There has been a lot of attention on the topic of strike votes lately. ETFO has announced that they will be holding one in November, there's speculation about if/when OSSTF will follow suit; politicians, media and parents get fired up at the idea... but what does it mean? If you're early in your teaching career, you probably haven't experienced this before. A strike vote is a pretty standard part of the bargaining process. It does not mean that we will move to a full withdrawal of services (a.k.a. walkout or strike). It is a step that legally has to occur before we could potentially take any job action like a partial withdrawal of services or 'work to rule.' Most importantly, it gives our negotiating team leverage in the bargaining process. Being able to show that members will support a full walkout should it be necessary puts us in a postition of strength in negotiations.