ETFO holds strike vote
Posted Sep 24, 2012 10:08:38 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Waterloo chapter of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario held a strike vote Monday evening at Bingeman’s, in Kitchener.
The result of the vote was 97% in favour of strike action.
ETFO Member Rick Moffitt told 570 News a strike vote is one part of the collective bargaining process, “I voted to support the union, it was to authorize a strike if necessary, and that is what the vote was today. ‘Are you willing to authorize a strike as part of the collective bargaining process’ and that was all that there was today.”
Moffitt said this is one of half-a-dozen steps to the bargaining process with each of the ETFO districts governing school boards. Steps which ETFO needs to complete in order to strike.
All of this is separate to Bill 115 which, not only freezes wages, but also bans strikes. If the ETFO did order its members to strike, there would be consequences under that legislation.
Members of the Waterloo chapter of the ETFO remain under an advisory not to volunteer their time for extra-curricular activities, and a strike vote could mean an advisory of that type could become mandatory job action.
