OSSTF/FEESO Strategic Action Plan 2024-2027

The following is a summary of the OSSTF/FEESO Strategic Action Plan, which will be presented at AMPA 2024 for discussion and approval.

The OSSTF/FEESO Provincial Executive proudly presents a newly reimagined Strategic Action Plan to set a bold vision for our union, public education, and Ontario.

In response to six years of devastating cuts to public education funding and divisive politics, our union must define priorities and adopt a plan to accomplish them.

We must develop a plan that is rooted in our core values, identifies our priorities, and reflects our work while presenting a bold and forward-looking plan for collective action. We must also adopt a planning timeline to guide us through the next provincial election and our next round of central bargaining.

The Provincial Executive has worked with staff to draft this three-year Strategic Action Plan, with input and feedback from our Committee Chairs and Provincial Council, for presentation to AMPA 2024.

Our plan is built on three independent but interrelated pillars:

1. Promote & Protect Public Education
2. Defend & Support Members
3. Mobilize Members & Engage Communities

Pillar 1: Promote & Protect Public Education

Defending publicly funded education is central to the mission and mandate of OSSTF/FEESO. Our union will adopt a proactive strategy to advance a publicly focused campaign designed to transform deep public support for publicly funded education into substantial and sustainable investment in Ontario’s public education system, from kindergarten through to post-graduate studies. To do this, we need to make publicly funded education a ballot box question in the 2026 Ontario General Election, and we must call upon voters to hold the Ford Government accountable for its shameful attack on our cherished public services, like publicly funded education.

OSSTF/FEESO will act to promote and protect public education by doing the following:

• Pressurizing public support for public education funding
• Mobilizing to defeat the Conservatives in 2026
• Post-election strategy for a pro-education Ontario
• Broadening international coalitions

Pillar 2: Defend & Support Members

Much of OSSTF/FEESO’s strategy, staff time, and other resources are dedicated to contract negotiation, contract maintenance and Member protection. Indeed, this work is central to our union’s fundamental mission. In negotiating Members’ terms and conditions of employment and defending and protecting our Members by enforcing those bargained terms, OSSTF/FEESO embodies the collective action and solidarity that is at the heart of labour unionism. We represent and support our Members in their workplaces—schools, campuses, or communities—to ensure their work is valued and they are treated with dignity, fairness, and respect. Through collective strength and solidarity, we lift each and every Member up.

OSSTF/FEESO will act to defend and support Members by doing the following:

• Building towards bargaining 2026
• Reimagining union leadership training

Pillar 3: Mobilize Members & Engage Communities

The Organizing for Better Schools, Stronger Communities Strategic Action Plan has given OSSTF/FEESO a visionary leap forward in ensuring our union develops deeper engagement within our Membership and stronger ties into the communities we call home. Almost every aspect of our union’s core work—from communications and political action to educational services and Member protection—is about empowering our Members for action, building a vibrant culture of trade unionism, and leveraging our collective capacity for change. Integrated through this work is a commitment to equity, anti-racism, and anti-oppression—internally and externally.

OSSTF/FEESO will act to mobilize Members and engage communities by doing the following:

• Engaging Members to build capacity and community power
• Transforming Member engagement

Conclusion

The 2024–2027 OSSTF/FEESO Strategic Action Plan details our union’s plan to inspire collective purpose for collective action, and it defines our goals, strategies, and tactics for building better schools and stronger communities across the province.

Each of the three pillars of this plan represents independent but interrelated aspects of our union’s service to our Members, our sector, and our province. The projects and initiatives introduced in this plan are accompanied by annual costing and a multi-year implementation plan. They are designed to advance and augment the important work of the Provincial Executive, staff, and Members, day in and day out.