Hundreds Turn Out to Teachers Rally
B.C. Fed. of Labour President Jim Sinclair at rally – photo 250News
Prince George, B.C.- Nearly 400 teachers, family, friends, and union members turned out to a rally this evening in front of the constituency office of Prince George- Valemount MLA Shirley Bond.
“The message now is that we need parents to step up and put the pressure on the government” says Prince George District Teachers Association President Tina Cousins.
“Public education needs support from parents and our communities. Teachers have been speaking, Trustees have been speaking, it hasn’t gotten anywhere. We need them to take up the quarrel with the government at this point.” She says teachers are getting a lot of support from parents “I’ve seen parents honk as they drive by the picket lines, I’ve seen parents bring food to the picket lines, I’ve had parents phone me, and I feel the parents support behind us.”
hundreds attend rally on 5th Avenue
Earlier today, Education Minister Peter Fassbender said the lockout had been lifted, and he called upon teachers to suspend their strike action, resume classes and the two sides could negotiate. But Cousins says she’s not trusting anything Fassbender has to say. “We haven’t had any clear indication that is accurate at this point in time.” She says teachers can’t forget the issue of the lockout quickly. “I know our members, there’s a lot more on the line than the lockout in this labour dispute.
Reps from a number of unions were on hand to show solidarity with the striking teachers, reps from United Steelworkers local 1-424, CUPE, Health Sciences Association, BCGEU, Unifor, HEU, were all visible.
The President of the BC Federation of Labour, Jim Sinclair, came to Prince George and when he took to the mic it only took a moment or two for him to pump up the crowd.
To great cheers and applause, Sinclair said “Prince George is the City of solidarity.”
“We know that this dispute is about hope” said Sinclair “because my friends, the public education for working people, is our form of hope for our children. There’s nothing more important in our lives than opportunities for our children to get a good education and get a decent job.”
Comments
What’s wrong with this picture? Teachers on strike/locked out and this is going on!
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/translink-bonuses-executive-salaries-draw-criticism-1.2753332
Just wondering,,,Have the teachers came out to support other unions in the past???
“A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon you’re talking real money.”
U.S. senator Everett Dirksen gets credit for the saying, but the B.C. Liberal government could just as easily lay claim to it – with their plans to run the province’s public debt from $34 billion to $69.7 billion in 15 years in office.
Debt servicing costs will top $2.5 billion this year, making this pseudo “Ministry of Debt” B.C.’s third largest ministry, behind only health care and education. We need to send the politicians in Victoria a wake-up call.
In 2009, Premier Gordon Campbell said, “I hate budget deficits; I think they take away from future generations.” In 2011, Premier Christy Clark stood in front of our B.C. Debt Clock (then at $47 billion) and said, “It has never been more important to have a fiscally conservative government in British Columbia.”
By the end of March 2016, the government’s own forecast shows total debt hitting $69.7 billion, an all-time high. That’s $15,000 for every man, woman and child in B.C.
http://www.taxpayer.com/campaign-and-issues/?tpCampaignId=20&tpid=116
Teachers need to fire Jim iker
Teachers need to suck it up and sign.
You think the kids are struggling with big class room size they are struggling more being n out of school
As parent that’s my take
I read an article in PG citizen quoting Sinclair that the other unions will join if this is dragged and I wasn’t surprised to see him as one of the keynote speakers.
But where was Shirley Bond hiding? Is she still the minister of labour? Tuesday, she was in town for UNBC ceremony.
The teachers Union and the Government do not deserve any consideration from the general public. Both parties are motivated by self interest, and have no regard whatsoever for the people who pay their wages.
They should all be ashamed of themselves. They are acting like fools.
==> Dragon Try his one on for size. Teachers on strike/no longer lodked out and this is going on!
http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2013/03/17/bctf-will-keep-paying-salary-for-extra-union-presidents/
From the article:
“Eight supernumerary local presidents of the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) are safe.
Delegates attending the annual general meeting voted Sunday to continue paying their salaries, at a cost of more than $800,000 a year, despite the union’s financial troubles.
The room was divided, however, and the vote was close.”
Did your head explode?
Maemae you haven’t been listening to the misinformation from the fiberals have you?
make that locked out.
One more interesting tidbit for linked article
“As a result, the BCTF will continue paying the salaries for presidents of the unamalgamated locals, including $97,167 a year for the president of the Lake Cowichan local, which has 36 members, and $96,572 for the head of the Princeton local, with 41 members.”
Indirectly paid for by tax dollars. Shame!
http://vernonta.com/images/salarygraph.jpg
Blah blah blah. Sinclair should be a motivational speaker.
He must be good though if he really had the teacher crowd excited.
On the picket line they look pretty drab and downtrodden like the beaten bunch they are.
Good news is, teachers are such notoriously cheap spenders that their missing pay cheques won’t effect the economy!
Bawahhaha!
There might be some massage therapists short some money though!
Bahahaha!
Palopu, one of the things Sinclair mentioned today was that the outcome of the BCTF fight with the government affects all the other unions. The government is sleepwalking into a bigger union strike in the province.
Where was Shirly Bond? Are you that simple Prof? Show up so the union worker bees, following the direction of the hive, swarm her.
That would be as suicidal as you showing up on my step trying to sell me an NDP membership.
I do like Shirley Bond, but MLA’s that are paid for by the voters have to show up on the bad days and the good days. It’s their job and their duty its what the elected to do. As far as the BC government being the 9th lowest contribitor to FTE per student by province than all of Canada is ridiculas at best. Stop wasting time and invent into the next educated generation of tomorrow with K to 12 and post education. Make this a 10 year contract also so we can skip this again in 5 years.
Post with links do not appear for some reason? Very interesting arlicle from the vcr sun
“Eight supernumerary local presidents of the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) are safe.
Delegates attending the annual general meeting voted Sunday to continue paying their salaries, at a cost of more than $800,000 a year, despite the union’s financial troubles.
The room was divided, however, and the vote was close.
The eight presidents lead locals that refused to amalgamate when the government ordered amalgamation of their school districts in 1996. The number of districts dropped to 60 from 75, but 15 BCTF locals in seven districts refused to join forces. As a result, there are two union presidents – but only one contract – in six school districts and three union presidents in Rocky Mountain district.
As I reported earlier, Prince George and Peace River South delegates wanted the BCTF to stop paying their salaries and expenses, which amount to more than $1 million a year. Supporters argued that teachers would rather reduce unnecessary expenses than pay higher union dues.
But those opposed to the resolution won the day, arguing that it would download presidential costs onto those small locals. They were backed by Jim Iker, the BCTF president-in-waiting who is from the unamalgamated local of Burns Lake.”
I may have to educate myself through You Tube and join a gym because I just had a vision on how life will be in the future!
-I will be educating my own grandchildren.
-I will be snowblowing my own street.
Yeah the good life! or is someone from a union going to dictate that I am not entitled to my own opinion.
Now we know where the strike fund money was spent.
Ok, so the teachers were offered a raise, a 5 year contract, $2500. sighning bonus, kind of looks like they don’t want the job.
They should be fired maybe. Or have the guts to try find work elsewhere.And for a lot less pay. Wake up teachers.
Why are people not bitching about taxpayer dollars going to private schools,,
perhaps they should picket the taxpayer subsidized private school that Cristy Clarks child attends ? Wonder how Cristy would feel about her child missing her education?
Wow, nearly 400 teachers, family, friends, and union members turned out! 400!!
Let’s see, 400 out of a population of, oh, um, let’s say 70,000 for round numbers, so that works out to ah,um, hmmm, let me see 00.57%!
That’s right folks, only slightly more than one half of one percent of the population bothered to turn out!!
Man, that Jim Sinclair is quite the draw, isn’t he!!
Posted on Thursday, September 4, 2014 @ 9:48 PM by onemansthoughts
Ok, so the teachers were offered a raise, a 5 year contract, $2500. sighning bonus, kind of looks like they don’t want the job.
They should be fired maybe. Or have the guts to try find work elsewhere.And for a lot less pay. Wake up teachers.
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Onemansthoughts might be your name. They are certainly not onemansfacts.
Where do you guys/gals come up with this stuff? Ive sat in A&W, the mall, and Tim Hortons and listened to the tables around me filled with the “coffee crew” spewing stuff like you guys do. I am starting to believe that some old guys says something, then the other old guys just pass it on as fact. Good old Joe never steered them wrong before.
1. The government has never offered the teachers a 5 year contract. They started at 2, jumped to 10 and are now at 6 years.
2. The signing bonus offered was $1250 not $2500
3. It isn’t really much of a raise if it doesn’t match inflation. The contract offer would see teachers buying power go down as it has over the last 16 years. In the past 16 years the teachers have been given 16% in raises. The inflation rate over that same 16 years has been 30.9%. Essentially teachers have lost 14% over the last 16 years.
Guess you missed the comment but you say 16 percent which is wrong even by your own standards. Let me tell you why
you say 12 percent in 2005 compounded to 16 percent
Even if I am to believe you, 1998 contract was zero zero two which is pretty easy – no compounding there and 12 plus 2 is 14
2002 contract (off the top of my head – not going back to look) was 7.5 percent, and no matter how you “uncompound” that number there is no way you are getting it down to 2 percent to make 16 percent over 16. Sorry. I won’t buy that for a dollar
You want the new contract to reflect increases for the recession contracts of zero percent? Maybe your union lives in a different world than the rest of us and that is why Iker wants to keep the signing bonus in the contract for back raises
Re; smooth ^^
Maybe just maybe teachers salaries have not risen over the last 16 years because they were overpaid 16 years ago?
Offer doesn’t match inflation huh?
Who has a public sector job the guarantees an inflation match in salary every year?
A normal full time employee works 2,080 hours per year less 3 weeks paid holidays.
A teacher works 1020 hours per year including time off.
Maybe just maybe teachers get paid very well?
If a teacher makes $71,000 per year which many do, that is $69.6078431372549 per hour!
The best part of being a teacher is that once in the club, the seniority adds up and regardless of how terrible a teacher you are, you will always have a job somewhere.
While most jobs pay are effected by how good you are ar your job, teachers are never evaluated on a pay= performance basis.
The bctf want to live in 1956 when unions were valid and not in the today.
700 BCTF members in SD57… if they each have a spouse, friend, child, mom – anybody – to bring with them, and if they had all this union support, and if they had all this parental support… there should have been a couple thousand at this rally easily. So do the teachers not care or are they not buying Ikers BS either?
Oh and btw, if Prince George is the union Center of the world as Sinclair claims, why have there been no ndp candidates elected provincially or federally since the days of Lois Boone and Paul Ramsey?
Let’s not forget the real issue here! The government broke the law not once but twice. Yes the government is appealing those decisions but I doubt any judge with a brain would go against the Canadian constitution.
This town is full of public servants, public sector union members, and federal and municipal government workers. A turn out of 400 is pretty pathetic. I don’t think the BCTF has the support it thinks it does.
The longer this drags on, the more the BCTF loses support and credibility.
The BCTF broke the law in 2005 so now they are even. Even if the Liberals lose the court case they did not break the law twice, stop foaming at the mouth.
A support group started by parents for teachers who are sending in their collective 40 dollars a day. ISNT that wonderful, I can see the fumes coming from KRUSTYS nostrils now, go teachers go
They tried to pass one bill and they lost in court! They tried to pass another bill and they lost in court again! Let’s see slinky I will help you count. The first time was one the second time was two. So if you get an impaired charge on two different occasions you only broke the law once slinky?
@NoWay: The government is simply trying to overturn the sweetheart deal signed by the previous NDP government under Glen Clark which gives teachers powers over staffing and classroom composition not seen anywhere else in the country, which in turn costs taxpayers dearly.
You might be all right that the previous NDP government sold us all down the river, but at least the current government is standing up for the taxpayer and taking back power that should never have been given up in the first place.
JB, exactly!!!
NoWay how about a few links on what you think was twice? Just because Iker says it doesn’t make it so.
If I drink and drive and get taken to court by the crown and then civil action and get two court rulings against me have I broken the law twice? Both court cases were on the same legislation. Governments table legislation and the only way to know it is good legislation is if it passes the court test. Happens all the time on all sorts of legislation.
Seamutt yes I have been listing. I am about the children and they need to get back to school. No I don’t support the teachers. If they would just sign education can go on. Do I support the goverment no. I also think some of the things that are being requested is ridiculous for this day and age.
It is pathetic that the MLA of the city who is the Minister of Labour is hiding from the public and representatives of most of labour unions. She doesn’t return their calls and letters and is no show when hundreds show up in front of her office. It is pathetic no matter how her goons want to spin it.
One of the speakers yesterday, Tamara, who is a teacher, living in her constituency, mentioned that she had written 5 letters to Bond and have asked her about her position. She read from her email, … “Do you support the position of Clark or not?” and the crowd chanted shame, S H A M E, …..
Its nice to see people addressing social issues in a positive manor, the peaceful voicing of opinions, with the positive and negative debates that follow, hopefully agreements will be made to appease all. Will the media also show the rally’s and support for the Government that is voiced from other persons/parents?. This cannot all be a one sided issue? Can it?
What do you expect would be accomplished by Shirley Bond being present at an anti-government union rally? Like anyone there would be interested in anything she had to say.
Bond is the MLA of this town and all public schools in the town and province are on strike. She has not answered to many letters by Tamaras and teachers of this town. Hundreds of people show up in front of her office to hear from her about her position on this strike, the president of BC Federation of Labour Jim Sinclair whose organization speaks for over half a million members of affiliated unions, from more than 1,100 locals came to town and we only hear from her goons trying to belittle the signifance of this event.
Where was Shirley Bond hiding when She was minister of Advanced educations and UNBC employees wanted to meet her? “Where was Shirley hiding” when she was minister of health and the health workers of PG on strike wanted to meet her? “Where was she hiding” when she was minister of safety and the families of burnt workers in mills around town wanted to meet her? Where is Shirley Bond now hiding, as the minister of Labour when representatives of half a million of workers was speaking in front of her office and hundreds of PG residents chanting shame S H A M E …
W H E R E i s Shirley H I D I N G?
Jim Sinclair was elected by his union members. Shirley Bond was elected by the voters. Most people seem to agree with what she’s doing, because she keeps getting re-elected.
Where Shirley is hiding?
… Behind her goons, Shirley is hiding.
Where Shirley is hiding?
… From shame, Shirley is hiding.
Shame shame, Shirley is hiding.
Shame, S H A M E, the people is chanting.
prof you are starting to show that you are not actually a prof, more than likely another avatar for peeps
I was starting to wonder that myself, slinky.
“the people is chanting”. Is that proper English prof ?
So if there is 700 bctf workers in PG as was previously claimed and we say that 100 of those in attendance were either friends, family or outside supporters that leaves actual membership attendance at around 300 which is less than half of all members and quite sad. If the union membership doesn’t even bother to show up and show their support, to me that says a lot. These are people supposedly close to losing their houses and other hardships being talked about yet the can’t show up to a rally in a location and at a time which is rather convenient to anyone who would want to attend.
Where Shirley is hiding?
… Behind her goons, Shirley is hiding.
This week homework:
Come up with an approach to identify the BC Liberal goons on 250news.com
I don’t think prof is Peeps. Peeps was much better at trolling.
This week reading:
“The People Is Singular”, by poet Andy Young and Salwa Rashad.
This prof dude is over the top. Wow. How can you rationally debate someone so far gone.
So everyone who disagrees with you prof is a “Liberal goon”? That’s laughable.
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