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All five education unions in the province have set dates for members to vote on giving their leadership a mandate to strike in November.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
The Ontario government is hoping to reach deals with five major education unions, all of which have been without a contract since the end of August.
Bargaining has been stalled over a dispute regarding which issues should be addressed centrally with the government and which should be handled at the local table with school boards.
Usually, large issues such as salaries, class sizes and sick days are negotiated centrally, while school board-specific issues such as operational and administrative policies are negotiated locally.
The matter will be decided by Ontario’s Labour Relations Board. Its ruling is expected in early November.
In the meantime, all five unions have set dates for members to vote on giving their leadership a mandate to strike in November.
Here is where each union stands in its negotiations with the province and school boards.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO)
Represents: 84,000 members, which include elementary teachers, occasional teachers, education-support personnel, professional-support personnel and early-childhood educators.
Latest: The union will vote on a strike mandate from Nov. 9 to 18.
Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF)
Represents: About 60,000 members, which include high-school teachers, occasional teachers, educational assistants, psychologists and speech-language pathologists.
Latest: The union has scheduled its strike vote for Nov. 6 to 16.
“Our members want fair, negotiated contracts that address the realities they are seeing in schools every day,” OSSTF president Martha Hradowy said in a press release.
“A strike vote gives us an opportunity to strengthen our bargaining position and sends a clear message to the Ford government that OSSTF/FEESO members are united behind the bargaining priorities we will bring to the table.”
Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA)
Represents: About 45,000 members, including elementary, secondary and occasional teachers.
Latest: The union has scheduled its province-wide strike vote for Nov. 12 and 13.
Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO)
Represents: More than 13,000 teachers in French-language elementary and secondary schools in Ontario, both Catholic and public, as well as professional and support staff working in various Francophone workplaces.
Latest: The union’s strike vote is scheduled for Nov. 16 and 17.
CUPE’s Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU)
Represents: About 57,000 CUPE education workers in the public, Catholic, English, and French school systems across Ontario.
Latest: The union’s strike vote has been scheduled for Nov. 4 to 18.