UCDSB elementary teachers to strike January 29th

SOUTH DUNDAS – Pending a negotiated contract, elementary teachers with the Upper Canada District School Board will off the job January 29th.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario announced today (January 24th) it has served notice that the UCDSB teachers will hold a one-day strike on that date. The board is the latest to be hit by rotating one-day strike action by the union. Other boards announced today include Greater Essex County (Windsor), Near North (Parry Sound-North Bay) and Limestone (Kingston).

The strike action will affect all Kindergarten to Grade 6 students attending UCDSB elementary schools including Morrisburg Public, Iroquois Public, and Nationview Public. Grade 7 and 8 students at Seaway District High School will also be affected.

The UCDSB announced that no bus transportation would be provided to elementary students that day. Buses will run for Grade 9-12 students.

The union is required to give five-days notice before a strike begins.

“ETFO is very disappointed that Ford’s Education Minister Lecce has not come back to the bargaining table to negotiate key issues affecting students, student learning and educators,” said ETFO president Sam Hammond in a statement announcing the strike action. “It is now 36 days since ETFO’s last bargaining session on December 19, 2019.”

Hammond said he is concerned with statements being made by Ontario’s education minister Stephen Leece about the contract talks and what Hammond calls cuts to education.

“[Leece’s] negotiators have not returned to talks to discuss ETFO’s revised proposals tabled on December 19 concerning more supports to students with special needs or solutions to address violence in schools,” Hammond said.

Elementary school teachers have been without a contract since last August. The union began a work-to-rule campaign in late November.

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