The Windsor-Essex local of a provincial teacher's union let its voice be heard Thursday night.
Educators who are members of the Greater Essex Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) gathered at Caesars Windsor for a membership meeting, followed by a vote on whether to authorize strike action if a new collective bargaining agreement is not achieved shortly. About 1,200 teachers attended the meeting and participated in the vote.
While the results of the provincial vote are not expected to be made public until all locals across Ontario have completed their meetings, local ETFO President Adelina Checcin told reporters after the meeting that the response from the membership is crystal clear.
"I think the mood in the room is going to show that we're going to get a very strong mandate," said Checcin. "The reality that's happening in classrooms today is something that we've seen a slow erosion of over the years, and there's a desperate need to have an infusion of funding into education."
The contract talks, which are ongoing with the union's central bargaining team, come at an inopportune time. Educators are concerned about planned cuts to schools by the government, and Checcin said members are dealing with a variety of issues in the classroom.
"We're seeing more and more kids with special needs being integrated into classrooms without the supports that they need to do well in the classroom," said Checcin. "We're seeing teachers burn out because of the workload that they're experiencing, and we're seeing higher levels of violence."
The union stated this week that talks have come to a "virtual standstill" and a conciliator has been requested to jumpstart discussions, which is allowed at any point in the process under the Ontario Labour Relations Act. The union said they have not gotten straight answers from the Ontario Ministry of Education on whether or not cuts will be seen starting in 2020.