Members of Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario set for strike vote

By Brittany Woodcock

BELLEVILLE – Hastings-Prince Edward members of Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) will hold a meeting to vote on a central strike Wednesday.

Members at the meeting will talk about the central bargaining issues in their contract negotiations with the provincial government.

These issues include: more support for students with special needs, the protection of kindergarten, class size, class structure and fair and transparent hiring practices.

Sam Hammond, ETFO provincial president, said in a press release that their “goal is to reach an agreement at the central bargaining table without having to take job action. We are committed to continuing negotiations until a fair and reasonable collective agreement can be reached that protects and improves the learning and working conditions in public elementary schools in Ontario.”