The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has reached a tentative central agreement for its 3,500 education worker members with the Council of Trustees’ Associations and the Ontario government. 

“After a prolonged and difficult bargaining process, we are pleased to be able to bring forward a tentative central agreement to our education worker members that addresses their key bargaining goals,” says ETFO President Karen Brown. “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.” 

The tentative central agreement reached is for ETFO’s 3,500 education workers. An agreement has not yet been reached for ETFO’s 80,000 teacher and occasional teacher members. 

Details of the agreement will be shared with ETFO education worker members after a meeting is held with their local presidents and chief negotiators. A ratification vote is being scheduled; details of the vote will be shared with members once they are confirmed. 

“With the assistance of the conciliator appointed by the Minister of Labour, we will continue to work to reach an agreement that is fair for our teacher and occasional teacher members,” adds Brown. “We are focused on getting government cuts off the table and on improving members’ working conditions and students’ learning conditions.”

While central strike votes for teacher and occasional teacher members continue, central strike votes for education worker members will not be proceeding. 

ETFO bargains at two central tables: the Teacher/Occasional Teacher Central Table (on behalf of approximately 80,000 teachers) and the Education Worker Central Table (on behalf of approximately 3,500 designated early childhood educators, education support personnel, and professional support personnel). 

Visit etfocb.ca for information about collective bargaining at ETFO.