Peel teacher elected to executive of ETFO

October 14, 2015 · 0 Comments

Gail Bannister-Clarke has been elected to the Executive of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO).
Bannister-Clark is a vice-president of the ETFO Peel Teacher Local.
Speaking to more than 800 ETFO members at the Federation’s annual meeting, Bannister-Clarke said, “I am proud to be part of a strong union that champions equity, social justice and teachers’ rights.”
“I fully understand the demands and expectations that teachers face,” she added. “Despite discussions and studies on the increase in teacher workloads in Ontario, our members continue to encounter new school board and Ministry initiatives, increased programming demands, integration of special needs students with no support and large class sizes. Classroom needs are diverse and varied from board to board, so ETFO and its locals must negotiate strong central and local collective agreements that reflect these needs.”
Bannister-Clarke began her teaching career with the Peel District School Board in 2006. Along with serving as vice-president of the ETFO Peel Teachers Local since 2014, she has served as a steward and as member of committees including the Status of Women and Resolutions Committee for her local. At the provincial level, she is a graduate of the ETFO Union School. She has served as a member of the Teacher Education Faculty Liaison Standing Committee and facilitated several professional development/learning workshops.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario represents 76,000 elementary public school teachers and education professionals across the province and is the largest teacher federation in Canada.