment or Music qualifications to take a daily assignment with Music

- if you are in a LTO and take a leave with OT cost deduction, it means that day is not entirely unpaid because the LTO keeps what is left over from their grid salary once the daily rate is deducted

- that there is nothing less than a half-day daily assignment however after that, the day can be pro-rated according to the schedule of the Teacher the OT replaces

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Reminder: 

Columbia Outlet Store Invitation for OTs ends November 6, 2022.

Check our blog post of October 12th, for invitation details!

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Seasoned Canadian drivers know the toll a long winter can take on a vehicle. Between the snow, ice, salt and slush on the roads and the wet, cold climate, it’s a tough season for vehicle owners. While harsh winters are an unavoidable reality of life in Canada, there are steps you can take to prevent damage to your vehicle and to keep you safe on the road. Here’s a list of 7 things you can do to get your vehicle winter ready.

Read more at www.otip.com/article155.