ETFO education workers vote in favour of new 4-year contract

Education workers with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) have voted 80 per cent in favour of a new four-year contract with the provincial government.

The deal for ETFO’s 3,500 designated early childhood educators, education support personnel and professional support personnel will be in effect until August 31, 2026.

In a statement released Monday, ETFO President Karen Brown said the federation was seeking salary increases, the maintenance of funding for current benefit levels, paid professional learning, job security, and a Supports for Students Fund to protect special education roles in schools.

NEWS: Education worker members of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario voted 80% to accept the 2022-2026 Education Worker Central Agreement reached with the Council of Trustees’ Associations and the Ontario government. release https://t.co/WJfSDh4MFc #ONpoli #onted pic.twitter.com/YJRZTJoXtu

— Elementary Educators (@ETFOeducators) October 23, 2023

Brown additionally called the agreement “a mechanism to ensure members receive a Bill 124 financial remedy.”

Bill 124 was passed in June 2019 by the Ford government and implemented a limit on pay increases to public sector roles to one per cent or less each year over a three-year “moderation period.”

READ MORE: Ontario English Catholic teachers vote 97% in favour of strike mandate

The bill sparked backlash from many public sector workers, including education workers.

A tentative deal with ETFO’s education workers was first reached in September, leading to teh ratification vote.

ETFO will now be shifting its focus towards negotiating a central agreement for its 80,000 teacher and occasional teacher members who voted unanimously in favour of strike action last week if necessary.

The union has said that a strike mandate wouldn’t necessarily mean teachers will walk off the job, but will add pressure on the government to reach a contract deal with teachers at the bargaining table.

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association similarly voted in favour of a strike mandate should negotiations fail to reach a new deal.

Negotiations for both public and catholic teachers are set to continue this month.

READ MORE: Ontario elementary teachers vote in favour of a strike