Rally for Rights and Democracy Jan 26th!

Photo of rally:

Now is not the time to lose hope.  Rather, we have to strengthen our resolve.  A Bill 115 rally is being held on January 16th at Jim Bradley's office, from 3:00pm to 5:00pm, and at the Ontario Liberal leadership convention on January 26th.  This isn't just a fight for our contract anymore, it's a fight to keep the rights granted to us under Canada's Constitution.

Facebook event page.

PDF of event callout.

PDF of Event Flyer (En Francais)

#J26Rally on Twitter

NIAGARA BUSES (FREE) LEAVING FROM:

St. Catharines 10:30 am
CAW 199, 124 Bunting Rd.

Port Colborne, 9:45 am
USW, 87 Clarence St

Welland 10:15 am
950 E Main St (park on west side)

Fort Erie 9:45 am
194 Garrison Rd (old Zellers)

Niagara Falls 10:15 am
Casino Lot #1 off Stanley Avenue, southwest
corner of Stanley Avenue and 420 Highway

Grimsby 11:00 am
Southwest quadrant Casablanca/QEW at Gateway Niagara

To reserve a spot, please contact:
Dan Peat at 905-933-1889 or email at nrlc.clc@gmail.com
Bruce Allen at 905-934-6233 or email at ballen@cogeco.ca

Protest cancelled, OLRB ruled against ETFO

The Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) has ruled that the Political Protest scheduled to take place on January 11, 2013 violates the Ontario Labour Relations Act (OLRA).

ETFO will abide by the decision of the OLRB. We respect the provisions of the Act – something we have requested the Minister and government to do for almost a year.

Monitor the school board website to determine if your school will be open for teachers, DECE, ESP, and PSP members.

If you are called to teach or are on LTO, and the school is open to staff, you are required to report to your school or worksite on Friday morning.  Check dsbn.org to see if schools will be open.

Details at ControlYourFuture.ca

Political Protest Friday January 11th

In December 2012, ETFO members voted overwhelmingly in support of a one day political protest if the Minister of Education imposed a collective agreement or stopped a legal strike.

On January 3, 2013, two weeks after refusing an offer made by President Hammond to work toward a respectful resolution, the Minister used the unprecedented powers of Bill 115 to impose local agreements. By imposing contracts without negotiation and ending legal strike action, the Minister has willfully trampled on the democratic rights of ETFO members - rights that are enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Based on the Minister's deliberate and provocative choice to wipe out the democratic rights of tens of thousands of educators, the date of the one day political protest will be Friday, January 11, 2013.

All members will be receiving further information about the one day protest (times, locations) on Thursday, January 10th from their local office. In the meantime, ETFO members are asked to check ETFO's Control Your Future website (www.controlyourfuture.ca) on Thursday afternoon and evening for general updates.

Throughout these troubling months, ETFO members have recognized that it is impossible to stand back and watch the destruction of a profession we love and the trampling of rights that are fundamental to all Ontarians. We have demonstrated, over and over again, tremendous resolve, leadership and solidarity in the face of continual attacks by this government and Minister. Through this one-day political protest on Friday, January 11th we are again standing up to say that what happened to ETFO members must not ever happen to any other Ontarian.

Niagara Occasional Teachers are advised to picket with their colleagues at the elementary school of their choice from 9 am till 11 am.  Schools will be closed throughout the entire day.

Update:  The Ontario Labour Relations Board ruled against ETFO and characterized our plans to exercise our freedom of peaceful assembly as an illegal strike.  ETFO will abide by the decision of the OLRB, and as such the protest is cancelled.

Media Roundup

Thank you to everyone who participated in our strike action!  Many hands make light work, and all the people coming together to help out really proved that!  Below are some links to media coverage of the event, as well to photos available on our Facebook page.

Facebook pictures

610 CKTB: Occasional teachers picket Bradley, Hudak's offices over Bill 115

Niagara This Week: Teachers Flex their Muscles

St. Catharines Standard: Niagara Teachers Hit the Picket Line for One-Day Strike

Niagara Falls Review: Elementary Teachers in Niagara Join One Day Strike

CTV News

Bullet News Niagara: Teachers insist one-day job action wasn't about money

Political Protest August 28th! Sign up for the bus!

On August 27th the government is set to pass anti-collective bargaining legislation that strips us of our constitutionally protected rights and imposes so-called "agreements" on us.  Particularly for occasional teachers, we need to have the ability to bargain local issues; we have too many issues that get ignored at the provincial level.

On August 28th, ETFO, CUPE, and OSSTF will be holding a protest at Queen's Park from noon till 1:30pm.

There will be free buses leaving from the CAW Hall at 124 Bunting Rd. at 9:00am on Tuesday.  The bus will leave Queen's Park at 2:00pm to return home.  Bring a lunch and something to drink.

We need you on the bus!  To reserve your spot (and help me know how many buses we'll need), please RSVP by e-mailing mark@niagaraot.org

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/401400006589455/

Update: Over 15,000 were in attendance yesterday.  Here's an article.

#A21NoCuts Photos

Our fearless leader was featured in this picture which was used in a Toronto Star article about the Day of Action Against Cuts protest... click on the image for more photos.

There were probably close to 20,000 people there... while marching I couldn't see either the front or the end of the sea of people.  Let's hope McGuinty gets the message that he needs to tax corporations, not cut public services!