On Monday, June 15, OSSTF Toronto and its affiliate unions – ETT, OECTA, and Toronto Education Workers (CUPE 4400) – will be holding a joint action, a “Day of Rage,” to protest the cuts to staff, programming, and resources that have been imposed on school boards by the Ford government, Education Minister Paul Calandra, and the TDSB supervisor Rohit Gupta.

The collective agreements of all the education unions expire on August 31, 2026. For years, successive governments have used a divide-and-conquer strategy to weaken us and limit our gains in bargaining. The June 15 Day of Rage is a symbolic show of unity to let the government know we are united, we are angry, and we are not going to sit idly by while the government guts the public education system. Ford and Calandra are taking us to a future where only those with money for private school will have access to robust programming and support, while those without money will be stuck in a public system that provides only the bare basics. 

We have to stop them.

On Monday, June 15, we are asking members to do the following:

1. Wear black. Check in with your CUPE colleagues in the school too to remind them to wear black as well.) You can even invite your admin to wear black.
2. Send a letter to Doug Ford, Paul Calandra, and the Conservative MPPs to protest the cuts to public education. Use this link: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-doug-ford-reverse-the-cuts-our-students-deserve-better?source=direct_link&
3. Make a sign that indicates one cut to education you are angry about. Consider that under this latest round of cuts there are: 
   • 289 fewer teachers
   • 186 fewer school-based support workers
   • Elimination of 30 secondary staffing positions allocated to serving schools high on the learning opportunities index
   • Cuts to ESL programs
   • Cuts to Outdoor Education
   • Cuts to libraries and student supports
   • Fewer supports for students with special education needs
   • Cuts to mental health supports for students
4. Gather outside the school, either before the start of the school day or at lunch, take a photo holding your signs, and send it to jkunin@osstftoronto.ca and mteixeira@osstftoronto.ca. If you gather before the start of school, arrange for a collective “walk-in” 15 minutes before the start of school. 

   A few people wearing black or sending a letter won’t change the direction of this government, but everybody across every education union wearing black and sending a letter at once – that makes a statement and lets the government know that we are united and prepared for collective action.  

    

   We need everyone on board.