Bill 122 - School Boards Collective Bargaining Act Passes Final Reading

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - April 8, 2014) - The School Boards Collective Bargaining Act, Bill 122, passed final reading earlier today at Queen's Park. This Act now puts into place a bargaining process for unionized employees employed by school boards and outlines a two-tiered process: one for central negotiations and another for local negotiations.

"This new legislation provides a structure for future negotiations between the members of our Federation, the school boards and the provincial government. While Bill 122 has provided a structure that defines the process, our members have an expectation of what will be achieved at the bargaining table," said Paul Elliott, President of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF/FEESO).

"The success of this framework will depend greatly on what is brought to the negotiations table. It is our expectation that those involved in the next round of bargaining will work toward fair deals for everyone and demonstrate a clear respect for the new collective bargaining process," emphasized Elliott.

OSSTF/FEESO, founded in 1919, has 60,000 members across Ontario. They include public high school teachers, occasional teachers, educational assistants, continuing education teachers and instructors, early childhood educators, psychologists, secretaries, speech-language pathologists, social workers, plant support personnel, university support staff, and many others in education.