School Board Update
School Board Update – ETFO Organizing Campaign
Date: May 27, 2010
As you know, the Ministry of Education’s Early Learning Program requires boards to hire designated early childhood educators (“DECEs”) to work alongside teachers in delivering the Program to junior kindergarten and kindergarten pupils.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (“ETFO”) has recently made it clear that it will seek to represent the designated early childhood educators. We have attached a job posting that recently appeared on ETFO’s website for four vacancies in the position of “Executive Assistant – Protective Services – Organizer.”
This posting describes the key objective of the position as “the unionization of Early Childhood Educators in the public and Catholic elementary schools in Ontario.”
This is a significant development because it means that (a) there will be ETFO organizing campaigns and applications for certification relating to DECEs during the 2010-11 school year and (b) there may be legal challenges raised by ETFO to agreements between school boards and other trade unions and federations relating to the representation of DECEs.
Should you have any questions regarding Bill 242, please feel free to contact Michael A. Hines (416.864.7248) or your regular Hicks Morley lawyer.
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