ETFO served notice to bargain

with school board bargaining

agencies and the government.

Serving notice begins the

collective bargaining process

for all ETFO

bargaining units

and makes it clear

that ETFO would like to meet

within the next 15 days

to discuss the list of items

that will be bargained at the

teacher/occasional teacher

and education worker

central tables.

For the past year,

ETFO has been preparing

for this round of bargaining.

We surveyed our members

in the fall

and based on those

survey results,

we developed

overall bargaining goals

that were approved in February

by Representative Council.

And in May,

local presidents approved

the list of items that ETFO

will propose at

our central tables.

ETFO is committed to negotiating

in good faith,

and we expect good faith

bargaining from those

who will be sitting across

from us

at central and local

bargaining tables.

Even so,

we know that negotiations

this year

are going to be

extremely challenging.

That's why ETFO has

spent the past year

informing, engaging

and mobilizing

our members.

Our members have

responded very positively,

and once again,

have risen to the occasion.

By signing petitions,

attending rallies--

including the April 6th rally

at Queen's Park

attended by 30,000 people--

speaking to their MPPs

and engaging with parents

and members of the public,

ETFO members have been standing

up against the significant cuts

to public education that are

being unilaterally imposed

by the current government.

During the last few months,

many of you took part

in ETFO member

engagement meetings

held by school stewards

across the province.

At those meetings,

you signed cards

where you pledged to work

together to protect

the needs of Ontario's students.

So far,

over 30,000 of your pledge cards

have been delivered to ETFO,

and we continue to receive

more signed cards

every single day.

It's very powerful to know

that so many of you

have affirmed

your collective commitment

to take action

to defend Ontario's

world-class publicly-funded

education system,

now and in the future.

I want to end by thanking you,

on behalf of ETFO's

Provincial Executive,

for your support

as we enter the 2019

round of bargaining.

We are proud to serve

a membership that is so united,

so inclusive

and so strong.

Those are the qualities

that make our Union

a force to be reckoned with

in Ontario's public

education system

and at the bargaining table.