Teachers Plan Further Steps In Contract Battle
Saturday, April 14, 2012 @ 5:11 AM
Prince George, B.C. – Teachers in School District 57 will join counterparts from around the province next week in deciding the course of action to be taken in the contract battle with the provincial government.
The Clark government has already appointed a third party, Dr. Charles Jago, to mediate the dispute but the BC Teachers Federation has applied to the Labour Relations Board to have Jago’s appointment quashed, citing a number of factors which, the Federation says, create an apprehension of bias. Dr. Jago, himself, has acknowledged that he has no experience in the mediation field and was involved in “wordsmithing” a draft of the government’s Bill 22.
The Vice-president of the Prince George District Teachers Association, Tina Cousins, says everyone seems to agree that Jago “is a nice guy. We’ve heard some very positive things about Charles Jago but the bottom line is he doesn’t have any K-12 experience or background and we’re concerned that he doesn’t have appropriate labour relations expertise. That’s a concern to our members, all 41-thousand of us.”
Cousins says the entire bargaining process with the government has been very disappointing. “We’re in a cooling-off period and people aren’t feeling very cool right now. If anything we’re probably madder than we were a month ago. With the passage of Bill 22 we feel we’ve been backed into a corner. Our right to strike has been taken away, they’ve appointed a mediator who doesn’t have the background….what can we do?”
Teachers are proceeding with a provincial vote from April 16th to 19th to determine what their next steps are going to be in the contract stalemate with the Liberal government. They will not be issuing report cards at the end of April. Past practice has been that reports are issued in the fall, spring and the final one at year’s end in June. BCTF President Susan Lambert says that final report will be issued, but not the one expected at the end of this month. The B.C. Public School Employers Association will take that matter before the Labour Relations Board on Monday.
As well, teachers are to get a ruling today about the issues of class size and composition which were taken out of their contract in 2002 by Bills 27 and 28, which were ruled unconstitutional.
Comments
It is unforgivable that such an important part of our society is being treated with such remiss. I remember at the last contract negotiations when there was a signed contract and our new Priemier Gordon Campbel tore up that contract. I can’t recall how long afterwards or before the tearing up of the teachers contract that Priemier Campbel gave himself and others a healthy raise in salery. Well I can only think of what the teachers were thinking, but at this time I can only support the teachers and say shame on the liberals and think about what a bunch of basterds they are.
In the last contract negotiations the teachers did receive a raise along with a signing bonus.
I stand corrected. Thank you boomer.
They’re getting a bonus now cause they’re getting full pay but not working full time. Not all….some teachers are still teaching and providing full support to their students but there are lots that aren’t.
If I tried this at work I’d have a lot of time to go fishing…..
Seems to me that they are working full time. What exactly is it that they are not doing? Some are no longer doing EXTRA curricular activities. Some are not doing EXTRA tutoring. Some are no longer taking part in EXTRA commities. The only thing I see that they are refusing to do are the report cards that the LRB said that they didn’t have to do during the strike. What other group has to do struck work after a strike?
There was a good editorial cartoon in the paper a week or so ago… “To be a taxpayer in BC is to be constantly held hostage”.
I got a solution for them. RESIGN EN MASSE.
That would really send her majesty for a loop. Might even be a good way to force an election which by the way is what the MAJORITY of taxpayers want in this province right now. If I was a teacher I would have resigned long ago. It’s time the people actually try standing up to this regime and actually do something for a change and stop worrying about the threats made by this un-elected bilderberger. aka cristy clark.
‘If I was a teacher…’
If I WERE a teacher – conditional (speculative) mood.
Of course you’ll never learn that in a BC public school – the teachers are too busy complaining, or taking job action, or having the summer off, or leaving work at 2:30 pm, or considering themselves far more relevant and important than they really are.
The BCTF is losing public support everyday. Unfortunately we are forced to lump the teachers together with the BCTF as one useless organization. In reality there are a lot of teachers quietly going against BCTF orders for the good of the children. The militant teachers who support the BCTF no matter what are the useless slugs that would be fired if there was ever any system of accountability for teachers. Thank you to those good teachers – hopefully you don’t get buried by the culls.
There are some teachers that are working bell to bell which means they will not answer questions before class, after clas, or during lunch. That is NOT extra curricular activities. That is part of teaching. Providing marks and report cards is also part of the job and they are getting paid to do that and have been getting paid for that for the last 7+ months!
“I got a solution for them. RESIGN EN MASSE.”
Yeah, like they’re going to resign from one of the cushiest jobs out there. Give your head a shake.
Just like any sector in government workers, there are good and bad workers and even the R.C.M.P they so called gave them selves a hefty wage and there are good cops and bad cops. The teachers do work very hard at what they have to do and deal with, so just think your kid at its worst and at times you cant handle them so what do you think a teacher can do. NOTHING they are getting screwed over by the government while some other government sector are getting raises. And for those people complaining that the teachers are not doing extra curicular activities, you go in after office hours and work for many more hours, guess what. you wouldnt.
“I got a solution for them. RESIGN EN MASSE.”
Exactly Faxman – add to that the fact that I am not sure the person posting it even has a real job…
I always want to fall off my chair when I here people talk about “how Hard” the teachers work!!? Thse folks work bankers hours, have long weekends like everyone elae AND MORE cuz they seem to have pro D days so that they get every friday off too. Then they have the whole summer off…..and were supposed to feel sorry for them? They are a bunch of left wing yahoos who seem to be on strike almost annually. Try working 12 hour night shifts 12 months evry month with 2-3 weeks off and then complain about “How hard” you work sitting down in a classroom handing out tests. It’s time B.C residents realized that the Teachers ARE the problem! Get back to work ya lazy self entitled whiners!!
” … one of the cushiest jobs out there. “
What an ignorant statement.
It amazes me how some people are always so eager to make make such negative comments about people they know so little about.
“” … one of the cushiest jobs out there. “
What an ignorant statement.
It amazes me how some people are always so eager to make make such negative comments about people they know so little about.”
On the contrary I am extremely familiar with teachers and their work ethic.
“Try working 12 hour night shifts 12 months evry month with 2-3 weeks off and then complain about”
I guess you should of stayed in school.
“There are some teachers that are working bell to bell which means they will not answer questions before class, after clas, or during lunch.”
So ask your questions in class, how hard can that be? If I was a teacher I would work my hours and that’s it. I would not mark papers or work on report cards at home on my days off or after class. These people earn a salary based on X amount of hours per week. If they work extra they don’t get paid overtime or straight time for that matter.
You folks think teachers have it easy. Most of you wouldn’t last a week!
NoWay: “If I was a teacher I would work my hours and that’s it. I would not mark papers or work on report cards at home on my days off or after class. These people earn a salary based on X amount of hours per week. If they work extra they don’t get paid overtime or straight time for that matter.”
And this kind of attitude is exactly why they have very little public support.
NoWay: “You folks think teachers have it easy. Most of you wouldn’t last a week! “
I certainly don’t believe teacher’s jobs are easy. But several occupations can claim this statement and aren’t receiving the compensation, hours, or benefits that teachers are.
Johnny thinks teachers should work for free! What Liberal thinking sir!!
“….several occupations can claim this statement and aren’t receiving the compensation, hours, or benefits that teachers are.’
Another meaningless generality from someone who knows very little about the job.
Surefire, you had it right that teachers did not take a raise, but settled for working conditions. That was in 1998.
I believe that much of the current bitterness that teachers feel is because that Campbell tore up their contract. The courts ruled that what the Liberals did was illegal. The gov’t continues to promote conflict with the teachers.
I guess it takes the focus off their other problems.
I thought I was right but when I don’t have dates and times in front of me I would sooner give the opositgion the benifit of a doubt. I must say here that I was a Heavy Duty Mechanic as a younger man.I found that working under Cats and Loaders in the cold of winter and in the rain and mud in the summer was getting too prohibitive. I thought being a mechanic was too difficult So I took a Home Support Resident Care course this let me work for 10 more years. Here is when I learned the true value of teachers. They look after these youngsters in class and I look after them at home wherew I stay for 8 hours. I can assure any one who thinks teachers who teach a young child or adult with disabilities or not is not worth the money they do not know what teaching is about. I have worked hard as a mechanic but I haven’t worked as hard as I have as a care giver. Teac hers need to ensure the student is safe and hed/she isn’t hurting others and the parents aren’t abusing the children ect. ect. Our children are our most important possetions. The care of our children must also be important. The Liberal government wastes more money trying to fight our teachers than if they recieved a just settlement.
“And this kind of attitude is exactly why they have very little public support.”
Will you work saturday and sunday for free? How about stay late and come in early for free? Oh you will get your regular weekly wage but because you are a teacher we the people of BC own you. Now get to work!
Is that more like it JohnnyBelt?
What a plethora of teacher bashing! It’s usually accompanied by comments about outsiders who claim teachers have it easy, work few hours, etc.
Newsflash. That is baloney and every responsible citizen knows it.
Preparing for class can take hours of photocopying, room decorating, thematizing, laboratory prep, trying new experiments & curricula, reviewing new materials, and professional development, discussions with colleagues,etc.
Then there is marking, which takes time to consider carefully. It’s not completion marking, folks. Algebra requires instructors to look line by line through student work to determine where they’re making mistakes. Grading English essays requires careful consideration of composition elements and where students need development.
Then there are all the volunteer hours put into clubs, teams, giving up lunch hours to help kids & colleagues.
And there is much much more.
The qui-pro-quo hating about teachers is nothing new and readily identifies the hating.
Cheers haters
OK people, you go with 2 months without pay and have to try to pay bills in that period and see how nice the summer is and then you can talk untill then your opinion is not valid
Why is it that because I don’t believe teachers should get everything they want that I must ‘hate’ them and that I believe they should work for free?
It’s no wonder that the teachers have had one negotiated settlement in the past 30 years.
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