Today, Ontario’s education unions — L'Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO), Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA), Ontario School Board Council of Unions (CUPE-OSBCU), and Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) — each served notice to bargain on employer bargaining agencies, and informed the provincial government who is a participant at the table.

Together, our unions represent more than 255,000 teachers and education workers across Ontario. United in our commitment to publicly funded education, we are prepared to engage in meaningful negotiations focused on supporting students and strengthening learning and working conditions in schools across the province.

Students and families deserve a safe, stable, well-supported, and fully resourced publicly funded education system. Bargaining is one of the most powerful tools we have to make that happen. Teachers and education workers see firsthand the increasing pressures facing classrooms and schools every day, including growing student needs, violence in schools, inadequate supports for students with special education needs, large class sizes, insufficient staffing, and challenges in retaining and recruiting teachers and education workers. 

Students, teachers, and education workers should not have to rely on bargaining to secure the basic conditions needed for safe and successful schools. But after years of underfunding and understaffing, these issues cannot be ignored. That’s why we called for an early start to bargaining on March 2, but that call was dismissed. This government cannot continue to ignore how its chronic underfunding, understaffing, and under-resourcing negatively impact students, teachers, and education workers.

Ontario’s education unions have consistently called for meaningful investments in publicly funded education and for a bargaining process focused on the real issues affecting students, families, and communities. Our shared commitment to student success and well-being will continue to guide our approach throughout this round of bargaining.

Teachers and education workers bring frontline knowledge and practical experience from classrooms and schools across Ontario, and that expertise will be critical at the bargaining table as unions work to ensure all students, including those with special education needs, have access to the high-quality learning environments they deserve.

Now that we have filed notice to bargain, the parties are legally obligated to meet at the bargaining table within 15 days. We urge the provincial government and employer bargaining agencies to come to the table as soon as possible, prepared to engage constructively in negotiations focused on ensuring every student has access to the supports, resources, and learning conditions they need to succeed. Ontario cannot continue through another year of underfunding, understaffing, and instability.

Martha Hradowy, OSSTF/FEESO President
 René Jansen in de Wal, OECTA President
 Gabrielle Lemieux, AEFO President
 David Mastin, ETFO President
 Joe Tigani, CUPE - OSBCU President