ETFO to reveal next steps after talks break off

The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) said it will hold a media conference at 2:10 p.m. on Sept. 14 to provide a bargaining update after talks broke off Friday afternoon between the government and Ontario school boards.

ETFO has met with its local presidents, and “will discuss its next steps arising from the meeting,” a media advisory said.

The union has been engaging in work-to-rule since last spring, with the latest actions including teachers not participating in field trips or meet-the-teacher nights.

In a press release issued Sept. 11, the ETFO said the Ontario Public School Boards' Association (OPSBA) and the government walked away from talks with the union.

The union asked for other dates to continue negotiations, but OPSBA and the government refused to provide other dates, the press release said.

“We're shocked at this development,” said ETFO president Sam Hammond, in the press release.

“ETFO members have been working without a collective agreement for over a year. Although progress during our discussions was proceeding at a very slow pace, ETFO was prepared to put in the time necessary to reach a fair central agreement. It appears the other parties were not prepared to do the same.”

Meanwhile, the province said the contract offered to the ETFO is similar to tentative deals reached with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) and the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA).

The statement said management bargaining teams “tabled a comprehensive proposal to the ETFO … that is in line with the tentative agreements reached with the other teacher federations. We are hopeful that they will consider this settlement offer seriously.”

The ETFO lashed out at management for breaking a media blackout on negotiations.

“They went to the media, quite frankly, so they could try to get out in front of this, point the finger at us, and now … misrepresent the facts and the discussions that happened,” Hammond told The Globe and Mail.