CNC Faculty Rally at College

Wednesday, March 09, 2011 01:36 PM

Speakers at CNC address a noon hour gathering to rally support for faculty contract negotiations

Prince George, B.C.- Wearing T-shirts and buttons with the slogan “Nothing is not a solution”, faculty members at CNC in Prince George staged a rally over the noon hour today to press their contract negotiation concerns.

They are among the many faculty across the Province who have yet to reach a new contract agreement with the Province through the Public Sector Employees Council.

College faculty President Jan Mastromatteo told the gathering of about 75 people that since 2002, the faculty has been reduced by 150, but she says administrative staff numbers have grown. She also pointed out the loss of all but one of the College’s industrial technology programs, and says tuitions keep climbing.

The faculty would like wage parity with their counterparts in other provinces.

The CNC faculty has given its bargaining team the mandate to call for a strike vote” whenever it deems necessary”. So far that call has not been made at CNC , but other institutions have held strike votes, and have been given overwhelming support for job action should that become necessary.

( at right, Faculty member George Davison tells group negotiations have reached a "perfect storm of frustration")

Not all post secondary institutions are facing this labour issue. More than 70% of University Faculty across the province have already signed new agreements, including: UNBC, UBC, Simon Fraser University and Thompson Rivers University. However, there are no agreements at any of the community colleges in the Province.

Faculty member George Davison says they are battling over a three point stance put forth by the government:

· No new costs,

· Do more with less and

· No erosion of management rights.

“This has created the perfect storm of frustration at colleges across the province” says Davison.

Similar rallies were held at other campuses throughout the province today.

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Posted on Wednesday, March 09, 2011 01:36 PM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: Andyfreeze on March 9 2011 1:54 PM

Problem is,if they decide to strike,will the government even care?
This should have been dealt with long ago.
Another little problem they may have to deal with....Christy Clark has a hate for teachers as big as the grand canyon!
Still,it is good to see them finally pushing back.
We are going to be seeing a lot of this,and not just from CNC Faculty!
There is always money for those at the top...while those at the bottom get told to tighten their belts!

Posted by: Summit on March 9 2011 5:33 PM

I always support workers fighting for higher wages. That said, I have kept a close eye on the rates of pay at CNC and it looks like their admin are paid pretty damn well compared to equivalent positions at UNBC; most, if not all of the positions that I have seen, are paid at least $3/$4 per hour higher than a similar position at UNBC. Even comparing entry level admin rates between CNC and the BC Public Service; CNC is dramatically higher again. Great for them if they can get more $$$, but honestly, people are harder up elsewhere.

Posted by: He spoke on March 9 2011 7:15 PM

Those who can, do
Those who can't, teach.

Posted by: jakeadoo on March 9 2011 10:58 PM

I have witnessed and known faculty at CNC that can both teach and do!I have also witnessed those who have come directly from working in the field,come into try and teach, and what a complete and utter disaster.There are some very competent and intelligent instructors at CNC and no I am not employed at the college.

Posted by: univ on March 9 2011 11:21 PM

UNBC only signed a very late agreement which is valid for another year or so and one of the reasons they finally signed may be an ongoing legal case. The UNBC faculty association is in a worse situation with UNBC than CNC union and CNC.

The problem in UNBC faculty association (FA) is that its past union presidents (like Darwyn Coxson) have badly compromised the rights of faculty members and there is an ongoing legal case against both UNBC and UNBC faculty association for the period Coxson was UNBC FA president.
Coxson and his bad-mouthing grievance officer Martel are responsible for the legal mess.

Coxson, signed a voluntary buyout with Cozzetto in UNBC (in coordination with BC government) and then he violated the voluntary spirit of the agreement by forcing some faculty members to take the buyout which was supposed to be voluntary. It seems like a joke, but Coxson was also on the 2010 negotiating team, negotiating the current UNBC agreement and he is still active in UNBC FA.

It seems the UNBC union has been high jacked and that is the difference between UNBC union and CNC union.