In addition to ETFO Phases 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 Work-to-Rule (WTR) Strike Protocols,
Effective Monday, March 9, 2020, all ETFO members* will:
- picket outside of their school/worksite for a minimum of twenty minutes at least one day per week; – SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE (May 12, 2020)
- ask parents in their school community to join ETFO members on the picket line OR ask parents to arrange and/or participate in a “walk-in” (i.e., an action during which parents and educators rally, march or gather outside their school, before or after school, to defend public education) on one morning of the week; – SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE (May 12, 2020)
- make a personal phone call to a Progressive Conservative (PC) MPP to discuss the impact of the Ford government’s cuts to public education. MPP contact information can be found at: ola.org/en/members/current/contact-information;
- send a template letter through ETFO’s Building Better Schools website to the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) Executive Council highlighting key issues of concern during the 2019 round of bargaining. OPSBA is an important decision-maker at the central bargaining table; it’s critical that OPSBA support positions at the bargaining table that are fair for students and educators. The OPSBA template letter is found at BuildingBetterSchools.ca/OPSBA;
- post/share a message or visual image on social media that corrects misinformation the Ford government’s Minister of Education, Stephen Lecce, is communicating to the public regarding key bargaining issues and the impact of education cuts. Tag your message with the hashtags #ETFO, #Istrikebecause and/or #CutsHurtKids.
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ETFO Members Are Protecting Public Education Through Their Political Activism
During the past year, ETFO’s 83,000 members have been using their voices, both individually and collectively, in support of public education and against the Ford government’s education cuts. Our members have clearly demonstrated to this government that they are the driving force behind their Union. Ongoing actions by ETFO members – in their communities, on picket lines and online – remain necessary if we are to achieve fair agreements that value elementary students, respect elementary educators and support publicly-funded public education.
In addition to the Phase 7 Protocol strike actions on page 1, ETFO is asking members to maintain pressure on the Ford government and OPSBA by engaging in some or all of the following critical political actions:
- invite your school board trustee to your school/worksite and meet with ETFO members. During that meeting, communicate to the trustee that a fair deal for ETFO members means:
- special education is appropriately funded;
- classroom violence is addressed;
- the current Kindergarten model is maintained;
- fair hiring practices continue;
- elementary class sizes meet students’ needs; and
- compensation keeps up with inflation.
- organize a group of ETFO members, education workers, parents and/or community members to attend the next school board meeting or to picket outside of the school board office during the next school board meeting;
- book a meeting with a PC MPP in or near your constituency, or picket outside of a PC MPP’s office;
- call on parents and retired educators to join ETFO members in the fight to defend our world-class public education system;
- organize a group to leaflet at homes in your school community after school hours;
- ask to attend a school council meeting to talk to parents about key elementary bargaining issues and how they can assist in the fight against the Ford government’s cuts to elementary education; and
- write a letter/email, individually or with your colleagues, about how education cuts are affecting our students (i.e., “Cuts Hurt Kids”) and send that letter/email to your local newspaper.
ETFO is Ramping Up Pressure on the Government
On Monday, March 9, 2020, ETFO will begin its Phase 7 Strike Protocol with a province-wide mailing to all homes. The mailing will call on parents and community members to contact PC MPPs and ask them to reverse the education cuts that have caused ETFO members to take strike action.
ETFO will intensify its media campaign that exposes and corrects the misinformation spread by the Minister of Education about key bargaining issues. The campaign will include radio and print resources.
* ETFO members working in care and treatment facilities will receive specific information about their participation in ETFO’s Phase 7 Strike Protocol on Monday, March 9, 2020. Those facilities are: Bloorview, Campbell Children’s School, John McGivney Children’s Centre, KidsAbility, Niagara Children’s Centre and Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre.