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NOVEMBER 24, 2010 |
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There are now 10 DECE employee groups that have chosen ETFO as their bargaining agent. For a full listing of all ETFO DECE locals, please visit www.yourECEunion.ca. Durham DECE Local New Member DinnerOn November 1st, DECEs from the Durham public and Catholic school boards gathered at Los Cabos Restaurant in Whitby for their first ETFO meeting. The new Durham DECE Local will be made up of members from both the public and Catholic systems with designated positions on its executive for members from both groups and, once negotiated, separate collective agreements with each employer.
ETFO President Sam Hammond was on hand to bring greetings to the members. Staff Officer Kathleen Loftus gave an overview of the federation and its service areas. Finally, Collective Bargaining Staff Officer Derek Hulse explained the process of negotiating the local's first collective agreements, and heard the members' concerns about current working conditions in the absence of collective agreements. Members were also invited to share their suggestions for what should be in the local's preliminary submissions to the school boards when negotiations begin later this year. To view a photo album of the meeting, please visit our Picasa site. Join ETFO in Supporting Shannen's DreamShannen Koostachin, 15, was a high school student and youth activist from Attawapiskat, Ontario who passed away in a tragic car accident on May 31st, 2010. Attawapiskat is a remote First Nations community located on the Ontario side of James Bay that has been without a school for a decade due to a diesel fuel spill that occured in the late 1970s. Education in this remote community is a federal responsibility under the Indian Act of 1876. Over the course of a decade from 2000 on, three successive Ministers of Indian and Northern Affairs promised the community a new school, but to date, no school has been built. As a result, the children of Attawapiskat are forced to attend school in third world conditions: a collection of run-down portables next to the contaminated site of the former school. A few years ago, Shannen Koostachin decided to fight back and launched a highly successful campaign that used social media to encourage school children from across the country to write letters demanding a new school for Attawapiskat. Sadly, Shannen's dream was not realized in her lifetime. However, other student leaders from Attawapiskat, along with their local MP Charlie Angus (NDP), are continuing Shannen's work to get a school built in the community—and to achieve equity funding for First Nations education on reservations across the country.
The Shannen's Dream Campaign was launched on November 17th with a press conference on Parliament Hill, followed by a special assembly at Elgin Street Public School where students from Attawapiskat shared their stories, and the Koostachin family received a posthumous award for Shannen from the Canadian Coalition on the Rights of the Child. ETFO has supported the Shannen's Dream Campaign with a media release, a financial donation, and videotaping of the campaign launch last week. You can support Shannen's Dream by visiting www.shannensdream.ca and signing up. Follow Us OnlineGet regular news updates at http://yourECEunion.ca. We are also online at the following social media sites: |
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