Whether for its members, or students, families 
and communities, ETFO is a union that takes 
action.

At the bargaining table, ETFO is committed to 
protecting students’ learning conditions and 
ETFO members’ working conditions. Bargaining 
has been extremely challenging to date, but ETFO 
will persevere. As part of our desire to educate 
the public about current issues in education, this 
spring ETFO launched an advertising campaign 
focused on smaller classes and support for stu-
dents with special needs which are two building 
blocks of ETFO’s Building Better Schools Education 
Agenda. The goal of the campaign was to remind 
the public that teachers are doing the best they 
can but that smaller class sizes are essential to 
ensuring that the learning needs of every student 
are met.

Building Better Schools also formed the basis for 
ETFO’s ongoing lobbying at Queen’s Park. In the 
fall, ETFO representatives participated in the 
Ministry of Education’s funding review and spoke 
directly to the need to increase grants in the key 
areas identified in the ETFO plan. Following the 
completed roll out of full-day Kindergarten (FDK) 
in September, ETFO put forward to the govern-
ment concerns from local leaders and members 
regarding class sizes, physical space require-
ments and support services. 

Last fall, the ETFO MOU Task Force on Health 
and Safety – Report and Recommendations was 
released, offering 22 recommendations to 
ensure that school communities are healthier 

and safer places to work and learn. This and two other studies on 
Regulation 274 and teacher workload and professionalism issued 
in the fall were negotiated by ETFO as part of a Memorandum of 
Understanding signed with the government in June 2013. These 
reports are significant and they have been raised in this round of 
bargaining.

Action on Social Justice and Equity Issues

ETFO’s activism in areas that affect women and children is long-
standing. In March, ETFO sent five women leaders to the UN 
Commission on the Status of Women as part of a labour delega-
tion calling on world leaders to build an inclusive labour market for 
women. ETFO also made a submission to the Select Committee on 
Sexual Violence and Harassment to offer recommendations on the 
Ontario government’s action plan to address sexual violence and 
harassment.

A UNION THAT TAKES ACTION

GENERAL SECRETARY’S REPORT

ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ FEDERATION OF ONTARIO

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