One-day strikes by members of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario will hit Windsor-Essex next Wednesday.
The union informed its members in an email Friday morning. BlackburnNews.com obtained a copy of the email.
The strike on January 29 will impact four school boards across the province. In addition to the Greater Essex County District School Board, the other three are the Limestone District School Board, the Near North District School Board, and the Upper Canada District School Board.
GECDSB spokesman Scott Scantlebury confirmed via email Friday afternoon that all elementary schools will be closed Wednesday if there is no agreement, though secondary schools will be open as usual. Plans for the other mentioned boards were not immediately known.
The strike will go ahead if the union is unable to reach a collective agreement with the province.
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While Education Minister Stephen Lecce said his government is not willing to budge on its offer of a one per cent increase in the agreement, the union insisted its job action is not about money. ETFO said it is about class sizes, supports for special needs children, and violence in the classroom.
The Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation has held two one-day strikes in the region, while English Catholic school teachers walked off the job this past Tuesday to support contract demands.
