Elementary teachers say they didn’t get same offer as high school colleagues

“I’m not going to take it personally”, she said Monday at a campaign-style event in Etobicoke promoting transit-infrastructure spending.

Wynne says she never wants to see kids and families caught in the middle of labour disputes, but is quick to point out the Elementary Teachers Federation is the only Ontario teachers’ union without a tentative agreement. “The fact is that we have been able to come to agreements with all of the other teacher groups”.

Ontario’s public elementary teachers are expected to launch a new phase of their work-to-rule campaign today. Members of ETFO have been without contracts for a year, and have been in a legal strike position since May. Meanwhile, the Toronto District School Board’s spokesman, Ryan Bird, has said that he is now considering the effects of possible rotating strikes.

Talks between the union, the Ontario government and public school boards broke down last week.

That’s a reference to the ratified agreements with secondary school and Catholic school teachers’ unions and the provisional deal with French-language teachers.

Ms. Sandals said Friday that OECTA’s and OSSTF’s agreements were in keeping with the province’s promise to maintain “net zero” contracts, in which pay raises are offset by other savings.

On Friday, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) issued a bulletin to its 70,000 members, saying teachers won’t be providing comments on report cards or filling in for absent teachers.

ETFO president Sam Hammond says the government has not offered elementary teachers the same conditions as their high school colleagues.

The bulletin said further details would be released later.

He has accused the province of rushing ETFO’s talks in order to wrap them up before the federal election and said teachers unhappy with the Liberal government’s stance would make things hard for the federal Liberal party before polling day on October . 19. Strike action by its members could close some schools for health and safety reasons.