Rights and Responsibilities of Members

Under the OSSTF Constitution, there are different categories of members:

• Active Members are the bulk of our membership. They are members who are currently employed by school boards or other agencies and who pay active member fees to OSSTF (1.30% of earnings)
• Newly organized members are Active Members who don't have to pay OSSTF fees until they get their first collective agreement.
• Casual or limited term members; eg. occasional teachers, retain membership for 60 days after the last day worked.
• Active Retired Members (ARM) are retired members who pay an annual fee of $50 for limited services
• Associate Members are student teachers at Ontario Faculties of Education

Rights

OSSTF members have all of the democratic and human rights of Canadian citizens and union members. Some key professional rights featured in the OSSTF constitution include:

• the right to participate in the union, attend meetings, vote, stand for office, etc .
• the right to exercise professional judgment
• the right to fair and equitable treatment from employers
• the right to fair evaluation
• the right to fair representation by the union

Responsibilities

OSSTF members must:

• comply with the constitution, bylaws and policies of OSSTF. These may be found in the OSSTF Handbook and Policies and Procedures Manual available on the Provincial website;
• uphold the OSSTF pledge and statement of ethics (see OSSTF Handbook);
• act in accordance with the Principles of Professional Conduct (see OSSTF Handbook);
• support their negotiators and participate in all strike activities voted on by the majority of members;
• on making an adverse report on another member, give that member a copy within 3 days (except for reporting suspected child abuse under the Child and Family Services Act).