The fight for a fair collective agreement for teachers and other education workers and against the Ford government’s education cuts continues. As elementary, secondary and Catholic school teachers take to picket lines this week, the Society asks all members to continue showing their support for education workers.
How to support striking educators
Here are some great ways you can support your local educators in their fight to protect education for Ontario’s children:
- Wear red on strike days
- Join teachers to walk the picket line with them
- Honk or wave as you pass a picket line
- Bring hot drinks or snacks to a picket line
- If you live next door to a school and circumstances permit, consider inviting teachers into your home to warm up and use the washroom
- Share your support for teachers on social media
School strikes schedule for the week February 3, 2020
Unless a collective agreement is reached by January 31, 2020, education workers, including teachers, will strike on the following dates during the week of February 3, 2020 (where school boards are listed the strike only affects the schools in the listed boards):
Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario – Public Elementary Schools
February 3: One-day strikes in Bluewater, Grand Erie, Halton, Ontario North East, Renfrew County, Superior Greenstone and Trillium Lakelands school boards.
February 4: One-day strikes in Avon Maitland, Durham, Durham Catholic, Hastings-Prince Edward, Lambton Kent, Peel, Rainbow, Thames Valley and Upper Grand school boards and Campbell Children’s School Authority.
February 5: One-day strikes in Kawartha Pine Ridge, Keewatin-Patricia, Lakehead, Near North, Ottawa-Carleton, Penetanguishene Protestant Separate, Rainy River, Simcoe County and Upper Canada school boards and Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre.
February 6: One-day strike of all 83,000 ETFO members.
February 7: One-day strikes in Algoma, Greater Essex County, Hamilton-Wentworth, Limestone, Niagara, Toronto, Toronto Catholic, Waterloo and York Region school boards as well as Bloorview, John McGivney Children’s Centre, KidsAbility,Moosonee, Moose Factory and Niagara Peninsula Children’s Centre school authorities.
Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association – Elementary and Secondary English Catholic Schools
February 4: One-day strike at all English Catholic schools
Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation – Public and some Catholic, French Catholic, and French secondary schools
February 4: Lakehead District School Board, Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board, Lambton Kent District School Board, Thames Valley District School Board, Waterloo Region District School Board, Waterloo Catholic District School Board, York Region District School Board, York Catholic District School Board, Halton District School Board, Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, some schools in the Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir, and some schools in the Conseil scolaire Viamonde
“I know parents of young children are feeling the stress right now but education cuts threaten kids’ long-term success,” said Society President Scott Travers. “The more Ontarians voice their support for education workers and opposition to Ford’s education cuts the faster this conflict will end.”
“By giving up their pay and walking picket lines in frigid temperatures, educators are showing that they will make extraordinary sacrifices to benefit their students and we all owe them a debt of gratitude for that.”
Education unions have told the Ford and Education Minister Stephen Lecce that if they agree to shelve their plan to increase class sizes, guarantee that the current successful model of full-day kindergarten will continue, and return to the bargaining table in to negotiate in good faith, teachers will end their rotating strikes.
