There is no indication of when a full strike might take place, but this school year is coming to a close in just a few short weeks.

———-

Which means it’s doubtful they’ll strike now; it could ruin their holidays…

Let the bashing and redneck comments commence……

re: Axman’s comment

A strike only works if there is pressure being put on. If there is no pressure then there is no reason for the other side to “bargain.” There is very minimal pressure over a strike in the summer with it affecting only summer school, adult education, and day use of school facilities by other groups. So not much point to strike. Can you give me an actual serious reason why you think the BCTF should strike in the summer?

One other major reason teachers will not strike during the summer is that it does not affect all teachers equally. It would greatly hurt adult educators as well as summer school teachers, primarily new teachers scraping by as TOC’s the rest of the year. The BCTF is very clear internally that any action taken will be done in a way to make sure the pain put on teachers is equitable amongst the ranks. For example, the BCTF will not sell out new teachers by putting in a new lower grid for any new teachers. Just one of the many concessions the government has on the table, but oddly enough not something they leak to media as they do other parts.

I hope the teachers take the situation to the mat. That is the only way to do it. A limited job action won’t be the way to deal with this government. Bury your markbooks in the backyard and wait the bastards out.

Go for it teachers, according to a recent poll, 60% of British Columbians support you :-D

I am one of the 40% that does not support the teachers strike. They are paid high wages and should be happy to be getting way more then the average person. Bunch of idiots!

So the BC Liberals offer CUPE full wages even if the CUPE members walk out and support teachers during this dispute ….offering this bribe where money is no object so they (BC Liberals) can claim in the media that they got a deal done with CUPE in a matter of days. …..Well no shit Dick Tracy, it’s pretty easy to deal when the employer walks into the room with an open cheque book………..So British Columbians think about that for a sec……..In order to claim to British Columbians that the BC Liberals are good faith bargainers and can negotiate deals they are willing to pay another union sector in effect bribe money to accept a deal whether they work or walk out and stand on the BCTF picket line for the sole purpose of blaming the real enemy of the BC Liberals….Teachers. ….In other words this dispute is all about winning for the BC Liberals and has nothing to do with money as they are clearly OK with spending money on other Government workers whether they work or not, just to fool British Columbians this whole thing is about greedy, lazy teachers and not about the BC Liberal’s obsession of breaking the BCTF……Bravo Teachers 86% support …stand your ground!

To all the MLA’s out there it’s time for you to get a backbone and free up some money for the students of this province instead of playing the game follow the leader.

I support the teachers. Stop nickel and diming my kids education. My entire life I was told the best investment is a good education, how can the Liberals not get that. This issue will very likely cost them my vote.

CUPE settled for 5.5% over 5 years. Why can’t the teachers settle for a more marginal salary increase like 5.5% but then demand more teachers be hired to solve the issue of class sizes.

You can’t demand 16% increase over 4 years and also want the government to hire more teachers.

What do the teachers really want? 16% increase in wages or smaller class size. Class size is the red herring in these negotiations.

CUPE settled for 5.5% over 5 years. Why can’t the teachers settle for a more marginal salary increase like 5.5% but then demand more teachers be hired to solve the issue of class sizes.

You can’t demand 16% increase over 4 years and also want the government to hire more teachers.

What do the teachers really want? 16% increase in wages or smaller class size. Class size is the red herring in these negotiations.

“Can you give me an actual serious reason why you think the BCTF should strike in the summer?”
oh, I dunno, maybe FOR THE KIDS??

if the union brotherhood is so strong they could picket other government offices during the summer and other union members would refuse to cross. AFTER they get the kids school year finished because they are doing this for the kids, right?

CUPE is coming off 2 years at 3.5%. BCTF is coming off three years of 0.

Exactly hockeyfan…class size is the red herring…..it shouldn’t even be open for negotiation….that issue has been dealt with twice in the court of law. It is the BC Liberals who like to operate against the carter of rights and is the real red herring.

Comment Posted by: interceptor on June 10 2014 11:01 PM

“Can you give me an actual serious reason why you think the BCTF should strike in the summer?”
oh, I dunno, maybe FOR THE KIDS??

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I can see you did not give a logical response. I assume you know there is no value in a summer strike because
there is no pressure on the employer with a summer strike and thus no reason for them to “bargain.”

Anyone on the governments side want to give a serious reply to the original question?

Smooth

My quick research on web says from 2006-2011 teachers received 2.5% each year. Not sure where you get 0%.

All I am saying is a more modest salary increase allows government the ability to hire new teachers. Isn’t that what you guys want?

Don’t wast any time giving them strike notice. Whats next C-C ? Pay parking for students ,toll gate on the school door.

Hockeyfan,

2006-2010 was 2.5% to get BC through the Olympics as they did with almost every public sector union.

2011, 2012, 2013 all zero. The first two based on “net-zero,” and 2013 working through a year with no new contract. Other unions got 3.5% over 2 as part of “cooperative gains.” The BCTF for some reason is being asked to follow the pattern, yet were never offered the pattern of cooperative gains.

What operating system you got there hockeyfan….dos…is it stuck in 2011?

the last imposed contract was for 2 years at 0 and the teachers are just finishing a yer without a contract which makes it 3 years with zero’s.

The reason cupe is coming off a two year at 3.5 is because the BC Liberals were offering contracts last time of zero zero.

Zero zero meaning any increase in wages had to come out of existing budgets. So if the teachers wanted a raise, that raise came out of the budget and teachers argued that would be taking money directly from kids. Teachers refused the zero zero and bargained for a raise with the BC Liberals but only if there was new money brought to the table. The BC Liberals were fine with taking money from kids to give to teachers however the teachers refused, the result was a Government legislated 2 year deal of ZERO, which expired last June and now after a year without a contract it has become 3 years of zeros.

Many folks including my self saw very little salary increase during and after the financial crisis, and many lost their jobs. Unions shouldn’t be expecting to play catchup during one of the worst financial recessions to hit the US and Canada. No one gave me a huge increase in pay after the 4 year recession. How are teachers any different?

Ask for a reasonable settlement and the government can hire more teachers. How do you propose government hire more teachers with a 14% wage hike?

The population is getting older and the medical system will also be needing more dollars. Our provincial roads are falling apart. Everyone needs to be reasonable in there demands.

Just my opinion. Good night, hopefully the BCTF and government can work out a fair deal. Teachers no doubt provide a valuable service
.

Many folks including my self saw very little salary increase during and after the financial crisis, and many lost their jobs. Unions shouldn’t be expecting to play catchup during one of the worst financial recessions to hit the US and Canada. No one gave me a huge increase in pay after the 4 year recession. How are teachers any different?

Ask for a reasonable settlement and the government can hire more teachers. How do you propose government hire more teachers with a 14% wage hike?

The population is getting older and the medical system will also be needing more dollars. Our provincial roads are falling apart. Everyone needs to be reasonable in there demands.

Just my opinion. Good night, hopefully the BCTF and government can work out a fair deal. Teachers no doubt provide a valuable service
.

Many folks including my self saw very little salary increase during and after the financial crisis, and many lost their jobs. Unions shouldn’t be expecting to play catchup during one of the worst financial recessions to hit the US and Canada. No one gave me a huge increase in pay after the 4 year recession. How are teachers any different?

Ask for a reasonable settlement and the government can hire more teachers. How do you propose government hire more teachers with a 14% wage hike?

The population is getting older and the medical system will also be needing more dollars. Our provincial roads are falling apart. Everyone needs to be reasonable in there demands.

Just my opinion. Good night, hopefully the BCTF and government can work out a fair deal. Teachers no doubt provide a valuable service
.

A few years back I had a major surgery and no post op bed and ended up on a gurney at a Tim Hortons…..then I read the other evening the Fraser Health authority makes 500,000. Per year in salary. This Liberal govt. is robbing a lot of people to keep their supporters on their money gravy train. Christy Clark Liberals are just a front for extreme corporate welfare. They are brainwashing the public that the BC economy will totally go down the toilet if any other party assumes govt. power. Where are the lack of substance local MLA’s when it comes to protecting Canadian workers from being displaced by temporary foreign workers? They are pretending this is a federal matter and not local. Remember it was the BC Liberals and their minions that supported the Chinese owned mining company who were hiring foreign temporary workers. Also, you the voter are paying for the Clark’s son high brow private education and your children are in the public schools with every psycholigical problem venting in a classroom with stressed supports. The Liberals wont be happy until they rob you blind. Poitiy

Personally I feel teachers in general are not doing their job , perhaps if they would teach the kids instead of dealing with problem children and bullying the children then they would deserve a pay increase! Don’t take me wrong my children have had a few (good) teachers but the rest are just putting in time. It funny that they suddenly want to walk out on the kids in the last couple weeks of school, sure would be funny to see them strike in the middle of January at -31! Is it that they want small class sizes and teachers aids (proving that they can’t handle teaching them selves) or the fact that they want $$

BC Northern….
Your comment is a display of total ignorance!

How about this. Give em the 16% they want BUT it requires a 2080 hour work year like most full time. Right now there are 183 days of instruction per year. Lets say 6 hours a day “at school” so 1098 hours is where we start. The other 1000 hours needs to be documented. You do three hours a night like you say marking, preparing, etc? Great – stay at the school and do it.
oh – and there will be performance reviews and future wage increases will be based on those. Welcome to the real world.

Interceptor – good point.

As far as striking goes, they have to give 72 hrs notice. with schools nearing end of the year, full scale strike could happen next week. As for Gov’t imposing they teach during summer, the teachers could strike all summer to prevent this from happening.. But I can’;t see teachers without some sort of income during the summer, so that’s unlikely to happen..

Interceptor…teachers work many more hours than 6 hours a day. There is marking and lots of prep work.

Taxpayer I think that was part of Interceptors point. Unfortunately no matter what profession you’re in there’s those that ruin it for the rest of them. I think he makes some valid points that all that marking and after hours work like sports and plays etc be documented. Clock in, clock out, do your work to a certain standard in a reasonable time and so on like most any other jobs is what I think he means. Unfortunately I know of 2 teachers through their own blabber mouth children that anytime they have multiple choice work to grade they let their kids “play teacher” and give them the answer key and a red pen :( There are many hard working teachers that pay out of pocket for supplies and put their blood sweat and tears into their work, but there are also some that shaft their students education wise, so I think Interceptor makes a valid point there needs to be some sort of system to reward these amazing teachers and increase where it is deserved and monitor quality of work.

Posted by: Smooth on June 10 2014 10:10 PM
re: Axman’s comment

A strike only works if there is pressure being put on. If there is no pressure then there is no reason for the other side to “bargain.” There is very minimal pressure over a strike in the summer with it affecting only summer school, adult education, and day use of school facilities by other groups. So not much point to strike. Can you give me an actual serious reason why you think the BCTF should strike in the summer?

————

I never said I that I thought they should strike in the summer. It would be rather pointless.

I am behind the teachers 100% but I would never support any Liberal . Chrispie Clark was noted as saying ” It’s all about Family ” where is she ? running up credit cards to $475,000 and thinks this is acceptable , again goes to show how out of touch she is with reality. She has even proven to be worst than KIng Gordo ,

Posted by: Fedup2014 on June 11 2014 6:43 AM
I am behind the teachers 100% but I would never support any Liberal .

———

Huh?

oldman1, there are no MLA’s with backbones…
it is proven in history if anyone in the Liberal pary speaks out against the party, they end up fired…so don’t expect any real help from them.

I can understand the teachers sid eand I can understand the parents side ( no babysiter)
blithering away on here isn’t going to do much, if you want to do something MAYBE get on the phone, get writing letters, or gee, maybe get out on the picket line with the teachers to put preasure on the government to get this over with.

I have nothing to gain or lose either way…
so it is up to the parents I think…..
but if you plan on picketing teh MLA’s office …DON’T TELL THEM YOU ARE COMMING AND SHOW UP DURING THE WEEK, and of course make sure they are in town or you are wasting your time

Posted by: axman on June 11 2014 5:41 AM

I never said I that I thought they should strike in the summer. It would be rather pointless.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am sorry then axman. I thought your original comment (first post in the thread) was implying that the teachers were not striking in the summer only to avoid ruining holidays. I hope you agree with my comments about the real reason being that there is no pressure on the employer through a strike in the summer.

Well, at least the timing is going to work out. Hope it gets resolved during the summer months.

13% over six years is OK. Even 9% over 4 years sounds OK to me.

Posted by: Smooth on June 11 2014 7:07 AM
Posted by: axman on June 11 2014 5:41 AM

I never said I that I thought they should strike in the summer. It would be rather pointless.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am sorry then axman. I thought your original comment (first post in the thread) was implying that the teachers were not striking in the summer only to avoid ruining holidays. I hope you agree with my comments about the real reason being that there is no pressure on the employer through a strike in the summer.

———

Yes, I agree with you. I was implying that they wouldn’t want to give up their final two weeks of pay knowing that the summer holidays are approaching with 2 months of no pay.

I sincerely hope taxpayerteacher isn’t an english teacher.

There is rumour they could walk out this monday. If they do, thay are (especially the union leaders) piece of crap and not caring for the children.

Thank you Ella, that is exactly what I was getting at. I did not say that teachers do not put in enough hours, some do some dont. Like any job there are good and there are bad apples. Just most jobs have some sort of accountability to keep the bad apples in check.

Taxed Out- So the BC Liberals offer CUPE full wages even if the CUPE members walk out and support teachers during this dispute ….offering this bribe where money is no object so they (BC Liberals) can claim in the media that they got a deal done with CUPE in a matter of days.

Negotiations with CUPE is like comparing apples to oranges – yes they both work in the school system but their pay scale is totally different – monthly for teachers / hourly for CUPE and the wages are miles apart. The amount the CUPE members will receive this time – 5.5% for 5 years is allot less the cost of inflation and in previous years the same “garbage” was thrown by the government that should the economy increase members will get extra $$- it never happened – check out past C/A.

CUPE members in PG school district have been allowed to use their vacation time on the days the teachers were out – no loss of pay.

The problem with the situation is that neither sides want to give in – even though both parties say they are willing to negotiate their motto “my way or no way”.

Where do I start…..

“Posted by: DPJ on June 10 2014 10:22 PM

I am one of the 40% that does not support the teachers strike. They are paid high wages and should be happy to be getting way more then the average person. Bunch of idiots!”

You are the idiot if you think that average joe should get what university educated people should get. Does average joe have a degree????

This one is great….

“Posted by: Bcnorthern on June 10 2014 11:42 PM

Personally I feel teachers in general are not doing their job , perhaps if they would teach the kids instead of dealing with problem children and bullying the children then they would deserve a pay increase! Don’t take me wrong my children have had a few (good) teachers but the rest are just putting in time. It funny that they suddenly want to walk out on the kids in the last couple weeks of school, sure would be funny to see them strike in the middle of January at -31! Is it that they want small class sizes and teachers aids (proving that they can’t handle teaching them selves) or the fact that they want $$”

Where to start with this one……SO teachers are bullying students in this day and age? Wow. That is truly amazing. Do you think that the teachers didn’t wish that it was September and not June? They want smaller class sizes, either less special needs kids in their classes (or the support required to have them there) and they want to catch up to the cost of living. Maybe all these teachers are taking bullying lessons over the summer. Ridiculous comment.

Posted by: interceptor on June 11 2014 12:00 AM

How about this. Give em the 16% they want BUT it requires a 2080 hour work year like most full time. Right now there are 183 days of instruction per year. Lets say 6 hours a day “at school” so 1098 hours is where we start. The other 1000 hours needs to be documented. You do three hours a night like you say marking, preparing, etc? Great – stay at the school and do it.
oh – and there will be performance reviews and future wage increases will be based on those. Welcome to the real world.

The real world for teachers are that they work evenings and weekends. Not all of them but most of them. If you think teaching starts at 9, ends at noon, starts and 1 and ends at 3 for 5 days for some weeks and 3 or 4 for others and tons of time off you don’t know what you’re talking about.

Let them go on strike, and stay out as long as they wish.

This whole issue is politically motivated, and there is no love lost between the teachers and the Government., Problem is they both work for the Government and they both get paid by the taxpayers.

Civil servants salaries (including Teachers) should be set by an independent board, based on similar work in the Province, or Country. This would eliminate the constant battle between the Government and its employee’s.

JB I would guess the semi coherent ramblings of a taxpayingteacher are an example of why it is not a good idea to TWI or Type While Impaired. It would be a black mark on the institution who gave him a teaching certificate if he wrote the above post while sober,my old English would be doing a Whirling Dervish impression in her grave.

If the teachers do not move off the 19% over 4 year salary demand they better start printing the On Strike signs. There are over 67,000 other pubic servants who have settled their contracts but have a “me-too” clause and if the province caves to the teacher’s outrageous demands they also must top up the other employees paychecks.

Too bad the teachers don’t have a me too clause too!

In the end the teachers will get some sort of a raise that some will think is too much and others think it is too little.

Next!

The teachers do have a me too clause- they can close a deal that would offer them something similar to what the other public sector unions signed for. CUPE just signed a tentative contract,after 5 days of bargaining, for people working in those same schools including teachers assistants who work in the same classrooms as the Prima Donnas. There is no way they deserve 3 or 4 times as much.

Remind me of many years ago when I was working in a sawmill, the IWA settled our contract, the pulp unions were offered the same but wanted more. They set up a picket line in an attempt to shut the mill but a vast majority still went to work, why lose pay so they can get more than we settled for. Screw em!End of the day they settled for the same as us except for a couple of local issues and 6 or 8 weeks of missed pay checks.

To Johnnybelt ….I do not teach English and I am a very poor texter on the smart phone.

No need to explain to JB tax or any other perfect blogger!

Is that why trades people at the pulpmill make more than those at a sawmill ewitt?

I think we’re missing one of the major issues here. This dispute is not all about teacher’s pay. The other big issue is limits on class size and the number of special needs students per class together with support staff for special needs students. The Liberals created bad blood on this issue by excluding it from negotiations. Now that the courts have ruled that they can’t do that, they’re stonewalling. This is an issue that affects teachers’ work conditions as well as the children’s education.

People talking like the class size is the issue at hand, lol? Are you people serious? You think the teachers care about this, more than money?

The teachers have the ability to reduce class sizes, but they never will because it means less funding. Get rid of the 4 little punks in every class, who have no business being in the same room as the kids who ‘want’ to be there. Suspend the others who are behind the rest of the issues, make it the parents problems.

Either find a ‘special’ class for the kids who are ruining for the rest of the students, or stop complaining. Perhaps if the principals and teachers, just used the tools already in place, life would be that much better in the schools.

Next, bring in performance based salaries like the real world. Good teachers should be paid more than the terrible ones, who simply go through the motions.

I have not kept track of any difference between sawmill and pulp mill trade wage scales but do know a few years ago the pulp guys got an extra buck an hour for “flex trades”, well worth it if a millwright no longer had to wait forever for a welder to show up to do a three second job with an acetylene torch.

Back to the teachers, right now they are losing 10% of their salary as a result of the LRB ruling. In addition they are losing a day a week to strike action losing another 15 or 20% with little or no strike pay. Even if they do squeeze a couple more bucks out of the government it is still going to take up most if not all of the contract to make up what they have lost.

Iker was obviously not a math teacher in his former life.

ewitt: “If the teachers do not move off the 19% over 4 year salary demand they better start printing the On Strike signs. There are over 67,000 other pubic servants who have settled their contracts but have a “me-too” clause and if the province caves to the teacher’s outrageous demands they also must top up the other employees paychecks.”

Exactly. The teachers exhorbitant demands have greater reaching implications than the teachers themselves. All those teacher supporters who think taxpayers are a never ending bottomless pit of money need to wake up and smell the coffee.

The teachers have not been asking for 19%. QUIT being so redneck ignorant. They are only asking for cost of living and a fair wage increase. The CC Liberals’ “corporate welfare” henchmen just showed their complete discrimination and extreme bias when they gave the CUPE workers 2.75 a year and continue their salaries during the teacher strike days. This bias wont do them any favours when the Supreme Court strikes down the Liberals’ final appeal. The teachers in BC are being persecuted by the Liberals . Some of you need to study the history of Nazi Germany.

“I have not kept track of any difference between sawmill and pulp mill trade wage scales but do know a few years ago the pulp guys got an extra buck an hour for “flex trades”, well worth it if a millwright no longer had to wait forever for a welder to show up to do a three second job with an acetylene torch.”

Sawmill trades 35.00/hr
Pulpmill trades 42.00/hr

I wonder what the salary for the teachers at St. George ‘a private school is?

I think that the taxpayerteacher is a drama teacher as sure is a Drama Queen.Comparing the current labour unrest to Nazi Germany is about the dumbest thing I have seen written about this from either side. The bctf should stop its little hissy-fit/temper tantrum and start acting like adults at the bargaining table.

I thought you didn’t give a crap any more as you were going to be teaching in Sweden next year. Saw your spelling of Switzerland on an earlier post and I think the post office is still trying to figure that one out so don’t expect an job offer from there.

To NoWay: Some teachers at St George school make 100000. Shirley Bond allegedly has a daughter teaching at an elite private school also. Joe Taxpayer is footing the bill for this. W.AC Bennett, as former premier of BC, was vehemently opposed to public tax money going to private school initiatives. Basically he believed there needed to be a strong system for the publics’ children. If a parent wanted private based on particular religions, culture, or elitism and networking…. the parent should pay for it . Somehow under CC Liberals huge funding increases have gone to private schools. Also, the MLA’s have voted themselves a 43% wage and benefit increase since 2005.

To Ewitt. I am not a drama queen. I lost an uncle to the Holocaust. I know that history well

Teachers recieved the following increase in last 8 years

2006 – 2.5%
2007 – 2.5%
2008 – 2.5%
2009 – 2.5%
2010 – 2.5%
2011 -0%
2012 – 0%
2013 – 0%

Total 12.5% over 8 years = 1.56% average

If they receive an additional 16% over 4 years, thats 18.5%/over 12 years = 2.375% average

No one has expereinced salary increases in this range especially with the financial crisis from 2018 – 2012.

In addition, teachers receive pensions unmatched in the private sector. No one even talks about the defined benefit pensions teachers get. Pensions should be factored into the salaries.

Come on, settle for a reasonable increase like CUPE and move on. Use the lower salary increase to fight for more teachers in the classroom.

16% over 4 years is a joke!!

Oops error in my last post

“If they receive an additional 16% over 4 years, thats 28.5%/over 12 years = 2.375% average.

Wow sign me up if you can get 28.5% increase in salary in 12 years.

Teachers pay 90% of their own pensions via hefty payroll deductions and compound interest. Teachers do not have hefty RRSP windows as many other private pension/bonus situations facilitate. So HockeyFan…..get the right information on that one. My relatives run a large successful business and they do very well with their RRSP windows

HockeyFan….perhaps you are a “politician” who slurped up at the taxpayer’s trough a whopping 43% wage and benefit increase since 2005

yes you pay hefty payroll deductions, but the pension is a defined benefit plan with a guarenteed pension every month when you retire. Most pension plans in private industry have eliminated defined pension plans because they are extremely costly to employer. Government have a very good pension, don’t indicate otherwise!!

When you get to Sweden raise a big mug of Glogg, Akvavit, or the best choice Filmjolk a fermented sour milk, it seems to fit all the spitting up the bctf has been doing as they try to suck the taxpayer dry, and say Helan Gar! or Skal.

Assignment due at 4: 500 word essay on how the current labour dispute in British Columbia can be compared to Germany circa 1933-1945.

taxpayerteacher – No I am not a politician, but rather concerned that there won’t be enough money in the system for healthcare when the baby boomers all retire.

This never ending increase in public service salaries is unsustainable for the government.

taxpayerteacher

Maybe you should check your union’s own website before saying that you fund 90% of your pension.

http://bctf.ca/SalaryAndBenefits.aspx?id=4780

Kind of casts a dark shadow on the other “facts” you have posted if you can’t even get something this simple right. Your grasp on how RRSPs work also seems shaky at best.

If you are not on either the bargaining team for the BCTF or the PCPC, you are all blowing smoke out your collective a$$e$. This negotiation, although some leaked information is out there, is being done at the bargaining table and not on a BCTF website or Global News. Go and google yourself until your hands hurt. What you have aren’t the facts pertaining to the current set of negotiations. The bright side of all of this is that even after all the crap under the bridge, the 2 sides are still talking. I think teachers deserve a little credit for sticking around at the table. I would have walked away long ago.

You know your wrong when you resort to the Nazi Germany crutch

1234- taxpayerteacher said on an earlier post that the teachers make 90% of the contributions to their pension plan and it took all of 15 seconds to find a bctf site that shows he/she is 100% wrong, the employer contributes an amount greater than the teacher and this forms part of his overall compensation package.

This from a person that has a university degree of some sort. If a simple pay stub looks like hieroglyphics to a public school teacher it is no wonder that parents are seeking private schools for their kids.

Yeah give the teachers their 16%, what is wrong with you people?
Teachers work hard for there money! In turn though don’t stop with the teachers. Remembers the;
-Firemen.
-Police.
-Paramedics.
-Meter maids.
-Doctors.
-Nurses.
-Conservation officers
-Forestry workers
-Government employee’s
-City employee’s
-welfare recipients
-pensioners
-inmates
All deserve a wage increase of 16%. Hummm, we should hire Sheri Green, she is the only person I know of with creative accounting capabilities.

I like your thinking Maverick64

Let’s do it.

4% increase * $60,000/year (average salary)= $2400 increase/employee

$2400/employee * 150,000 union members province wide = $360,000,0000 million/year of agreement * 4 years = 1.444 billion dollars in wage increases.

Not sure what the debt is in BC, but let’s hope Oil and Gas comes through for the province or we are going down a big dark hole. Province would be silly to sign anything close to 4% increase/year.

Just remember the situation that happened in Greece, we aren’t far behind as a province.

Money grows in trees in the form of toilet paper!!
GO blow your noses, or your wipe your a$$e$. Educated guess would tell you teachers that the “PEOPLE” can’t afford to pay for wage increases of that magnitude.

From The Province:
“Iker said the government also wants a contract that would see teachers receive no wage increases for two more years, which would bring to four the number of years teachers have been without a pay raise.”

I was also told, but haven’t verified, that the gov’t wants several of the items that they lost in the court descion to be included in the new agreement. Is that true?

Karrman. I believe the govt. “offered” or dangled a 1200.00 signing bonus BUT ONLY if the y
teachers recant the two previous Supreme Court wins.

I would not be surprised if this government wants several of the items (class size and composition) to be included in a new agreement karrman.

This government seems bound and determined to negotiate in an illegal and unconstitutional manner!

Why not give the teachers the raise, in order to do so tho all teachers aids be cut. Send problem children home to their parents when they are bad . This would make the teachers job easier and the children that want to learn are able to do so with out the negative distractions

“proudtobepg”….take your issues elsewhere!

Awesome idea “Bcnorthern” lets give the teachers the right to prescribe Ritalin to our children as well.

taxpayerteacher Your signing bonus fabrication has about as much credibility as to who pays for your pension.

I posted the facts on the pension how about you do the same for your take on the bonus being tied to lower court decision.

Ewitt: I stated teachers contribute 90% to their pension contributions via payroll deductions and COMPOUND INTEREST. The pension adjustment statement at tax time determines what the employer pays. People who dont have a pension plan can make very large rrsp contributions.

hockeyfan: “Just remember the situation that happened in Greece, we aren’t far behind as a province. “

Yup. A bloated and entitled civil service, with gold plated wages, benefits, and pensions not to mention guaranteed job security crushed Greece’s economy.

Time to stop the gravy train.

@ peeps ” negotiate in an illegal and unconstitutional manner!”

The matter is still before the courts so your statement is pure bunk until a final decision is reached likely in the SCoC.

If you teachers walk out Monday make sure you all dress for success. Last time you all played the part of street people. If I wasn’t wearing my glasses I most likely would have donated my expired soup cans in the back of my cupboards.Oh yeah and don’t forget your umbrellas because I hope it rains.

72 hour notice has not been issued so a full scale strike cannot happen until at least Tuesday if notice is given tomorrow.

Ewitt – there won’t be a full scale strike. This is clearly a bluff by the BCTF to get a deal.

A full scale strike will clearly hurt the cause for teachers. Seldom or never have the parents not supported the teachers. This support will slowly crumble when students aren’t able to write exams, and end of year events get cancelled.

If this contract isn’t signed by June 30th, I can see a full strike happening in September. Likely strike will end by October when cold weather hits in the north and rain hits the lower mainland.

Hopefully this thing gets settled soon, I am getting tired of looking at Iker’s mullet!

Also, you the voter are paying for the Clark’s son high brow private education and your children are in the public schools with every psycholigical problem venting in a classroom with stressed supports. The Liberals wont be happy until they rob you blind. Poitiy.

Hey taxpayerteacher could you tell me more about this private education. Sounds like you are confessing that your teaching method are causing stress and psychological damage to our children. Is this true?

Sorry “hockeyfan” having to much fun! Lots of things have already been cancelled like field trips and such. I just hope that the kids are able to write there finals, also would be nice for the graduates to view there final grades before moving on with the next chapter of there lives.

Mavrick 64: learn to spell.

Finally finished work! Nothing like a couple of 12 to 14 hour self-employed days!

Now I wonder…..do I dare add my 2 cents worth?

Speaking of 2 cents, that’s about all that some of have left to contribute to our bloated RRSPs after paying enough taxes to subsidize the public sector pensions!

Oops, seems like I just added my 2 cents worth to the conversation, haha!

Yes taxpayingteacher; oh the irony of posting a closing comment on a long discussion thread about a teacher’s strike, just to correct anti-teacher Mavrick64’s poor English.

Maverick64 states; “Sorry “hockeyfan” having to “too” much fun! Lots of things have already been cancelled like field trips and such. I just hope that the kids are able to write there “their” finals, also would be nice for the graduates to view there “their” final grades before moving on with the next chapter of there “their” lives.

Not surprised that a person who under-values teachers, would have problems with basic spelling and sentence structure. There are lots of people like Maverick64 out there who are not as educated as they may think, thus underlying the important role teachers have in a civilized and educated society.

I believe the maturity level on this discussion board needs to go up, too many immature high school drop-outs commenting on here.