All major Ontario teachers unions set for November strike votes

OSSTF teachers join OECTA, ETFO and AEFO in scheduling November strike mandate votes

Published Sep 25, 2026  •  Last updated 16 minutes ago  •  1 minute read

File photo of a classroom. Photo by Getty Images

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One week and a half after Ontario’s English Catholic teachers scheduled November strike votes, the province’s secondary school teachers are also putting their members to the ballot.

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Today’s news from the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) places them alongside the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA,) the union representing Ontario’s French-language teachers (AEFO) and the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) — all of whom will vote on job action that month.

The OSSTF’s announcement Friday comes, according to a statement, as a means to bolster their bargaining position with the province.

“Our members want fair, negotiated contracts that address the realities they are seeing in schools every day,” said federation President Martha Hradowy.

“A strike vote gives us an opportunity to strengthen our bargaining position and sends a clear message to the Ford government that OSSTF/FEESO members are united behind the bargaining priorities we will bring to the table.”

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Support staff also holding November vote

Strike votes are not guarantees of a walkout, but instead are used as leverage and signal Ministry negotiators that union membership is serious about reaching a deal.

“This decision comes after OSSTF/FEESO and other education unions called on the Ford government to begin bargaining early in March, before collective agreements expired on August 31,” read an OSSTF statement.

“Since then, teachers and education workers do not have renewed collective agreements, raising serious questions about the government’s commitment to a fair and timely bargaining process.”

In addition to the four teachers’ unions, the CUPE Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU,) representing over 50,000 education support workers, administrative staff and custodians, has also ordered November strike mandates from their members, as their contract talks remain stalled.

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