Elementary teachers union threatens work-to-rule escalation

The head of the elementary teachers union blasted the provincial government for walking away from negotiations and threatened to escalate its work-to-rule campaign in the coming weeks if the province doesn't initiate further talks.

• Ontario elementary teachers without a deal after first week of school
• Public elementary school teachers continue job action

"We didn't walk away from the table, the province and OPBSA did," said Sam Hammond, President of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, at a Monday news conference.

Hammond also blasted the province for negotiating in the media.

He wouldn't say what the work-to-rule escalation involved, but ETFO's 78,000 teachers are already refusing to participate in some school meetings and field trips. They also won't help fundraising efforts.

Negotiations between ETFO and the province and Ontario Public School Boards Association (OPBSA) broke down on Friday after seven days of bargaining.

ETFO members have been working without a collective agreement since last year.

Earlier Monday, Ontario Premier Kathleen Kathleen Wynne and Education Minister Liz Sandals said the offer to the elementary teachers is essentially the same as the one tentatively accepted by the unions representing Catholic and high school teachers.

Those agreements, which have not been ratified, include raises of about 1.5 per cent plus a one per cent bonus.

"The offer that ETFO has been given … is essentially an elementary version of the tentative agreement that we've achieved with the OSSTF," Sandals said.

"It's really going to be up to [union president] Sam Hammond and ETFO to explain why, when we've got a framework for agreement that has worked [with other unions], they would reject what everyone else is accepting."

Sandals also said the offer made to ETFO features no changes to teachers' preparation time or class-size limits.

'Let's stay out of the media'

Hammond, who stressed he has the full support of his members, said the union is eager to resume negotiations and lashed out at the province for discussing the talks with reporters.

"Let's stay out of the media and get back to the table to bargain," Hammond said.

In a news release, ETFO also voiced its anger with what it calls a "cookie cutter" approach to the negotiations.

Hammond said the union won't accept a "flawed" deal and stressed elementary teachers have different needs than their secondary peers.

Wynne earlier said she hopes negotiations will resume soon.

Meanwhile, the union representing some 10,000 teachers in Ontario's Francophone school system also broke off talks with the government and school boards on Monday.

AEFO, the fourth largest union in the province, said in a news release it was breaking off the talks after receiveing an unacceptable offer from the province.