Elementary teachers to begin work-to-rule

Local elementary teachers will join their counterparts in 12 other public school boards across Ontario in a work-to-rule campaign beginning next week.
The move is in response to the lack of progress in negotiations for a new collective agreement.
Sharon Preston, president of the local Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, said the job action will not affect students.
“The work being struck is administrative work within the school setting. It has no direct impact on the students,” she noted.
“It does demonstrate, however, to the school board that our members are prepared to take strong action to back their bargaining demands,” she added.
Administrative work includes any committee meetings or staff meetings, among other things.
Elementary teachers at 12 other public boards in Ontario already are working-to-rule, including the Lakehead Public School Board, which started on March 1.
Local elementary teachers will begin working-to-rule March 21.
The ETFO office in Toronto noted all administrative services that have been withdrawn are voluntary ones.
“Elementary teachers are no longer performing any administrative, secretarial-clerical, or custodial functions in schools,” it said in a press release.
“Additionally, teachers are not organizing any new field trips or attending staff meetings.
“Elementary teachers have not curtailed any extra-curricular activities and there have been no cancellations of any previously-scheduled field trips at this time,” the release continued.
But, it warned, “Further sanctions will be applied to local boards if bargaining fails to yield the improvements to working conditions being sought by the public elementary teachers.”
Specifically, elementary teachers are seeking 200 minutes of preparation time per week, a maximum of 60 minutes of supervision time per week, and a real salary increase.
Due to the March Break, no one from the Rainy River District School Board was available for comment.
The teachers’ local bargaining unit will meet with the board again March 22 along with a conciliator.