ATTENTION ETFO members: An important central bargaining (CB) update was sent to your inbox. The CB newsletter also contains details on upcoming union actions to defend #onted.

The @ETFOpresident wrote to the Minister of Education yesterday to express frustration about the classroom supplies fund and the ongoing fiasco with #Staples. Not only is the scheme a troubling expansion of privatization in public education, but American-owned Staples is price-gouging. The end result is that educators pay more and students get less from this so-called "investment" from Ford! #onpoli #onted

Get ready for action and SAVE THE DATE! Two weeks from today, on Wednesday, September 16 there will be a province-wide Day of Action. Together, teachers and education workers will wear red or purple to send a visible message that we are united, ready to bargain, and working together to defend publicly funded public education. As part of the Day of Action, ETFO members are asked to wear red and post a photo with the hashtags #OntEdUnited and #Red4Ed.

Speaking with the media this morning @etfopresident says that instead of working to actually support students and educators in Ontario, this government has cut support and ignored advice unless it fits their narrow ideology. #onted students deserve better! #onpoli

In response to the government's planned attack ads on educators, @ETFOpresident David Mastin said, "Educators deserve respect, not taxpayer‑funded government smear campaigns." "It’s not surprising to see this government resorting to attack ads targeting educators, given its long record of undermining and undervaluing teachers, education workers, and the unions that represent them," Mastin added. "These ads are a deliberate distraction from the dire issues facing Ontario’s public education system, including chronic underfunding, large class sizes, and a severe lack of supports for students with special education needs. Instead of focusing on bargaining and addressing the real challenges in our schools, the Ford government is spending public dollars working with a public relations firm to shamefully produce attack ads. That tells you everything about their priorities and lack of accountability for the crisis they created." #onted #onpoli