Might as well start young because the government will be ripping them off for there whole life.

“… this is a democracy and what the people want, the people get…”

Goodness me, he’s in for a real shock when he gets out of school and realizes that the world ain’t anything like they told him it was going to be.

All parents of children affected by this job action should not be scrambling for childcare on that day.

First, there is little to none available
second, call in to your employer and explain that you cannot make in to work today due to this job action.

Whether you support the teachers or not, this will have a significant impact on the provincial economy, or at least in the district.

This may be the message to send to the BCTF and the employer. The message being, “Stop jacking around, and get your deal done in the interest of the children.”

I wonder if Dylan has taken the time to research both sides of the dispute? All too often, while in their classrooms, our students seem to be indoctrinated with the BCTF ideology!

The BCTF has stated that the current Government is not willing to compromise and is unwilling to negotiate fairly. And yet, the Government seems to be the only party at the negotiations that seems to have made any movement at the negotiating table!

Teachers need to keep their socialistic, unionized agenda out of the classrooms!

Ewen wants to see teachers get a fair deal. Perhaps Ewen needs to see that our other public sector workers have settled contracts for far less than what the BCTF is demanding?? Perhaps Ewen needs to understand that in a democracy, the people don’t always get what the people want?

Ewen suggests that “we want to be in a classroom where we have a fair chance for an education”, that “fair chance” means reduced class sizes. Perhaps Ewen might want to consider that class sizes today are far smaller than they were when many of us older people, including Ewen’s parents were in school!

Perhaps Ewen should spend some time looking at this issue from other points of view, instead of just what is being spoon fed by the teachers and the BCTF??

I’m cynical, but I think that some, perhaps the majority of the participants of this protest are using it as an excuse to take the entire day off from their classes!!

I’m proud of the kids for standing up. Way to go.
For all the teacher haters on here, you are definitely in the minority. Kids don’t support teachers because they are brainwashed by some communism socialist union doctrine. That is ridiculous to even think that never mind post it on here. The vast majority of parents and kids support the teachers. Uninformed narrow minded cronies sitting at keyboards and complaining all day are, thankfully, in the minority.
Some on here almost on a daily basis moan about government yet when teachers go against them, all of a sudden the government is good and teachers are socialists. If you work for Canfor and you are under their collective agreement then you are a socialist. If you are a nurse taking care of the sick and dying and are under a collective agreement with the government, you’re a socialist too. Wow.

Go and download the Teachers Wages Grid Files, it may help you !

“…ripping them off for there whole life.”

There is there and then there is their.

I get what you are saying Loki, but there will also be hundreds of high schooler’s available to baby sit.

The picture of the front page of the Citizen showed two teachers with signs saying ‘A Fair Deal for the Kids’. I’m not sure how paying teachers more benefits the kids.

@PrinceGeorge

Could be that the teachers were walking the picket line on the day that was scheduled to learn the difference between them THERE things.

I’m sure young Mr. Ewen is one of those people who think the government’s supply of money is endless. If they run short, no problem they own the printing press crank the damn thing up.

I do get a good laugh every time I see the stock classroom footage on Global News that shows a whole high school class building paper air planes with the teacher standing front and center showing them how to hold and throw it. Duh!

So the top teachers in SD57 make a whopping 82 grand a year. That is ridiculous pay for a person who has a degree and is teaching in their chosen profession. A half drunk plumber will make that easy.

Teachers have families too. Don’t think for a moment that this process doesn’t have an effect on the whole family.

“I do get a good laugh every time I see the stock classroom footage on Global News that shows a whole high school class building paper air planes with the teacher standing front and center showing them how to hold and throw it. Duh!”

Where on earth do you get this stuff from……. I have never in my entire life seen anything remotely resembling a teacher working a paper airplane project to a class full of students for the cameras.
You must be watching the wrong channel.

82 grand pro rated to year round job with 5 weeks of holidays is more like 100 grand. Not too shabby for building paper planes.

Don’t forget if the plumber holds a ticket he also served a four year apprenticeship that includes a month and half classroom time each year.

I wonder if these students know the day they enter the workforce and become taxpayers, they are each on the hook for $243 K.

“Receiving a credit card bill that totalled $243,476 would no doubt be a shock for most Canadians. But if you add up all the liabilities of every Canadian government – federal, provincial, and local – that is in fact how much each taxpayer would owe of the $4.1 trillion total in direct debt and unfunded liabilities.”

http://beaconnews.ca/calgary/2014/04/canadian-government-debt-hits-4-1-trillion/

$82,000/yr is a very good wage in any economy. Next time you plunk your butt down on the throne & it doesn’t work you’ll thank that half drunk plumber & gladly pay him/her what is asked rather than be up to your elbows in sh*t.

Posted by: ewitt on May 27 2014 2:47 PM
82 grand pro rated to year round job with 5 weeks of holidays is more like 100 grand. Not too shabby for building paper planes.

———

5 weeks of holidays! It’s more like 12 weeks.

I say we give the teacher 3% for each of the next 5 years but claw back their platinum benefit package. Use the savings to hire a whack of new teachers and problem solved.

Posted by: PGguy1234 on May 27 2014 2:33 PM
So the top teachers in SD57 make a whopping 82 grand a year. That is ridiculous pay for a person who has a degree and is teaching in their chosen profession. A half drunk plumber will make that easy.

———

A half drunk plumber didn’t waste 4 years getting an arts degree…

“Chosen profession?” more like the only well paying choice for someone with a BA.

I have seen the stock footage of paper plane building on the 5 or 6 pm Global Vancouver news at least 10 times over the last month or so.

http://globalnews.ca/news/1277918/b-c-teachers-issue-72-hour-strike-notice/

Part of the footage I mentioned is spliced into video on link provided but there are longer clips.

Our kids deserve the best, do it for the kids, we’re doing it for the kids, etc. I wonder why education is exempt from the usual economic forces of life. They want smaller class sizes – and if we truly can afford it, I say, give it to them. But, last time I looked, the government of BC is 61 billion dollars in debt. About $17,000 for every citizen.

Now, every now and then they have a surplus, and people point and say – hey, they got a surplus, they should spend it on – education/healthcare etc. A surplus just means for one year, we managed to take in more than we put out, but we barely made a dent on the 61 billion.

So, for those of you who want the kids to have the very best education, I ask you – when your kid asked you for a bike – did you buy them the best bike. When they asked for skis, did you buy them the best skis. When they asked for clothing, did you get them designer clothing?

My point, if not clear, is children rarely get the best from their own parents, so I don’t see how those self same parents, can demand the best education for them, when fact is, we owe a lot of money, and maybe the best thing we can do for the children, is quit borrowing to give them the “best”. Because it won’t be me that pays back that 61 billion, it’ll be them.

Of course, we could raise corporate taxes, which would have the effect of corporation’s cutting their dividends, which would mean less cash in flow into the Teachers Pension Plan who is heavily invested in Can and US equity funds which own the shares of the corporations they want to tax more to get smaller class sizes.

Hart Guy, I don’t believe that you have a clue about the issues.
You have fallen for the Liberals’s constant attack on teachers. Even after a judge ruled this gov’t deliberately tried to provoke a strike, even after the courts have twice ruled that its actions have been illegal, this gov’t, like any criminal that has been charged, continues to appeal and profess innocence.
The Liberals have a track record of being caught in lies. I do not trust anything they say. Their tactics in this dispute are disgusting.
Read
https://www.bctf.ca/uploadedFiles/Public/BargainingContracts/2014CourtDecisionQuotes.pps« less

@axeman

I converted a teacher’s salary to what they would receive if they had a regular job with 5 weeks vacation.

In addition if they have young school aged children they are also saving after tax dollars by being home when the kids are off, eliminating the cost of daycare. So for them it is like another 10 grand to gross income. And unlike the plumber the only crap they deal with is from the mouth’s of smart-assed kids.

Do your own research people. 82,000/ year is for the most educated teacher with ten or more years under their belt. It’s more than just having one degree. Also that salary is before all of their deductions, so they are not walking away that much at the end of the day. Good on the kids for showing their support! Meanwhile Christy can throw a 18% wage increase to her thief of staff without batting an eye! $230,000 a year… Where’s the fiscal prudence??

Maybe it’s time to ditch the union and hire teachers based on merit. I would have no problem with a top rated teacher making $100K a year. The problem is that there are too many teachers just going through the motions.

Without Trades People you wont have a School
to teach in, or a House to call Home, every Skill is needed and one is not better then the other , a Degree is not a right to a better Life!

verballabel – your point is taken, but a teacher also has 13% of their gross income tossed into their pension plan on top of what they put in. Most people get 3 weeks holidays after 5 years of service, a teacher’s salary is spread over 12 months, but it’s for about 9 months of work. They essentially get 2 months off for the summer, Christmas break, Spring break, and then professional development days and all stats. So with pension plan they actually gross $92,660, divide by 9 and they’re paid $10,295.00 for each month they actually work. Give them say a 50 hour week for all the extra they do and it’s about $48.00 an hour for actual hours worked. Not sure how that compares to a pulp mill worker who has no post-secondary education.

And if the pay is so rotten, why are so many willing to become teachers? We see we have TFW’s because no one will work for Timmies at minimum wage, but we so no such shortfall of eligible candidates for teaching.

Besides, it’s not about money – they’ve said that, it’s about class sizes. If the class size is reduced, the teacher doesn’t make more money, they just have an opportunity to devote more time per student. Unfortunately a reduction in class sizes, means hiring more teachers, and a higher education cost. I’m not against it, I just want to know how to pay for it? Right now we borrow to run the province, so what program would people like to see cut, in order to reduce class sizes? Or would you prefer we continue borrowing and pretend there’s no problem.

Maybe folks on the picket line can pass the hat around so the young lady with the sign can buy new jeans. It’s a fashion statement? Gee, I’m old.

Would be nice if “The People” could hold teachers accountable for there inadequacy or lack of enthusiasm teaching our children. I feel the Government should devise a cost effective way to teach our children. Maybe by means of utilizing proven “professors” teaching by way of internet and having the children complete weekly modules which would be mailed in weekly for assessing,marking and reviewing were the the child needs attention in to improve his or her grade average. Marking than would be completed in a non-bias manner, again by a proven professionals. Parents have lost there rights to adequately advocate for there own child’s rights.I have found it frustrating as hell myself on a couple of occasions trying to fight for my children’s right just to find that the school was diligently working and conniving ways to cover up wrongful doing on there colleagues behalf. Oh yeah and I am also out $250.00 for supplies I bought for a field trip which was cancelled due to I would assume a selfish act on be half of the teachers strike. Way to go PEOPLE! let’s punish the kids for yourself centered greed.

I am sorry that the kids have had so many extra’s cancelled and on Thursday, they lose a day of education. The extracurricular activities did not have to be cancelled. Both the BCTF and the BCPSEA need to stop using our kids as pawns in their stupid battle. Our teachers are even being lied to as is the general public.

http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/canada/british-columbia/story/1.2654704

This process hasn’t worked for over 20 years. I support our teachers so long as they are honest about the actual contract and are not just spouting BCTF rhetoric and lies. Their job can be miserable but it can also be quite rewarding. Frankly I think a good teacher is worth their weight in gold. Just be honest about the dispute.

The contract is not available for public consumption this time but 2 years ago, it was viewable on the BCTF site and it had absolutely nothing to do with class size. It was all about money and unreasonable benefit demands. I questioned some teachers about it at that time and none of them had even read the contract but just quoted the BCTF.

I question the honesty in the process. Both the BCTF and the BCPSEA are holding our teachers and kids hostage. Time to give the system and overhaul and try something different.

Mavrick64 you can blame the Gov for that, the teachers were doing everything possible not to disrupt the kids up until lye government locked the teachers out at lunch and after school so yeah it is hard to have a field trip. And now none of the kids are going to graduate because teachers can’t mark the exams because of the government.

Yeah right, keep tell yourself that..Still laughing!!after all the joke cost me $250.00

Karmann, hate to disappoint you, but I do have a clue about the issues.

You suggest that I have fallen for the Liberals’s constant attack on teachers. Please tell me about the ease at which the BCTF negotiated a contract with the previous NDP Government. Oh, wait a minute, the BCTF went on strike with the NDP as well!

You also suggest that the Liberals tactics in this dispute are disgusting. Well, I find the BCTF’s actions quite disgusting. Their demands, as always are completely out of touch with the ability of the taxpayer to pay!! During these current rounds of bargaining, it appears that the Government has made some movement on their initial offer. It does not appear that the BCTF has moved from their ridiculous demands!

If you are going to bash the Government for it’s actions in this dispute, it’s only fair to ask you to also consider the lack of action from the BCTF!

“vast majority of parents and kids support the teachers” .. and you know this how?
Is there some data out there that categorically says the vast majority support the teachers side? Please, don’t assume to speak for the majority.

verballabel, your comment puzzles me as I’m not sure why you state the following:

“Do your own research people. 82,000/ year is for the most educated teacher with ten or more years under their belt. It’s more than just having one degree. Also that salary is before all of their deductions, so they are not walking away that much at the end of the day.”

This statement puzzle me because it doesn’t seem to me that you’ve done your own research! I think that the vast majority of working people report their salary BEFORE deductions and I’m pretty sure that most working people are subject to deductions from their salary. This is something that is not unique to teachers!

Poor students in the picture. I remember the teachers trying to push their union agendas in the classroom back when I was in school.

ski50: “Besides, it’s not about money – they’ve said that, it’s about class sizes. If the class size is reduced, the teacher doesn’t make more money, they just have an opportunity to devote more time per student. Unfortunately a reduction in class sizes, means hiring more teachers, and a higher education cost. I’m not against it, I just want to know how to pay for it? Right now we borrow to run the province, so what program would people like to see cut, in order to reduce class sizes? Or would you prefer we continue borrowing and pretend there’s no problem.”

At least a few people get it. Good post.

I haven’t heard anyone say that they would like to pay another $1100 a year in taxes so that the teachers get their demands.

JB abd ski50, I agree!!

For several years, we have seen a decline in student populations. This would normally result in a reduction in the number of required teachers, however a reduction in the number of teachers comes with a corresponding reduction in the dues received by the BCTF.

I find it interesting that we have seen demands for smaller class sizes from the BCTF at the same time that we are seeing fewer students. This has always caused me to question the motivation behind the BCTF’s demands. Is it all about the kids, or is it all about preventing the loss of teacher positions and the loss of income to the BCTF via dues.

As far as I am concerned, the BCTF and other large scale Unions have become nothing more than a “business” and as with any other business, they are concerned about any loss in revenue. In the BCTF’s case, Union Dues equate to revenue.

Smaller class sizes, fewer layoffs!

But hey, it’s all about the kids!

So if taxpayers just quite subsidizing private schools couldn’t that money be used to reduce class sizes and have special needs students better attended to? Seems to me that would fix a whole lot of issues. If private schools can’t stand on their own then maybe they shouldn’t be in business. And teachers continue to get cost of living increases, period.

I read some reference to the Global News coverage of the Teacher’s strike. I had no idea some of you liked watching your news with some pedophilia on the side. A former Global News reporter in Kelowna was charged with child sex abuse. Then there’s this Global News Reporter:

http://bc.ctvnews.ca/more-child-sex-abuse-charges-for-tv-reporter-1.630418

No other TV station has more of its news reporters “making” the news than Global TV, so you might want to consider switching to another TV station to watch your “tabloid” news.

I also see some have mentioned how in debt we are as a province, and how costly BC’s public education is becoming. So whose fault is it that our province is at a record breaking level of debt? So why should the quality of our children’s education suffer because of this Liberal Government’s years of debt building mistakes?

Sounds about right though… re-elect a government that continues to push this province into record breaking levels of debt, then punish our children’s public education because of that debt.

http://www.lesbilicious.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/facepalm.jpg

@Huh

As mentioned in an earlier post, if the BCTF quit protecting those teachers who are merely going through the motions those parents might not feel the need to send their kids to private or religious schools.
These schools hold the teachers to a much higher standard and make them accountable if student results are below expectations.

people#1

When are you going to stop this phoney little charade of posting under a different name or were your privileges removed for the extremely offensive Jonestown comments?

If the bar has been set so that one bad apple spoils the bunch I guess that means we should no longer listen to any member of the RCMP because of this guy

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/veteran-senior-mountie-charged-underage-sex-offences-dating-200608899.html

The CBC is out as there is a stalker among them.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/cbc-reporter-charged-with-criminal-harassment-1.661589

Better start a new army as Williams i think his name was tortured and killed women in Ontario while serving.

And whatever you do don’t cross the threshold of any house of worship to see solace, every one of them are dens of inequity, could post links on that subject till the cows come home.

Same could apply for any group, club, gathering or family even yours peeps. You might have a shiny new u/n peeps but it not come with any additional grey matter.

If we give the teachers more money and smaller class size, does that mean we can stop the yearly “Raise-A-Reader” charade? After all, teachers shortcomings in teaching kids how to read will be improved?

Methinks if Peter Mansbridge finds out teachers make $82 thousand a year here, he might kick himself for following the wrong career path.

Peeps, BeingHuman or whatever else you are calling yourself these days, you need to realize that we all have our own opinions and we are entitled to them. Our opinions are often different and that is to be expected.

I sometimes try to get under the skin of other posters, but it’s all in good fun and I’m pretty sure that I could sit down and have a beer with most people on this site.

With all that being said, your post at 8:14 p.m. “I had no idea some of you liked watching your news with some pedophilia on the side.” was uncalled for, rude and deserving of yet another apology from you. It seems that you often have a problem recognizing that you have or are about to step over the line!

Shame on you!

Students walk to support teachers….all I saw was students plugging up Tim Hortons, standing around smoking, using foul language while some stood at the corner waiving. To me, it looked more like a lesson in opportunity…the opportunity to ditch classes!

Hart Guy,
The teachers did settle with the NDP in 1998.
They took 3 years of 0-0-0 pay increases for the class size limits.
The Campbell gov’t ripped up that contract, apparently illegally. This has been been upheld in the courts. That is the part you seem to skip over in your comments.

[url]http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/tories-on-e-snooping-stand-with-us-or-with-the-child-pornographers/article545799/[url]

My comment comes directly from the Federal Conservatives “playbook”. If Public Safety Minister; Vic Toews can say; “anyone who is against our Internet spying bill are with the child pornographers” and not apologize, maybe I shouldn’t as well?

What am I saying, I have way more class than the Harper Conservatives, so… I sincerely apologize for the Global News part of my previous comment. :-)

So what was it, Peeps? Did you get banned under that moniker? Enquiring minds want to know!

Karmann, I have a very long and well thought out response to your last comment, however this site hiccupped and I lost it all!

As it’s late and I need to hit the hay, I’ll make it a lot shorter.

In 1999, after talks broke down between the BCTF and the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association, 3 NDP Deputy Ministers reached an agreement with the BCTF giving them contract provisions that the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association and School Board Trustees opposed. In fact, 56 of 60 Boards rejected the contract!!

In 2002, the new Liberal Government imposed a contract that removed many of those provisions.

One Government giveth and another taketh away!!

Time will tell!!

Here’s some “Core Facts” from the BCTF:

• 27 years since teachers granted the right to strike

• 48 strikes and three lockouts under “local bargaining” from 1987 to 1994

• 3 strikes disrupting 14 days of school since 1995

• 3 legislated contracts, 1 legislated “cooling off period” and 2 negotiated deals under “provincial bargaining” since 1994

Quite the record I must say!!

3 strikes disrupting 14 days of school since 1995

That’s 3/4’s of a day per year lost to strike.

What’s Canfors numbers? Or Nurses? Or Steel Workers?

Thank you Karrman at least you understand what the Fiberals are all about , very well said , I hope you can educate Johnny Belt OH! wait a minute maybe he just picked up his welfare cheque

Yeah right, Fedup. With the taxes I pay, I am sure I am supporting the equivalent of one or two people on welfare.