EDITOR,
Like all of you, Sea to Sky teachers only want the best for their students. You have likely seen or heard reports about current negotiations between our federation and the provincial government. The B.C. Teachers’ Federation has been at the bargaining table with the government for over a year, and despite our best efforts, very little progress has been made.
Instead of providing the necessary resources to achieve a negotiated collective agreement at the bargaining table, government has attempted to remove, yet again, the important provisions for class size and composition and minimum levels of specialist teachers that were restored by the B.C. Supreme Court in January. As a result, in early March 2014, teachers voted 89 per cent in favour of job action.
Sea to Sky teachers fully support our federation’s efforts to achieve a negotiated settlement at the bargaining table.
School District No. 48 has experienced drastic cuts to educational programs since the 2002 removal of working and learning conditions protections from our contract:
• Teacher-librarian time in our schools has been cut by 40 per cent since 2002.
• English as a Second language (ESL) programs have been reduced by almost 50 per cent, despite a massive increase in the number of international students in our district.
• Special education supports for our most vulnerable learners has been cut by 17 per cent.
Despite teachers’ good-faith efforts to reach a settlement, there remain significant impediments to this process. The government has offered no salary increase for the first two years of the contract, refuses to respect class size and composition provisions that have been restored by the B.C. Supreme Court, and stubbornly refuses to withdraw its 10-year contract demand. Agreements of four- or five-year terms have been reached with other public-sector unions and no other union has been forced into a 10-year contract.
As teachers, we do not take this job action lightly. We care deeply about our schools, our students, and their families. The intent of our Stage 1 is to move the process forward at the bargaining table. We will continue to be in classrooms teaching, preparing lessons, and assessing students. Teachers will also continue to write report cards and communicate with parents. Whatever happens next will depend entirely on progress at the negotiating table. B.C. teachers remain fully committed to a negotiated settlement at the table. We truly appreciate the support we have received from parents and the public to help us achieve our bargaining goals: “A Fair Deal for Teachers; Better Supports for Students.”
Carl Walker
President
Sea to Sky Teachers’ Association
