Students Back Faculty in Wage Dispute With UNBC
Students and other supporters of UNBC Faculty gather at courthouse Saturday. Photo 250 News
Prince George, B.C. – Hundreds of supporters of the Faculty Association members at UNBC turned out of the steps of the courthouse on Saturday to vocalize their feelings about the contract dispute at the university.
Students, UNBC alumni, faculty members from other universities, family members and friends gathered to support the efforts of 360 faculty members, senior lab instructors, part-time instructors and librarians to obtain a first collective agreement. And there were several speakers who singled out the 20 to 30 percent gap in UNBC wages compared to those at comparably-sized universities as a sign of blatant disrespect on the part of UNBC administration.
Speaker Emerson Pereira told the large crowd “UNBC is at a pivotal point where our reputation and the quality of our faculty is at stake.” He named several professors who have been responsible for providing quality education at UNBC and said “these profs and many others actually care about what they do. They helped me when I needed it, and now it is my time and our students’ time to return the favor.”
Pereira says “the biggest reason why I support the Faculty in this strike is because they deserve to be compensated for the excellent service they provide our institution. If a competing salary is not met, UNBC will not entice future quality professors or keep the fantastic professors we already have. If this happens we will lose them to other universities offering better pay.”
Pereira says “we need professors to be invested in the university for the long run. If professors are invested only in the short term, a number of professors will only use the university as a stepping stone to transfer to other universities and I do not want that.”
“If the UNBC Faculty Association is not offered competitive salaries we will not attract other excellent individuals to join us or invest in the university for the long term. As a result we will be left with a faculty that is of a lower calibre. That means we lose our reputation as the number two small university in Canada, because without quality professors future students will feel no desire to enroll at UNBC and thus our overall institution suffers.”
Comments
UNFORTUNATELY one of lifes tough early lessons for these young academias.GOOD to see them showing their support.
showing up somewhere on a nice day for a cup of coffee is not support, it is what academics do for leisure. A show of support would be an offer of 20-30% increase in tuition fee’s to get the quality education they want. That would be the life lesson, nothing is free and you get what you pay for.
Nothing is free unless you are a corporation (psodohuman) . Then you have access to free highly educated work force that students , parents , grand parents , charities and tax payers pay for . Socialism in this society is only for corporations . Everyone else has to pay .
So why does the government always use the old line of.. If you want the best you have to pay for it.. Well if that is true then why does the gov pay the professors so low comparatively speaking to,other universities ? Don’t they want the best here. I can see professors leaving by the handful if this continues.. Why work for %20 less than everyone else.. I know I wouldnt .
The UNBCFA fight is not with the Government, it is with UNBC administration & the way that said administrators allocate their funds. They are asking for a realignment of the way money that is spent within the University.
Ataloss, do corporations not pay their employees a wage? That is a bottom line cost for any employer. Why should they also have to pay for education? (Actually they do directly through corporate donations & taxes as well as specialized training employees receive once they are employed). You are correct, nothing is free…for anyone. There is cost involved at all levels & not always in monetary terms.
Ataloss, I hear that Russia is nice this time of year (hint, hint)!!
Actually corporations in BC pay less in income tax than students pay in tuition costs. It’s a valid argument that employers need an educated work force and that corporations shouldn’t be subsidized by the tax payers for the cost of educating the work force.
Hart guy do you mean Europe? Most European nations don’t pay anything for tuition… It’s merrit based for acceptence. They correctly view an investment in education for their citizens as a requirement for a high quality lifestyle for everyone through an educated work force that attracts investment and ensures a progressive society.
Eagleone, ….and you’re not living in Europe because…….????
Well that makes way too much sense Eagleone…….You mean like having a workforce that is educated would be more productive?…..A more productive workforce would attract investment and would be better for our economy?…Wouldn’t having an educated workforce that attracts investment and improves our economy be better for ALL Canadians?…..If educating our citizenry produces a more productive workforce and a stronger economy why do Conservatives hate education?….I don’t get it then Hart Guy, help me out why do you Conservatives think a dumbed down citizenry is better for Canada and Canadians?
Eagleone; “Actually corporations in BC pay less in income tax than students pay in tuition costs.” Can you back this statement? I find it highly improbable. Corporations do in fact contribute to higher education, but if all a person gets out of the university experience is enhanced job training I would say that they have wasted their time & money ( as well as ours). I understand your viewpoint but years in the workforce has proved to me over & over that although higher education is important & admirable it is not a guarantee of a good, productive employee. Why should tax paying corporations shoulder the cost of students education & then be expected to reeducate them as well as pay them a wage once the student is done school & in their employ? Maybe this one of the reasons most of Europe is heading over the recession precipice once more?
“Maybe this one of the reasons most of Europe is heading over the recession precipice once more?” detoe44
7 Consecutive deficit budgets from a Government that based their fiscal projections on near all-time Oil prices leaving nothing in the tank if those all-time high prices slip even slightly? A Government that has borrowed one quarter of ALL Canada’s debt since 1867 in 9 short years…and counting….Lets not forget the Harper Conservatives are in the closet with respect to the latest budget…too scared to come out with it
The darling of Conservatism in Alberta is in economic freefall within mere months from nearly a decade of near all-time highs in Oil prices, and you point to Europe as an economic failure, detoe44?
Taxed Out! Do you know the difference between a recession and a deficit? Just askin’
Taxed Out, what in the hell is your point? Where in either of my posts did I go cheerleader for the federal or provincial governments? Reread what was posted here & try to keep up with the conversation.
In this day and age most everything requires some kind of degree or regulatory certificate to work almost any job required by the economy.
Traditionally low tuition costs contribute to an upward mobility society where those with merits can advance beyond where their parents were in society. This is a free enterprise model where the ability to finance an education is less important than ones ability to succeed based on merits… were entrepreneurs can compete based on the merits of their business and not the terms of ones student loan debt.
In 1979 government financed 85% of the cost of university education, and students through tuition financed 10% of the cost.
In 2014 government financed 55% of the cost of university education, and students through tuition financed nearly 45% of the cost.
We have had a regressive society the last 30-years that have seen incomes for the working middle class go stagnant, and the income and class divide grow with income tax cuts to the rich transferred to flat taxes(HST), tuition, MSP, bridge tolls, and other forms of regressive taxation forms.
Provincial government is even talking now about a pay to drive scheme for the Lowermainland where all roads are tolled within certain areas going all out on regressive taxation to set up exclusive rights to use of the infrastructure for those with the ability to pay.
BC corporate income tax brought along $2.562 billion towards BC’s $45.000 billion dollar budget… a little over 5% of BC government revenue. Tuition is $3.131 billion.
PST brings in $5.762 billion.
Personal income tax is $7.549 billion.
Natural Gas Royalties $0.542 billion.
Crown land lease and drilling rights $0.835 billion (expected to drop by half over next three years held up by 9- year amortizations).
Federal contributions to post secondary education in BC is $0.502 billion or less then half of half a percent of Federal government revenue.
BC Hydro revenue of about $0.600 billion is going to be phased out over 4-years as part of the financing requirements of Site C.
Liquor $0.9 billion annually
Lotteries $1.2 billion
ICBC $0.600 billion this year and $0.160 billion annually
Forestry $0.850 billion
MSP $2.277 billion
Compared to tuition costs of $3.131 Billion
According to the BC Budget plan on the BC government web site.
Another thing to consider is when you train them locally and they then work locally they pay for their education through income taxes 10-fold in the increased earning power over a life time.
If you train them locally and they earn their living elsewhere, then we don’t see the benefit of the increased earning potential on the income tax revenue side. This is an issue that has never been properly addressed.
Comments for this article are closed.