The union representing elementary school teachers in Ontario is preparing to ask its members for a mandate to strike after a “lack of sufficient progress” in negotiations with the Ford government.
On Monday, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) announced it would hold in-person meetings to conduct strike votes and “address bargaining issues.”
The meetings, the union said, will be held across Ontario from mid-September to mid-October.
“Enough is enough,” ETFO president Karen Brown said, announcing the impending strike vote.
“We need the Ford government to take bargaining seriously and to act in good faith, as required by law.”
The union said the government had “refused to engage in any meaningful discussions” about ETFO’s school priorities, including compensation, hiring practises, working conditions and smaller class sizes.
“We have reached a tipping point,” Brown said. “ETFO’s patience has run out. Our members’ patience has run out. We now need to pressure this government to come to the table and start to bargain seriously with us.”
She said she was convinced her members wanted to “send this government a strong and united message.”
A government source told Global News the province had offered more dates for negotiations with teaching unions than were accepted over the summer. The source said dates to meet in September had only just been sent by unions.
The source said the Ford government was “available to meet every single day” and argued strikes were not necessary.
In June, Global News reported on exclusive details of the ongoing negotiations between ETFO and the province.
A document laying out details of a contract offer said the government was offering a 1.25 per cent annual increase over four years. The union wanted one per cent every year plus the cost of living.
The document also said ETFO wanted to see benefits maintained at their current level through increased funding, something the government had not offered to match.
The document also indicated that the two sides are still nowhere close to finalizing a deal in June. ETFO listed 17 issues in its document, saying the government has only responded to eight issues and at the time had not addressed the remaining nine.
The negotiations also appeared to be far apart on issues such as class size and classroom support.
The union filed a complaint last week with the Ontario Labour Relations Board accusing the province of failing to act in good faith during bargaining because of new requirements for student early reading screenings the government announced this summer.
ETFO argues that a memo requiring elementary school teachers to conduct mandatory early reading screenings twice a year for students in senior Kindergarten through Grade 2 violates good faith duties because early reading screening is a subject of central bargaining.
The Ministry of Education has said the new instructions were developed with feedback from all unions and the education sector.
In a statement, Minister Stephen Lecce said his government had been “bargaining in good faith, meeting over 170 times with all education unions.”
He said the threat of a strike would cause anxiety for parents.
“I believe by staying at the table, we can and will reach a deal that keeps kids learning in classrooms where they belong,” Lecce said in a statement.
According to the province’s own laws governing collective bargaining, in order for a strike to occur, unions and the employer have to meet certain thresholds.
Once the contract expires and negotiations break down, both sides would be required to meet with a Ministry of Labour conciliation officer and receive a “no-board” report before a union is legally allowed to strike 17 days later.
Unions are also legally required to hold a strike vote and can only stage a walkout if a majority of members vote in favour of job action.
All four major teachers’ unions have been in bargaining with the government and school boards since last summer, and now with just a few weeks before the start of a new school year, none have indicated they are close to a deal.
Most Ontario students are set to return to the classroom in early September.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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