Is Iker a total idiot? One of the best mediators in the country is monitoring talks and will step in when the sides get close enough for a settlement to be reached.
Does he expect Fassbender to put a gun to Ready’s head and force him into the room and not let him out till the contract is signed?

As Iker does not seem to know the first thing about labour talks maybe he was thinking about binding arbitration, something the other side will not consider as long as the matter of class size is before the court.

Accept a wage and benefit increase in the range of what other public sector unions have received, let the court do it’s job and school can still start in early September. Keep up your temper tantrum and the next paycheck will be after the legislature resumes sitting in October.

“Live up to his 24/7 rhetoric”

It was not the government side that spent the weekend in Kamloops on a glorified pep rally. Kinda hard to negotiate when the other side is a 3 hour drive away.

As Iker does not seem to know the first thing about labour talks maybe he was thinking about binding arbitration, something the other side will not consider as long as the matter of class size is before the court.
=======================================

It appears that Factbender is not alone that bends the facts. It is Iker that wants to get back to bargaining as the item states. So get the facts straight before putting foot in mouth.
Cheers

The fact is that Iker and company had a weekend retreat in Kamloops when they could have been at the table. Might have got in a few rounds of golf or worked on his tan when he could have been in negotiations. It was the BCTF that stepped away.

With today’s technology there is no need to bring people from all over the province to and meet face to face, a video conference would have got the message out but maybe not the 30 degree temperature and the drinks with the little umbrellas.

Vince Ready will stay on the sidelines for the foreseeable future or till the BCTF’s position returns from Mars or Pluto.

I think there were something like 200 attending this weekend holiday, I wonder what the travel, accommodation and meals were? Doubt they stayed at the Super 8 or ate off the dollar menu. Wasted money when a video conference would have sufficed.

Union heads playing fast and loose with union funds when the rank and file get diddly squat in strike pay.

There are monetary and non-monetary issues on the table and if the mediation starts, there is a good chance to resolve some of these issues and avert a strike.

But the province is fighting a losing battle based on court decisions and it is time to cut its losses and reach a settlement with the BCTF. It is better to pay the teachers instead of wasting the money on legal fees.

“Live up to his 24/7 rhetoric”

It was not the government side that spent the weekend in Kamloops on a glorified pep rally. Kinda hard to negotiate when the other side is a 3 hour drive away.

I agree wholeheartedly. By his statement, Iker’s just showing a personality trait that I find very disheartening.

Just curious but with the way the teachers are paid, 10 months or 12 months depending on the choice of the teacher, does this mean come sept that teachers will not be recieving paycheques of any kind? Or have they recieved no money at all since june?

My understanding no money since June. And if they keep striking in Sept no money.
I am glad to see that the teacher walking up and down the road has made a big impacted on getting a settlement before September.
I hope there financial pockets is suffering just like my child education is.

General Strike is in order. All labour unions should walk in Solidarity the Day after Labour day! Bring the government to their knees! Enough is enough! “Solidarity forever, solidarity forever…….”

Why would other public sector unions strike? They have no problems making deals with the government. The BCTF on the other hand, not so much.

Lol Norway. That will make a difference.
I think you need to go back to the drawings board

General strike? Hard to find any evidence that the teachers are on strike! I have not seen hide nor hair of a picket sign in months, OH that’s right they take the summer off regardless.

8 or 9 weeks kicking back shows their true level of commitment. Hilarity forever! Hilarity forever!

Posted by: mooseheart on August 24 2014 1:21 PM
Just curious but with the way the teachers are paid, 10 months or 12 months depending on the choice of the teacher, does this mean come sept that teachers will not be recieving paycheques of any kind? Or have they recieved no money at all since june?

————

Back in my day, salary was based on 12 months (which is pretty much the definition of a salary) but the majority of teachers voted to condense that pay into 10 months, receiving a very large cheque at the end of June.

I have no idea what they do these days. So I guess I didn’t really answer your question. :)

I really hope the government makes them sit out a couple of more weeks then offers them cost of living tied to inflation. And no additional benefits, their current platinum package is plenty.

Then we can use the saving to hire a few more TA’s to help deal with the classroom issues. Which is what they want isn’t it?

Just remember the teachers have to support there own family as well plus defend your own kids education. Bit if we have no teachers then your kids can might as well be polititions

It’s called Solidarity for a reason JB! The bills that the government tried to force through illegally is a threat to all workers, union and non-union. Shut down everything and I mean everything.

I agree. CUPE members stand in solidarity with BCTF.

Johnny, you’re right. They don’t want to make a deal, they want to force issues for greed alone, kids lose and they couldn’t care less.
Sorry Teachers, but I’m fed up with the BCTF.
Everyone else settled, then there’s the special people……

Grizzly I agree
What makes them special. Oh I know they are greedy
I am sad for our children. Maybe Alberta education is better

NoWay.

Talk is cheap. If you want a general strike then I suggest that you start to get one organized. The first thing you will encounter is apathy, followed by a large number of people who do not support the teachers position.

The chances of getting a general strike to support the teachers who (as stated above) are very well paid, and have great benefits is pretty remote.

Your time would be much better spent trying to convince teachers to return to work, and quit being such cry babies.

And you are the expert Palopu. You and JB are both narrow minded, opinionated bores who feed on each other. I’m glad you don’t run this country. Go fishing and make a grumpy old man movie 4

Too all of you that continue to spit acidic venom towards teachers…

Why not just pull your kids out of school (or encourage your kids to pull the grandkids out) if you hate them so much? Teachers, they are such evil souls aren’t they? #eyeroll

You have a such a distaste and hatred toward the unionized teaching profession, and do nothing but pump up private schools. I see no reason why you would have your kids in such an awful place as public education. Oh the horror.

Put your money where your mouth is. Put the kids in private schools. Problem solved. It’s all about the kids, right? You should be doing your best for them and sacrificing since public education teachers are so nasty and greedy.

I would also like to see every single one of you haters, say to a teacher’s face during Parent/Teacher interviews, what you spew on this forum. That should go well.

I don’t hate teachers. I hate the BCTF.

JB.. What other contract did the government rip up.. No ones… Who won in court against the government. The BCTF. So knowing the government is breaking the law you think that bctf are the bad guys.. Hard to see reality with your eyes closed so tightly

General Strike is in order. All labour unions should walk in Solidarity the Day after Labour day! Bring the government to their knees! Enough is enough! “Solidarity forever, solidarity forever…….”

Yeah, hopefully all the other unions get a dozen PRO_D_DAYS for their efforts too!!!

P Val
The court does not accept an appeal simply because one party does not agree with the outcome. There has to be an error or omission to use as a basis for appeal. This means that the decision of the lower court is set aside and verdicts rendered null and void. This means the case is still before the court and the outcome yet to be decided.

Put your money where your mouth is. Put the kids in private schools. Problem solved. It’s all about the kids, right? You should be doing your best for them and sacrificing since public education teachers are so nasty and greedy.

———-

Already did that. A long, long time ago. Unlike the BCTF, I do, in fact, believe that kids come first. I’m willing to forgo a bunch of massages, is the BCTF? :)

Pylot Project;I would also like to see every single one of you haters, say to a teacher’s face during Parent/Teacher interviews, what you spew on this forum. That should go well.

Who for the children??
Back to reality and cut the “GOD” complexe!

Isis the government lost..ordered to pay 2 million.

That ruling is under appeal so it fact still before the courts.

Even if they get the money Iker and his cronies will blow it on a Harrison Hot Springs party oops make that “strategy session”

As far as I’m concerned this forum demonstrates why education is so important. Can’t believe so many people who have no idea of facts can be so opinionated !! Scary!! Let’s hope your children have a better education than these folks ,could be tough with larger class sizes and special needs taking centre stage , wow did this start a while ago ?????

From Ian Austin’s article in The Province:

The issue of class size and composition has proved a sticking point. Teachers are calling for smaller classes with limits on the number of special-needs students per classroom.

57 Chevy. I am more than glad that you don’t run this Country. We already have a surplus of people who think that they know whats best for the Country. Problem is they are always looking to someone else to pick up the tab.

I would much rather be opinionated than have an opinion which is nothing more than repeating the Union dogma, over, and over, and over.

I have no problem with the Teachers, per se, in fact I have a number for friends and relatives. However one would be foolish if he did not realize that the BCTF is nothing more than a den of NDP’ers.

This issue is simply about the NDP versus the Liberals, with the teachers, and students caught in the middle.

The likely scenario will be the delay of classes due to the strike and the government’s subsequent back to school legislation.

Many of these problems will be avoided if the people vote for a provincial governor directly instead of a premier who controls the majority in the assembly.

Well many comments here. But which ones of you would change your position with actual documented facts posted here by yourself or others.Please leave your names. oh and the documented facts to support your position………”???????”??””?

Oh, sorry.. if meant your real name and contact…not something you hide behind here. Mine is 250-992 5869.

Mavrick64: “Back to reality and cut the “GOD” complexe!”

God complex? Do you even know what that means? I challenge people to hold themselves up to a standard they claim to believe in, and I’ve got a God complex? LOL. Seriously, if you’re going to drop a description like that, use it properly.

Thanks for the laugh though (and learn how to spell).

OMG I can’t believe some of the comments posted on this site. I think some of the people that post on this sight no dick all about unions and have never belonged to one. Why do you think unions came about?Because people got dumped on that’s why. Smiley face Christy C should resign and then some real negotiations could start.

Mixed classes are a failure. Special needs do not get the full attention they need and neither do the rest of the class.

Isis of course uts under appeal.. This government has no problem spending our tax dollars to fight the teachers.

Think it is the other way around PVal, the BCTF used the teachers strike fund to fight the government. Government is defending its position for the taxpaying public.

Imodium should cure the crap flowing from many of your mouths.

Isis the teachers money is limited..governments isn’t. Can’t you grasp that ? The government lost..but instead of paying they are wasting tens of thousands of our money (which could be better spent funding schooling ) on lawyers and other court costs.

Mavrick64: “Back to reality and cut the “GOD” complexe!”

God complex? Do you even know what that means? I challenge people to hold themselves up to a standard they claim to believe in, and I’ve got a God complex? LOL. Seriously, if you’re going to drop a description like that, use it properly.

Thanks for the laugh though (and learn how to spell).

Oops, I meant your arrogance. Sorry I am not up to your standards. I was educated in the public school system because my parents believed in it.

No Palopu you are wrong, I do honestly think your frame of thinking is why our country is in a sad state of affair. That surplus of people is you(Baby Boomer). I’m young enough to know what your type has done to this country and just old enough to have the knowledge. Like I said you and JB are narrow minded and should have your key boards taken away.

Gotta love it when somebody posts the exact same thing under two different names.

I am the one who replied to you not isis there PVal

The BCTF didn’t spend tens of thousands, they blew the entire strike fund which is hundreds of thousands if not in the million dollar range

PVal, the contract for the BCTF had expired in 2001. You can’t ‘rip up’ a contract that didn’t exist.

The dispute is bills 27 and 28 which were brought in during new contract negotiations in 2002. The BCTF like to call it ripping up an agreement but nothing got ripped up, there was no agreement to rip up. Had they negotiated a deal in 2001 then it would have been ripped up but the BCTF have a hard time negotiating themselves out of a paper bag. If you read their accounts on their own website the BCTF is always complaining about drastically reducing their offers – which begs the question – why?

I find interesting the character assassination and negative characterization of teachers by individuals who continuously post narrow, uninformed, un-factual opinions on this site.

The BCTF they vilify is the teachers they claim to support and admire. They continuously attempt to diminish the collective voice of teachers (BCTF) as self serving. And in the same breath applaud the voice and work of the single teacher.

400-500 teachers from every school district in BC are at Summer Training Conference in Kamloops. Each district has specific committees, whose chairperson is elected by the local membership each year (Bargaining, Pro-D, Teachers Teaching on Call/TTOC’s, Working & Learning Conditions, etc). In each school district each year, local executives are elected (presidents, vp’s, treasurers, secretaries, local representatives to the Rep Assembly-the decision making body of the BCTF). The BCTF Summer Training Conference is the training institute for all these individuals to prepare them for the day to day work they will be performing throughout the year in their positions of responsibility.

It is work, work, work for all those who attend including Jim Iker who isn’t out on the golf course. That thought is laughable. To even suggest such shows a level of contempt for teachers. It is teachers educating teachers.

The BCTF is not the NDP. The BCTF is the democratic organization of the teachers of this province. Do teachers support right wing neo-liberal, corporate controlled governments with an agenda to minimalize and even destroy the social programs of Canada and BC that citizens are proud of and value. No. Teachers collectively believe in a more equitable society that supports and safeguards its citizens. It is part of what teachers are. So you just might find more teachers supporting a particular party over another.

I suggest to all that the time has come for the government to re-invest in public education in British Columbia. The children of this province are being short changed. The BC government spends $1000/student/year less than the national average only PEI is worst. That’s not efficiency.. that is underfunding. That is not better management, that is mismanagement of the public education system. That is not good bang for the buck, that is students whose needs every single day are not being met, and 1000’s of classrooms across this province in which 10’s of 1,000’s of students are receiving a substandard learning experience.

Let’s hear what Jim Iker had to say to 400 teacher leaders from across the province. Let’s hear how they view what he had to say. Let’s hear the collective voice of the teachers of this province who continue to fight to repair the damage done by the government to the BC public education system. So every child in this province can receive the best learning experience possible.

https://soundcloud.com/bctf/jim-ikers-summer-conference-address-to-teachers-in-kamloops

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/81-595-m/81-595-m2010083-eng.htm#a7

When you have three territories that spend around $20,000 per student, it skews the average. I know this is old information (2007/2008) but it clearly shows that the $1,000 argument is flawed simply because of the extreme high with the territories.

At the provincial level, total expenditures per student ranged from a high of $11,086 in Alberta to a low of $9,260 in Prince Edward Island.

I have a novel idea. Since there is about 35,000 people in the province who want to be teachers (and about 35,000 people who want more money and don’t want to teach until they get it).

Lets take the other 35,000 and offer them 75% of the pay the people who want more money get, or 75% of 73,500 (AVERAGE TEACHER SALARY IN BC)and offer them 55,000 on average to work 37 weeks a year plus a very good defined benefits pension.

Then when the other half of the 35,000 realize what happened we can take the best of them (25%) back at the same 55,000 a year for 37 weeks work, and reduce class sizes by 25%.

Remember teachers you are paid almost double what a teacher in Finland, Norway and Sweden (France, Spain etc) gets and you have class room sizes almost double.

It’s easy math. More teachers salary, bigger classrooms.