From the desk of Terry Card

In the face of challenging circumstances, our members have done an outstanding job of recognizing what is at stake.  We have made difficult decisions and stood together to protest legislation that could forever change not only our profession, but the lives of anyone who works in Ontario.  I am proud to be your President and to stand beside you on the line tomorrow - these next few months will define our province.

What you should know about Bill 115:

• Bill 115 seeks to unconstitutionally override the Ontario Labour Relations Act, the Human Rights Code and our Canadian Constitution.
• Under this legislation, the Government's actions cannot be questioned or reviewed in any court, questioned by an Arbitrator or an Arbitration Board.
• No course of action or civil proceeding may be brought against the Government.
• Trustees, duly elected by their constituents no longer have the authority to negotiate with their employees - the government will dictate the terms.
• This is not a wage freeze, but will result in an additional 1.5% pay cut with 3 unpaid days next year.
• This is the first phase of the governments plan. By the end, every education partner will be adversely affected as billions of dollars are removed from the education sector.
• The Drummond Report suggests that the Government should increase class sizes, change delivery of the Full Day Kindergarten programme, alter the Teachers' Pension Plan, and revisit the steps of our long-standing grid structure.
• To form your own opinion, I urge you to follow this link to Bill 115  Putting Students First Act 2012 -www.ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?BillID=2665

OTs and Picket Duty?

Let's be clear, since December 3, 2012 all ETFO members in Thames Valley (including Occasional Teachers and LTOs) have been in legal strike position and engaged in work to rule. Shortly, this action will escalate to full withdrawal of service as part of ETFO's campaign of rotating strikes in opposition to Bill 115. Occasional Teachers will be made aware of the date by robocall to the telephone number listed with TVDSB.
As a member of the Union, all OTs/LTOs will be expected to participate in picketing on the day assigned to this Local.  All active members (those who have worked within the last 60 days) will be required to report for duty and register that day at one of the designated sites. LTOs will picket with their schools. As an active member, you will be paid  the same strike pay of fifty dollars as a permanent Teacher.
Breaching the terms of a strike / noncompliance is not taken lightly and could lead to disciplinary action against the member as outlined in Bulletin #6. 
There may be members with legitimate needs for exemption and alternate duties.  Such requests with the appropriate documentation must be presented on the exemption form to the Credentials Committee no later than 24 hours before the beginning of full strike action (exceptions will be made for emergency situations.)
In summary:

• Picket duty is mandatory for all active ETFO members (those who have worked within the last 60 days)
• LTOs will picket with their schools
• All other OTs will go to designated sites and sign in
• Our strike date and list of OT picket sites will be made known by robocall when appropriate
• Requests for exemption/reassignment must be received no later than 24 hours before picket duty

For further information contact Local President, Terry Card at etfotvot@gmail.com - subject line: Strike.

Together We're Stronger

We have received numeous calls regarding volunteering in the classroom and participating in extra-curricular activities.  This is not optional, it is mandatory.  Your Union is telling you; there is no volunteering.  The permanent teachers in the schools you want to volunteer in are taking a position of "no volunteering" and are looking to us for support.  They would not look too kindly upon you entering the school to volunteer at this time when they are not.  Principals should also understand- they used to be teachers too!  We can only be effective by sticking together and hopefully the impact will result in a shorter time frame.
These are very challenging times - it is crucial that you remain informed, take control of your future.  Visit the www.controlyourfuture.ca website for current information and never hesitate to contact your local union representatives. 

ETFO Provincial has recently mailed Takeover Bulletin #6 dated November 29, 2012 detailing STRIKE PROTOCOL - WORK TO RULE - STAGE I, effective December 3, 2012.  Adherence to the Strike Protocol is Mandatory for all Thames Valley ETFO Members Including:  Daily Occasional, Long Term Occasional Members, and Permanent Teachers.  Please let us know if you have not received this information for any reason.

Bill 115: Why a Political Protest

   Collective bargaining gives employees a voice in determining their wages and working conditions, and has historically, set the stage for the benefits enjoyed by all workers in Ontario, eg. health care, CPP, maternity leave and the weekend.

  Bill 155 places the minister of education and the government beyond the reach of the Ontario Human Rights Code, Ontario Labour Relations Act and the courts. It gives the government unprecedented power. Under the law, the minister can end legal strike action, reserve the right to approve all collective agreements, and impose a collective agreements on ETFO members.

  Bill 115 puts all working Ontarians at risk and undermines the guarantees made to Canadians under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that include:

• Our right to organize, to engage in collective bargaining, and to withdraw our services to advance workplace goals;
• Our right to freedom of expression, specifically the rights of employees to express themselves regarding terms and conditions affecting their workplace, including strike activity or a withdrawal of services;
• Protecting employees from being forced to work under terms and conditions which are coerced, dictated, or imposed by state.

ETFO Members- Standing up for Democracy               

The Liberal government may have targeted Teachers / OTs to be first example for imposing austerity measures - but they picked the wrong public servants. ETFO members have continued to call this government to task in a very public way:

• When the government passed Bill 115, 15,000 ETFO members and others from labour and community groups protested at Queen's Park the very next day;
• ETFO members joined with many community and labour activists to help defeat the provincial Liberals in the Waterloo by-election;
• Members have continued to work with local labour and community groups to picket MPP offices around the province on a weekly basis.

As ETFO members, we have been the front line in standing up for democratic rights in Ontario. With the Day of Protest, we can send a resounding message to the public, the media, and elected officials that fundamental rights will only be restored in Ontario with the repeal of Bill 115.

How Bill 115 affects Daily Occasional Teachers     

1. Bill 115 has reduced sick days for permanent Teachers and eliminated sick leave banks. Teachers are being forced to come to work sick, which means finding teaching assignments is now even more difficult for Occasional Teachers.
2. Your TVDSB collective agreement allowed OTs to accumulate sick leave credits when assigned to LTOs to use if we become ill and can't work. The government has capped annual sick leave; this will significantly reduce the number of fully-paid sick days available to Occasional Teachers.
3. With the current inflation rate running at approximately 2.6% per year, the two-year salary freeze will erode the purchasing power of Occasional Teachers.                            

About Developments in Bargaining and Telephone Town Hall

This has been a bargaining year unlike any other in the history of our Local, complicated by elements that seem beyond our control.
That being said, we continue to maintain our right to bargain under the Ontario Labour Relations Act.  Under that process both ETFO Locals of Thames Valley have reached an impasse and the clock is now ticking toward our Locals being in a legal position to strike as of Monday, December 3, 2012.  This is the first time ever that both Teacher and Occasional Teacher Locals have acted on the same timelines.
As ETFO Provincial President Sam Hammond stated today, “It is unfortunate that we have been placed in the position of having to strike by Education Minister Laurel Broten, but we will provide parents with ample notice to ensure the safety of students. By her actions, the minister has let everyone down by stripping Teachers and education professionals of their democratic rights, and shutting down recent talks at the provincial level.”
Bill 115 strips Teachers of their fundamental right to negotiate, and gives the Minister unprecedented power to impose an agreement if Locals and their Boards don’t reach a collective agreement by December 31st. The bill puts the government beyond the reach of the Ontario Human Rights Code, Ontario Labour Relations Act, and the courts.
On November 11th, the government invited ETFO to discussions with Ministry officials and a third party facilitator. ETFO and government representatives were engaged in productive talks when the Minister abruptly shut the session down.  “We continue to be ready to resume discussions in an attempt to reach an agreement that meets the needs of all parties”, added Hammond. “It’s time the minister got serious about reaching deals that respect the rights of our members.”
Work to Rule Strikes
ETFO has announced that it will give parents 72 hours’ notice of strikes planned for December by public elementary teachers, OTs and LTOs. These work to rule strikes will be escalated over the next few weeks to include one or more days of full withdrawal of services.
Telephone Town Hall
Additional information about the withdrawal of services strikes will be provided to ETFO members during a telephone town hall meeting to be convened at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday evening this week.  Members will receive a telephone call providing details about joining the telephone town hall meeting. 
Members are advised to contact Local President, Terry Card for further information.

Things you should know about

All Presidents and Chief Negotiators have been called to meet in Toronto by ETFO Provincial on Friday to discuss how the recent OSSTF deal may affect our Local negotiations.  We will make every effort to keep members informed of all developments.  We also encourage you to visit www.controlyourfuture.ca for up to date information.

On a more celebratory note, we are looking forward to tomorrow evening's Fall General Meeting and Banquet which is taking place at Bellamere Winery & Event Centre.   Over 150 registrants will be in attendance to enjoy a lovely meal with music by the Ken Varley Jazz Trio. We are also very pleased to have an opportunity as well to acknowledge the enormous contributions of  Nancy Miller and Lorna Wilson with presentation of Honourary Life Member Awards.

To get the most from your membership in the Local, please communicate with us regarding:

• your Professional Development needs,
• issues that may come up in jobs at your schools.  More often than not we can help - there is no need to struggle alone,
• let us know if something is happening in the schools that other Occasional Teachers should know about.  Our newsletters, blog, twitter account and website can get information out to everyone in a very efficient manner.

UPDATE ON PROVINCIAL TALKS FROM PRESIDENT SAM HAMMOND

Update on Provincial Talks Held November 11, 2012

Late in the evening on Saturday, November 10, 2012, ETFO was invited to a discussion with government representatives that would take place on Sunday. Given that we had long said that we would sit at a table where the participants were knowledgeable of education and labour issues and where all issues were open to discussion we determined to participate. The goal for ETFO participation in the Sunday meeting was to address the damage caused by the Memorandum of Understanding / MOU that the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association / OECTA signed with the government.

During the afternoon and early evening meeting ETFO representatives presented members' concerns around each section of the OECTA MOU and sought clarification on numerous process issues. We did begin very initial discussions around a number of possible options to resolve those matters. We were prepared to continue to discuss these issues and the key interests of our members with a view to possibly creating a renewed environment for local collective bargaining.

The meetings with government representatives concluded abruptly around 7:00 p.m. with no indication that further meetings were possible. OSSTF continued its discussions later into the evening with those talks ultimately breaking down. As always, we will continue to be open to meaningful negotiations that meet the needs and respect the rights of our members; however, no further provincial meetings are scheduled. Your local will continue to try to negotiate local issues and you will be kept informed through Takeover Bulletins.

The fact that the provincial talks were held is most likely the result of the ongoing member protests against Bill 115. By joining in political rallies and implementing the McGuinty Mondays and Take A Pause campaigns, ETFO members have been in the forefront of taking a strong stand to oppose the punitive and undemocratic actions of the Liberal government.

At this point it appears very likely that strike action will be required. Members will be informed about the form of the strike action and the start date through local membership meetings. Strong and lasting solidarity will be needed to protect the democratic rights of all of us who work in the public sector.

In solidarity,

Sam Hammond
President - Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario

"There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor political, but because one's conscience tells one that it's right..."

Martin Luther King Jr.


On another note, your Local is attempting to continue to offer Professional Development workshops to it's members in order for you to keep up with and add to your resume.  PD events are carefully considered by our PD committee and chosen from suggestions brought forth by you our members.  It would be most appreciated that anyone who registers for a PD workshop or meeting, please be considerate enough to make the effort to attend.  It is very disappointing when members don't show up at events when there are plenty of others who would be willing and happy to take their place.  We understand that things come up but "feeling tired" is just not a good excuse.  Please, if you make the effort to register, than plan for a later evening and attend- chances are you will be so grateful you did and will have gained the knowledge of our presenters in specialized, pertinent areas in our profession.      

Deadline to attend the Fall General Meeting is quickly approaching- register at tvotpd@gmail.com by Friday, Nov. 16th- noon.  This year's Meeting is taking place at Bellamere Winery and Event Centre from 4:30 - 7:30 PM next Thursday, November 22, 2012.  This will be a very well-attended Meeting.