Keewatin-Patricia’s Public Elementary Substitute Teachers Vote To Strike

November 2, 2005

Public elementary substitute teachers, members of the Keewatin-Patricia Occasional Teacher Local of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), voted 98% in favour of strike action this evening.

“The board’s current monetary offer has generated this strike vote. We’re very disappointed that the employer doesn’t recognize the true value of the work performed by my occasional teacher members. The board will have to come back to the table with a better salary offer at the next session,” said Emily Noble, ETFO President.

“Occasional teachers are certified by the College of Teachers. Every day they face a unique workplace challenge and they should be paid a daily rate that reflects their needed skills,” Noble said.

“We are going back to the bargaining table on November 24th and I expect to see a better offer,” said Robert Calder, President of the ETFO Keewatin-Patricia Occasional Teacher Local.

The Keewatin-Patricia Occasional Teacher Local represents 180 public elementary occasional teachers. Their contracts ended August 31, 2004. The strike vote was held in Kenora and Dryden, Ontario over the past few days.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario represents 70,000 public elementary teachers and education workers across Ontario and is the largest teacher federation in Canada outside of Quebec.