OSSTF/FEESO Teachers in District 11, Thames Valley Announce Legal Job Action

LONDON, ON--(Marketwired - September 28, 2015) - Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) Teachers and Occasional Teachers in District 11, Thames Valley, will begin a selective withdrawal of services today, Monday, September 28, 2015.

Teachers' Bargaining Unit President Blair Middleton says that the school board's agenda at the local bargaining table is responsible for the decision to take legal job action.

"The Board's position in bargaining shows a disturbing absence of respect for teachers and occasional teachers, and the complete lack of progress at the table has precipitated my team's decision to move to legal job action," said Middleton.

Union representatives from schools across the Board voted at a special meeting on Tuesday evening last week to unanimously support the bargaining team's decision to undertake a selective withdrawal of services.

"It is very disappointing that the employer has shown such an aggressive approach in bargaining," said Earl Burt, the Provincial OSSTF/FEESO Chair of the bargaining team. "The limited withdrawal of services strike that will commence today is strictly administrative in nature, but it demonstrates to the Board that OSSTF/FEESO is not prepared to accept anything less than a fair deal for all of our members."

Secondary teachers in Thames Valley have no future bargaining dates set with the board at this time, but are ready and willing to meet to as soon as possible to negotiate a fair collective agreement.

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.