Your Union Dues

Introduction

Under the Education Act, an elementary teacher who works in the English-language public education system is represented by ETFO.  Based on this statutory representation, ETFO collects dues to support union activities. 

Union dues are determined at the ETFO Annual Meeting each August.  Dues are deducted directly off members’ pay cheques by school boards and submitted to ETFO Provincial Office. 

How Are Your Dues Spent?

Local and Provincial Programs

Dues are used to provide funds to operate ETFO’s locals, and to provide programs to the members through Provincial Office. These programs include:

• Collective Bargaining,
• Equity and Women’s Programs,
• Leadership Development,
• Political Action and Public Relations (PA/PR),
• Government Relations, Media Relations, Communications,
• Professional Development, and
• Professional Relations (counseling/legal services).

Membership in Other Organizations

ETFO is affiliated with other teacher federations and labour organizations such as:

• The Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF),
• The Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF),
• Education International,
• The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL), and
• The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). 

The membership dues paid to these organizations:

• give ETFO access to labour research and programs,
• link ETFO with other organized workers (many of whom are parents of the children we teach),
• involve ETFO in the social justice campaigns the labour movement undertakes, and
• strengthen the voice of all those who defend public education and public services.
  

The Defense Fund

A portion of ETFO members’ dues is set aside in the Defense Fund.  The Defense Fund is set up to:

• pay for the cost of operating a collective bargaining strike (e.g., strike pay, and pension contributions relating to a strike), and
• to fund certain other extraordinary expenses.