Voting YES is meant to authorize the possibility of strike action. It does not mean that strike action will automatically follow, nor does it determine what form any eventual action would take. The purpose of the strike vote is to provide the bargaining team with a strong mandate and demonstrate that members support the team at the bargaining table.

The OSSTF/FEESO strike vote is scheduled to take place from November 6 to 16. No final timeline has been established for any strike action.

If job action eventually becomes necessary, there are a range of possibilities. It could include selective or partial withdrawal of services, rotating strikes, or full withdrawal of services, for example.
Which actions are used and for how long they are enacted will be a strategic consideration, and will depend on what develops at the bargaining table and our coordination with the other education sector unions.

The dispute is about which issues are negotiated at the central bargaining table and which continue to be negotiated between individual Bargaining Units and their school boards. 

The concern is around whether local Bargaining Units will retain any ability to negotiate practical solutions in their local context which reflect those particular circumstances. OSSTF/FEESO is worried that the government’s push to centralize matters will significantly detract from the ability to resolve many issues that are very specific to local contexts. 

The list of items that are in dispute was listed in OSSTF/FEESO Bargaining Bulletin #10. 

To be clear, while the Federation and members should be concerned about this matter, this is not an issue that OSSTF/FEESO is asking for a strike vote on. In fact, the dispute over central and local bargaining has been put to the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) to determine the result. The strike vote is about empowering the bargaining team to achieve its substantive bargaining priorities, which are discussed in #3 below.

There is significant concern about what the government is seeking to change, particularly because of their desire to move longstanding local matters to central bargaining. This includes matters like eligibility for leaves, workday and the work year, for example. They have also been telegraphing for well over a year a desire to cut our sick leave plan.

Our priorities include protecting members against these anticipated proposals to reduce our benefits and sick leave. We also want to address workload issues, more appropriately deal with the issue of violence in schools, and propose solutions for ongoing recruitment and retention issues. More information on our priorities can be found here.

Our concern also extends more broadly to the status of and direction for public education in Ontario, particularly with ongoing underfunding so negatively impacting the working reality for our members and programming for students.

Qualifying impacts in this regard really depends on the type of job action and an individual member’s circumstances.

A full withdrawal of services means that members would not be eligible for their regular pay for the affected days, and receive strike pay instead (subject to participation in the strike effort). The strike pay amounts are $55 per day for days one (1) to ten (10), and $65 per day plus $5 per dependent beginning on the eleventh day. Income tax guidelines are used to determine who qualifies as a dependent, and daily strike pay is the same regardless of a member’s FTE status.

In the school board sector members belong to either the OTPP or OMERS pension plans, and the Federation can ensure that no member’s pension is adversely affected by a strike or lockout. 

For members of the OTPP, the days absent due to a strike are considered an approved leave of absence under the plan, so no credit is lost. The Federation pays the top-up amount necessary for those members who support the strike and who are in their best five years. This amount is paid at the time arrangements are made to retire. For those in the OMERS plan, the Federation will make payments as required on their behalf. 

There are also specific circumstances that will require further guidance, including members who are on leaves of absence or those receiving WSIB benefits. These will be fact dependent and must be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Members in these scenarios should consult with their local union representative. 

More detailed information about potential strike procedures and member supports will be provided as the bargaining process advances.

We have been working diligently at organizing and building relationships and opportunities for coordination with the education sector unions, for well over a year leading into bargaining and now during the bargaining process. There is active coordination among the education affiliates, including coordination around the timing of strike votes, for example. 

At the same time, each union has its own membership, bargaining structure and decision-making processes. We are closely coordinating, but that does not mean that every union will take exactly the same action at precisely the same time any time there is a development at bargaining. Each union retains responsibility for its own members and bargaining decisions.

The OSSTF/FEESO central strike vote will take place online from November 6 – 16, 2026, through the OSSTF/FEESO provincial website. Members will need to be able to log in to the provincial website and access the online voting centre with their OSSTF/FEESO Member ID.