THUNDER BAY – The labour strife between the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board and its elementary teachers is over.
Members of the Thunder Bay unit of the Ontario Elementary Catholic Teachers’ Association on Thursday voted in favour of accepting a deal hammered out between the two sides in a marathon bargaining session last weekend.
Local president Aldo Grillo said it feels good to put the negotiations in the past.
“We are pleased to finally have a settlement with the school board. And schools will be getting back to their regular routines,” Grillo said in a statement.
“The teachers very much appreciated the support we have received over these difficult months.”
Teachers entered into a legal strike position last June and staged a one-day rotating strike earlier this month at three senior elementary schools. The board threatened to lock them out if they walked off the job again.
Teachers on Feb. 10 announced they were planning to stage another one-day strike at three different schools on Feb. 13, but called it off when a tentative deal was announced.
Catholic board director of education Pino Tassone said he glad the two sides got a deal done.
“We are pleased that we now have a 2014 to 2017 collective agreement in place that will allow us to continue to ensure that our students receive the best Catholic education,” Tassone said.
The board must still reach a deal with local occasional teachers.
