OSSTF/FEESO District 23 Grand Erie Early Childhood Educators Ratify Their First Collective Agreement

BRANTFORD, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - June 22, 2011) - On June 13, the OSSTF/FEESO District 23 - Grand Erie Early Childhood Educators ratified their first collective agreement with the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board as Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) members.

The Early Childhood Educators (ECE) work in junior kindergarten and kindergarten classrooms in partnership with teachers. Both negotiating teams worked together to address the issues and to bring this round of negotiations to a successful conclusion. This first collective agreement addresses professional issues and includes wage increases and benefit improvements.

Sandra Sahli, provincial OSSTF/FEESO Vice President said, "Congratulations to the negotiating team on achieving this first collective agreement. Our ECE members are integral to a successful start for our youngest students and deserve a fair collective agreement. We reached this agreement with the members' support throughout the negotiations process."

Fatima De Jesus-Malloy, President of District 23 Educational Support Staff which represents the ECEs, added: "We are pleased these new members of OSSTF/FEESO have reached a collective agreement that recognizes the vital role they play in creating a solid educational foundation for their students."

The Board ratified the agreement last night on June 21st.

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.