Strike Vote by OSSTF/FEESO Grand Erie Members Sends Strong Message

BRANTFORD, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Sept. 25, 2012) - Members from two Bargaining Units of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) District 23, Grand Erie, have voted in favour of a strike mandate at meetings earlier this month.

This includes members of the Educational Support Staff Bargaining Unit (ESS) and the Early Childhood Educators Bargaining Unit (ECE), both employed with the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board (BHNCDSB).

The ESS unit voted 82% and the ECE members voted 92% in favour.

The current contract expired on August 31, and the taking of a strike vote is part of the normal legal process recognized by the Ontario Labour Relations Act.

Leslie Wolfe, Executive Officer with the OSSTF/FEESO stated that, "The members in these units have said loud and clear that they stand behind the Federation and the mandate to negotiate an agreement with the local school board. This vote is not about wanting a strike. It is about using our rights recognized by law to bargain a collective agreement with the employer."

Fatima De Jesus-Malloy, OSSTF/FEESO District 23 ESS and ECE President said, "We remain hopeful that we can come to a fair and reasonable conclusion to this round of bargaining. Our relationship with the BHNCDSB is not in question but, given the unprecedented attack on our rights by the McGuinty government, the membership has to be prepared to defend itself."

OSSTF/FEESO, founded in 1919, has 60,000 members across Ontario. They include public high school teachers, occasional teachers, educational assistants, continuing education teachers and instructors, early childhood educators, psychologists, secretaries, speech-language pathologists, social workers, plant support personnel, university support staff, and many others in education.