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 on Tuesday, 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 will remain open and instructional programs will continue. However, should the work-to-rule progress to include further sanctions, it may have a more significant impact on school activities, permits and school operations. If there is a full withdrawal of services or a full strike by elementary teachers, the TDSB would be required to close schools as there would not be a sufficient number of staff to supervise students and ensure their safety.

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 parents/guardians with new information as soon as it becomes available. For ongoing updates, please continue to check www.tdsb.on.ca/labour and follow @tdsb on Twitter.

At this time, negotiations between ETFO, OPSBA and the Ontario government continue and we are hopeful that an agreement can be reached soon.