Education Minister says tentative deal with ETFO education workers will provide ‘stability for families’
Education Minister Stephen Lecce says he is “incredibly proud” the government and school boards reached a tentative deal with education workers represented by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, as the union looks to hold a ratification vote in the coming days.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce says he is “incredibly proud” the government and school boards reached a tentative deal with education workers represented by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, as the union looks to hold a ratification vote in the coming days.
If approved, the deal will provide “stability for families,” he said at Queen’s Park. “I think now, more than ever, we all have to come together to ensure that our kids come first, and that means we’ve got to get these deals done — which is why we are urging all the other unions to come to the table and sign on to an agreement and a framework that averts strikes, keeps kids in school and comes up with a process that is fair for all the parties.”
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, which represents 3,500 education workers, called it a “prolonged and difficult bargaining process.”
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
In a statement, ETFO president Karen Brown said “as we have been reminding the Ford government all along, tentative agreements are possible when all parties are genuinely engaged and when you give the legal bargaining process a chance.”
Specifics of the deal will be provided to workers before they vote on it. However, the agreement is said to be similar to one reached last fall with 55,000 education workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees that provided annual raises of $1 an hour for four years.
The education workers represented by the elementary teachers’ union include early childhood educators in kindergarten classrooms as well as educational assistants who typically work within special education, as well as other support staff.
The elementary teachers’ union continues to bargain with the province and school boards for its 80,000 teacher members, who are in the midst of taking a strike vote.
Meanwhile, some 60,000 members of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation — including educators as well as school staffers — are voting on a tentative process worked out with the province that would see bargaining continue until late October, and any outstanding issues sent to arbitration.
Their last day of voting is Sept. 27 and results will be released later this week on the move that would stave off strikes in the province’s public high schools.
Lecce said he’s “grateful that all parties have come together for the interest of children, and I know we’re going to keep working hard at the table, in good faith, to agree to negotiate as much as we can with the process in place for interest arbitration for any outstanding matters.”
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
The province has not reached negotiated agreements with any of the teachers’ unions, but continues to hold talks with all four while urging the three others — representing public elementary, Catholic elementary and secondary and those working in French boards — to also consider binding arbitration.
Kristin
Rushowy is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics
for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @krushowy.
Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free).
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Your gift purchase was successful!Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. You will also start receiving the Star’s free morning newsletter, First Up, soon.
Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free).
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation