ETFO Labour Relations

This web page is your source for information and updates on current labour issues impacting elementary (Kindergarten - Grade 8) families in the Rainy River District School Board. Updates will be posted as information becomes available.

March 20, 2020 - Tentative deal reached

The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has reached tentative central agreements with the Government of Ontario, the Ontario Public School Boards' Association and the Council of Trustees' Associations. Separate tentative central agreements have been negotiated for ETFO's teacher/occasional teacher and education worker members.

ETFO will review details of its tentative central agreements and ratification vote process with ETFO local leaders and members next week. ETFO is suspending strike action immediately pending the results of its central ratification votes.

ETFO will make no further comments to the media regarding tentative central agreements at this time.

February 24, 2020 - ETFO to implement Phase 6 of strike action

Today, ETFO announced that teachers and education workers will commence Phase 6 of Work To Rule strike action.

Effective Wednesday, February 26, 2020, ETFO teacher and occasional teacher members will:

do only their scheduled teaching and supervision assignments during their regular instructional time. Teacher and occasional teacher members will not agree to, or participate in, any additions/modifications to their schedule, with the exception of attending meetings to support students with special needs or to discuss student safety.

Effective Wednesday, February 26, 2020, ETFO teacher and occasional teacher members will NOT:

do any coverage for absent members, regardless of the reason for the absence (except in the case of an occasional teacher hired to replace an absent teacher).
accept/disperse students from/to other classrooms when a member is absent, regardless of the reason for the absence.
miss their regularly scheduled planning or preparation time.
spend personal funds to purchase instructional materials or resources for students, the classroom, the school or the board.
upload data related to assessments on board systems. Teacher and occasional teacher members will continue to do assessments using their professional judgement. Members may complete assessments for supports and/or funding for students with special needs or ELL students.

ETFO has indicated that their members will start participating in 20-minute pickets outside their schools for at least one day a week, although they say it will not impact classes. ETFO has also indicated that it will not hold rotating one-day strikes over the next two weeks but is prepared to further escalate its job action on March 9, 2020 should no tentative agreement be reached.

For full details on ETFO Phase 6 work-to rule please see ETFO website.

Today it was announced that the elementary and secondary teachers and education workers represented by the four major education unions in Ontario, including the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF), will participate in a one-day walkout (full withdrawal of services) across the province on February 21, 2020.

Therefore, unless progress is made in negotiations, ALL Rainy River District School Board schools will be CLOSED to students in Kindergarten to Grade 12 on Friday, February 21, 2020.

Families should seek alternate arrangements for child care.

As valued partners in your child’s education, we know that this is disappointing news. Please know that we are actively monitoring the labor situation and are prioritizing our decision-making around safety, security, and learning of our students.

As you know, secondary and elementary teachers in Ontario are currently taking part in a legal job action. Current sanctions being taken by Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) will have an impact on Term 1 Report Cards across the province.

The production of Report Cards for elementary students relies on a collaborative team: teachers electronically input marks and Learning Skills and provide personalized comments for each student; principals review and sign all report cards; secretaries prepare the reports for distribution, and teachers file the report cards. While regular assessment practices continue this term, elementary teachers are providing marks only and are not inputting this data electronically, as per their job sanctions.

After exploring every possible solution, we are unable to provide parents/guardians with Term One Report Cards for elementary students at this time; written records of your child’s marks and Learning Skills will therefore not be distributed to families. Beyond the logistical challenges, providing marks on Report Cards without comments and context would not be considered fulsome feedback on student achievement of curriculum expectations.

We know how important Report Cards are to families and students. At the same time, Report Cards are not the sole record of your child’s progress. It is important for teachers and parents to communicate about student progress – and this conversation will continue. As always, parents/guardians can contact their child’s teacher(s) to discuss their child’s growth and progress.

We sincerely appreciate your continued understanding during this challenging time for public education in Ontario.

Yesterday, the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) announced it will continue its strike action next week, with one rotating strike day (full withdrawal of services) and one provincial-wide walkout (full withdrawal of services) scheduled.

Therefore, unless progress is made in negotiations, Rainy River District School Board schools will be CLOSED to students in Kindergarten to Grade 8 on:

Tuesday, February 11 (province-wide walkout) and
Friday, February 14 (rotating strike)

Families should seek alternate arrangements for child care.

As valued partners in your child’s education, we know that this is disappointing news. Please know that we are actively monitoring the labor situation and are prioritizing our decision-making around safety, security, and learning of our students.

Today, the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) announced it will move forward with Phase 5 of their strike protocol effective February 3, 2020 if an agreement is not reached by January 31, 2020. Along with a number of sanctions already in place, this includes not participating in extracurricular activities at any time.

ETFO also announced it will continue with one-day rotating strikes (full withdrawal of services), in addition to conducting a province-wide walkout (full withdrawal of services) next week.

Therefore, unless progress is made in negotiations, Rainy River District School Board schools will be CLOSED to students in Kindergarten to Grade 8 on:

Wednesday, February 5 (rotating strike) and
Thursday, February 6 (province-wide walkout)

Families should seek alternate arrangements for child care.

As valued partners in your child’s education, we know that this is disappointing news. Please know that we are actively monitoring the labor situation and are prioritizing our decision-making around safety, security, and learning of our students.

As you may know, labour sanctions with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) are underway. Along with a number of sanctions already in place, both unions are scheduling rotating one-day strikes (full withdrawal of services), which will affect students within the Rainy River District School Board this week.

Please make note of the following dates and which schools are affected:

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

High schools will be CLOSED to Grade 9-12 students.
Elementary schools will be OPEN to Kindergarten to Grade 8 students (including Grade 7 and 8 programs in secondary schools).
Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Elementary schools will be CLOSED to Kindergarten to Grade 8 students(including Grade 7 and 8 programs in secondary schools).

Families should seek alternate arrangements for child care.

As valued partners in your child’s education, we know that this is disappointing news. Please know that we are actively monitoring the labor situation and are prioritizing our decision-making around safety, security, and learning of our students.

With one-day strikes by members of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) set to start this Monday, ETFO has announced members within the Rainy River District School Board will participate in a one-day strike (full withdrawal of services) on Wednesday, January 22, 2020, if an agreement with the province is not reached.

This one-day protest will affect all students in Kindergarten to Grade 8 across the District, with elementary schools being closed to students, including Grade 7 and 8 programs in secondary schools. Families should seek alternate arrangements for child care.

As valued partners in your child’s education, we know that this is disappointing news. Please know that we are actively monitoring the labor situation and are prioritizing our decision-making around safety, security, and learning of our students.

We will provide any new information or updates through a dedicated section on the front page of our website, www.rrdsb.com. Please visit for continued updates.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) announced on January 9 that, in addition to the Phase 1 and 2 Work-to-Rule Strike Protocol currently in place, its members will begin Phase 3 effective Monday, January 13, 2020.

ETFO’s Phase 3 Work-to-Rule Strike Protocol includes, but is not limited to:
• Not planning or participating in assemblies, except to provide supervision to students;
• Not participating in extra-curricular activities except for those that are scheduled within the regular school day;
• Not participating in field trips.

A full list of ETFO’s Phase 3 work-to-rule sanctions is available online.

Schools will remain operational, with student learning continuing during this job action. Health and safety, as always, will remain a key priority.

As well, ETFO has announced the possibility of rotating strikes across the province as of January 20th, unless significant progress is achieved at the negotiations table. There is the possibility of future school closures. We urge families to seek alternate arrangements for child care in the case that this does occur.

We appreciate the patience and understanding of parents/guardians during this time. We will continue to update families with new information as soon as it becomes available.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) announced today that, in addition to the Phase 1 Work-to-Rule Strike Protocol currently in place, its members will begin Phase 2 tomorrow, December 10, 2019.

ETFO’s Phase 2 Work-to-Rule Strike Protocol includes, but is not limited to:

Not planning any new field trips scheduled to occur before June 30, 2020
Not collecting monies or participating in the electronic collection of monies for school-based activities except those for charitable causes
Not distributing any memos/letters from a school and/or school board

A full list of ETFO’s Phase 2 work-to-rule sanctions is available online.

As this job action continues to be a partial withdrawal of services and not a full strike, elementary schools, including Grade 7 and 8 Programs, will remain open and instructional programs will continue. As a result of the job action, principals and vice-principals in our schools will continue to take on additional tasks. We appreciate the patience and understanding of parents/guardians during this time.

We will continue to update families with new information as soon as it becomes available. For ongoing updates, please continue to check the Board website, www.rrdsb.com.

On, November 14, 2019, the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) announced that it will begin work-to-rule strike action on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019, which will affect elementary schools within the Rainy River District School Board.

ETFO has announced that its actions will target the Ministry of Education and school board administrative tasks that do not impact students. Some of the actions include:

Not responding to electronic communication from the school administrator/supervisors, outside of the instructional day (unless for reasons of personal/student safety, an OT accepting work, or support for students with special needs);
Not participating in school board activities on Professional Activity (PA) Days; and
Not attending staff/division/grade team meetings.

Schools will remain operational, with student learning and school activities continuing during this phase one action. Health and safety, as always, will remain a key priority.

We promise to do our best to keep you informed. We appreciate your ongoing understanding as we continue to work to support all learners.

Click here to view more details on the phase one job action

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ETFO Labour Relations

Rainy River District