Information on Jan. 23 ETFO one-day walkout and labour sanctions
Jan. 21, 2020
Dear families of elementary students,
Further to our message to elementary families on Sunday, Jan. 19, we are writing to provide you with additional information concerning the potential one-day walkout on Thursday, Jan. 23 by ETFO members if a tentative agreement is not reached by then.
How we will keep you informed
The HDSB will inform families of all labour updates on social media, by email, the HDSB website (
www.hdsb.ca) and the HDSB Mobile App. All labour information is available here:
www.hdsb.ca/our-board/Pages/Labour-Updates.aspx.
Childcare programs
We have been advised that the Before & After School providers who operate programs in HDSB schools may offer full-day programs, similar to PA Days, for their
current families on Thursday, Jan. 23. Before & After School program operators will communicate directly with families regarding the availability of these programs.
Child Care Centres (for infants to age 3) that are located in schools will operate as normal.
Pathways Information Evening
The
Pathways Information Evening will go ahead as scheduled on Thursday, Jan. 23 from 6-8 p.m. at M.M. Robinson High School (2425 Upper Middle Road, Burlington).
Secondary schools
All HDSB secondary schools will remain open on Thursday, Jan. 23. Aldershot School and Burlington Central School will be closed for students in Grade 7 and 8 only.
Report Cards
Current labour sanctions direct teachers not to create comments for report cards or input data in the online report card template. As a result,
elementary schools in the HDSB will not distribute Term 1 Report Cards (Grade 1-8) and the Kindergarten Communication of Learning, if a tentative agreement is not reached. This decision comes after exploring every possible situation and is consistent with many other Ontario school boards that are currently facing provincial labour action.
This decision was made after careful consideration, including a thorough review of the processes, resources and time required to produce accurate report cards for the more than 45,000 elementary students in the HDSB.
Individual student marks will not be provided to parent/guardians. Providing student marks without comments and context does not provide families with a comprehensive understanding of their child’s progress. Individual Education Plans (IEPs) will continue to be updated, but will not be distributed. If you have questions regarding your child’s IEP, please contact your child’s teacher. Teachers will continue to communicate with families about their child’s education, as they have throughout the school year. While report cards are not being distributed, teachers’ evaluation of student progress will continue. As always, if you have questions or concerns about your child’s progress, please contact your child’s teacher(s).
Ministry of Education’s Reimbursement for Child Care
The Ontario Ministry of Education announced on Jan. 15 that the government will provide financial compensation to parents/guardians if labour action results in the closure of schools or school-based child care centres through a Support for Parents initiative. Eligible parents of children up to age 12 (Grade 7), or up to age 21 for children and youth with special needs, in a publicly funded school may qualify. Please check the Support for Parents webpage to confirm whether you are eligible, and to access the application form. More details about this financial support can be found by visiting Ontario.ca/SupportForParents or by calling the Support for Parents Helpline at 888-444-3770.Thank you for your support and understanding.Sincerely,Stuart MillerDirector of Education
ETFO Labour Update (Jan. 18, 2020)
We would like to update you on the ETFO labour action. Families of elementary students will receive further information through SchoolMessenger.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has announced it will hold a one-day walkout on Thursday, Jan. 23 if a tentative agreement is not reached by then. This one-day walkout is a result of central bargaining taking place between the unions, the Government of Ontario and the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA).
If a one-day walkout occurs, the HDSB will have no choice but to close elementary schools on Thursday, Jan. 23 as there would not be adequate supervision to ensure the safety and well-being of students. Families are encouraged to make contingency plans for their child.
HDSB secondary schools will remain open. Grade 7-12 schools (i.e. Aldershot School and Burlington Central School) will be closed for students in Grade 7 and 8.
We have been advised that ETFO members intend to return to work on Friday, Jan. 24.In the HDSB, ETFO represents:
- Permanent and occasional (supply) teachers in elementary schools
- Designated Early Childhood Educators (DECE) working in Kindergarten classrooms
For a list of HDSB employee groups, please visit
this page.
We will continue to provide families and staff with accurate and timely information as we are able through email, the
HDSB website and the Board’s social media pages (
Twitter/
Facebook/
Instagram).
To learn more about the Collective Bargaining process and current status updates, please visit this page:
https://www.opsba.org/advocacy-and-action/labour-relations.
Our highest priority remains the safety and well-being of our students and staff.
Thank you for your support and understanding.
Sincerely,
Stuart Miller
Director of Education
ETFO Labour Update (Jan. 9, 2020)
Dear families of elementary students,
As you are aware, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has been in a legal strike position since Nov. 25, 2019 with respect to central bargaining between ETFO, the Government of Ontario and the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA). Since then, ETFO has been in labour sanctions.
ETFO announced today they will begin Phase 3 of labour sanctions Monday, Jan. 13, 2020, and if no agreement has been reached, they will begin Phase 4 on Jan. 20, 2020.
In the Halton District School Board, ETFO represents permanent and occasional (supply) teachers in elementary schools, as well as early childhood educators working in our Kindergarten classrooms.
The sanctions identified by ETFO in
Phase 3, effective Jan. 13, that may impact families include:
- Not planning or participating in school assemblies, except to provide supervision to students
- Not participating in extracurricular activities (sports teams, clubs etc.) except for those that are scheduled within the regular school day
- Not participating in field trips
- Not arriving earlier than 30 minutes before the instructional day for students
- Not remaining at school later than 15 minutes after the instructional day ends
Specific information regarding the cancellation of school activities will be provided by your child’s school.
The sanctions identified by
ETFO in Phase 4, effective Jan. 20, include:
- Not participating in any school board or Ministry professional learning.
ETFO has also announced that if no agreement is reached by Jan. 17, 2020, ETFO members will commence a full-withdrawal of services (strike) on a rotating basis effective Monday Jan. 20, 2020. To date, there has been no announcement of which school boards will be affected by these rotating strikes.
It is important to note these labour sanctions are occurring at the central bargaining table between provincial unions, the Government of Ontario and OPSBA, and are not a reflection of relationships between the HDSB and our local unions.
We will continue to provide you with accurate and timely information as we are able through SchoolMessenger, the HDSB website and the Board’s social media pages (
Twitter/
Facebook/
Instagram).
Thank you for your support and understanding.
Sincerely,
Stuart Miller
Director of Education
Labour Update (Dec. 9, 2019): ETFO Labour Sanctions - Phase 2
As you are aware, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has been in a legal strike position since Nov. 25, 2019 with respect to central bargaining between ETFO, the Government of Ontario and the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA). Since then, ETFO has been in Phase 1 of labour sanctions. ETFO has announced they will begin Phase 2 of labour sanctions tomorrow (Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019).
The sanctions identified by ETFO in Phase 2 that may impact families include:
- not planning new field trips or excursions;
- not collecting money for school-based activities. Parents/guardians can use
SchoolCashOnline to pay for any school related fees.
Other sanctions in Phase 2 are largely administrative and have minimal impact on student learning or extracurricular activities. Parents/guardians should see little disruption to normal school operations.
It is important to note these labour sanctions are occurring at the central bargaining table between provincial unions, the Government of Ontario and OPSBA, and are not a reflection of relationships between the HDSB and our local unions.
In the Halton District School Board, ETFO represents permanent and occasional (supply) teachers in elementary schools, as well as early childhood educators working in our Kindergarten classrooms.
We will continue to provide you with accurate and timely information as we are able through SchoolMessenger, the HDSB website and the Board’s social media pages (Twitter/Facebook/Instagram).
Thank you for your support and understanding.
Sincerely,
Stuart Miller
Director of Education
ETFO Labour Update (Nov. 18, 2019)
We would like to update you on the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) labour sanctions.
As you may be aware, ETFO is in a legal strike position effective Monday, November 25, 2019 with respect to central bargaining between ETFO, the Government of Ontario and the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA). ETFO has advised OPSBA that they will begin Phase 1 of labour sanctions effective Tuesday, November 26, 2019. It is important to note that these labour sanctions are occurring at the central bargaining table between provincial unions, the Government of Ontario and OPSBA, and are not a reflection of relationships between the HDSB and our local unions.
In the Halton District School Board, ETFO represents permanent and occasional teachers in elementary schools, as well as early childhood educators working in our Kindergarten classrooms.
The sanctions identified by ETFO in Phase I are largely administrative and have minimal impact on student learning or extracurricular activities. Parents/guardians should see little disruption to normal school operations.
We will continue to provide you with accurate and timely information as we are able through SchoolMessenger, the
HDSB website and the Board’s social media pages (Twitter/Facebook/Instagram).
Thank you for your support and understanding.
Sincerely,
Stuart Miller
Director of Education
CUPE Labour Updates
CUPE Labour Update (Oct. 7, 2019): Community Use Rental Requests
As you may be aware, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), has successfully negotiated a tentative settlement with the provincial government and therefore members will no longer engage in a withdrawal of services. As a result, community use groups whose rentals were cancelled as a result of job action may use HDSB school facilities on Monday, Oct. 7 and Tuesday, Oct. 8 as originally planned. The HDSB will once again accept new Community Use rental requests.
CUPE Labour Update (Oct. 7, 2019): Night School Classes and IILE Programs
As you may be aware, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), has successfully negotiated a tentative settlement with the provincial government and therefore members will no longer engage in a withdrawal of services. As a result, all night school credit classes and the International & Indigenous Language Elementary Program (ILLE) will resume this week.
CUPE Labour Update (Oct. 6, 2019): All HDSB schools will be open tomorrow (Monday, Oct. 7)
We were notified today (Sunday, Oct. 6) that the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has successfully negotiated a tentative settlement with the provincial government and therefore members will no longer engage in a withdrawal of services. School custodians (CUPE members) will be at work tomorrow and will resume regular duties (Monday, Oct. 7).
All HDSB schools will be open tomorrow (Monday, Oct. 7).
The details of the agreement remain confidential until ratified by all parties. CUPE has agreed to stop all job action while awaiting ratification of the settlement.
Thank you for your support and understanding during this time.
Sincerely,
Stuart Miller
Director of Education
CUPE Labour Update (Oct. 2, 2019)
The Halton District School Board was notified today that the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) intends to engage in a full withdrawal of services effective Monday, Oct. 7, 2019, if a provincial settlement is not reached by end of day on Sunday, Oct. 6. This will mean that CUPE members will not report to work.
In the Halton District School Board, CUPE represents custodial staff in elementary and secondary schools. It does not represent educational assistants, early childhood educators, or school support staff as it does in some other Ontario school boards.
At this time, the HDSB intends to be open on Monday, Oct. 7.
Please be aware that this is a fluid and changing situation. As labour action is unpredictable, we do encourage parents/guardians to make contingency plans in the event that it becomes necessary to close schools.
We want to assure you that we are doing everything we can to keep our schools open. Our highest priority remains the safety and well-being of our students and staff.
The HDSB will monitor the situation daily and decisions will be made accordingly. We will continue to provide you with accurate and timely information as we are able through SchoolMessenger, the HDSB website and the Board’s social media pages (Twitter/Facebook/Instagram).
To learn more about the Collective Bargaining process and current status updates, please visit this page:
https://www.opsba.org/advocacy-and-action/labour-relations.
Thank you for your support and understanding.
Sincerely,
Stuart Miller
Director of Education
CUPE Labour Update (Sept. 27, 2019)
We would like to update you on the latest developments concerning the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) labour sanctions.
CUPE will begin Phase 1 of labour sanctions effective Monday, Sept. 30, 2019.
In the Halton District School Board, CUPE represents custodial staff in elementary and secondary schools. It does not represent education assistants, early childhood educators, or school support staff as it does in some other Ontario school boards.
These sanctions are a result of central bargaining and are imposed by CUPE National on all CUPE locals. They are not a reflection of the relationships within Halton.
Phase 1 labour sanctions have been announced across the province, effective Monday, Sept. 30. These sanctions include:
- Not sweeping gymnasiums, hallways or entrances
- Not participating in school composting/recycling program
- Not setting up tables/chairs
The HDSB is working diligently to minimize any impact on our students, families and schools. CUPE employees provide important services to our schools and the withdrawal of those services may cause challenges. We respect the collective bargaining process and are hopeful for a negotiated agreement.
As always, the safety of our staff and students remains our highest priority.
The Halton District School Board has and will continue to communicate information to families and staff as soon as possible. Updates will also be shared on the HDSB website and social media pages.
Thank you for your support and understanding.
To learn more about the Collective Bargaining process and current status updates, please visit this page:
https://www.opsba.org/advocacy-and-action/labour-relation