See our Social Justice page for more info and forms!
We take strength from each other, and the solidarity of our union
On Monday, all of us together commence a full withdrawal of services in order to ramp up our pressure on government to bargain a fair and reasonable deal.
Bill 22 is a continuation of the BC Liberal’s decade-long attack on teachers, students, and public education. It will impose another two-year wage freeze for 2011–12 and 2012–13, and facilitate the stripping of more provisions and rights from our collective agreements in the areas of professional autonomy, professional development, seniority, and evaluation practices.
We have no choice but to say “no” to net zero, and “no” to concessions, now, or we will face them again and again. We need to maintain pressure on government. There is no reason why government cannot abandon Bill 22 and resume bargaining—with a mandate that will allow for a fair and respectful deal.
Our walkout will inconvenience parents, but we are asking parents to consider that conditions in classrooms have deteriorated over the past decade and will not improve unless teachers take a strong stand. Bill 22 means children have to wait another two years for any possible hope of guarantees on class size or any real funding increase for students with special needs. Bill 22 will not restore any of the illegally removed language pertaining to learning assistance teachers, ESL teachers, teacher-librarians, and other learning specialist teachers whose service levels used to be guaranteed in the collective agreement.
The Federation is asking members, parents, and other concerned British Columbians to contact their MLAs, Education Minister George Abbott, and Premier Christy Clark to urge them not to impose Bill 22 but rather to negotiate a fair agreement with teachers and invest in public education to meet diverse student needs. MLA contact information can be found here: http://www.leg.bc.ca/mla/3-1-1.htm
In times like this, we take strength from each other, and the solidarity of our union. BC teachers have always known that when we stand together, we accomplish great things for our profession, for our schools, and for the students we serve.
Government has options. It can abandon its legislation, it can agree to LRB mediation and give its bargaining team a mandate that will result in a fair and reasonable deal.
Please dress warm on Monday (especially those of you in the north!).
Materials to share:
Please make use of our “Message for Parents” document, which explains why teachers are taking action now: http://www.bctf.ca/uploadedFiles/Public/Parents/FairDealFlyer.pdf
Check out CCPA researcher Iglika Ivanova’s piece entitled “BC isn’t broke: putting teacher bargaining in perspective.” It includes the full text of a speech she gave last Monday at the Surrey teachers’ rally. http://www.policynote.ca/bc-isnt-broke-putting-teacher-bargaining-in-perspective/
Susan Lambert
President
Bill 22 is a continuation of the BC Liberal’s decade-long attack on teachers, students, and public education. It will impose another two-year wage freeze for 2011–12 and 2012–13, and facilitate the stripping of more provisions and rights from our collective agreements in the areas of professional autonomy, professional development, seniority, and evaluation practices.
We have no choice but to say “no” to net zero, and “no” to concessions, now, or we will face them again and again. We need to maintain pressure on government. There is no reason why government cannot abandon Bill 22 and resume bargaining—with a mandate that will allow for a fair and respectful deal.
Our walkout will inconvenience parents, but we are asking parents to consider that conditions in classrooms have deteriorated over the past decade and will not improve unless teachers take a strong stand. Bill 22 means children have to wait another two years for any possible hope of guarantees on class size or any real funding increase for students with special needs. Bill 22 will not restore any of the illegally removed language pertaining to learning assistance teachers, ESL teachers, teacher-librarians, and other learning specialist teachers whose service levels used to be guaranteed in the collective agreement.
The Federation is asking members, parents, and other concerned British Columbians to contact their MLAs, Education Minister George Abbott, and Premier Christy Clark to urge them not to impose Bill 22 but rather to negotiate a fair agreement with teachers and invest in public education to meet diverse student needs. MLA contact information can be found here: http://www.leg.bc.ca/mla/3-1-1.htm
In times like this, we take strength from each other, and the solidarity of our union. BC teachers have always known that when we stand together, we accomplish great things for our profession, for our schools, and for the students we serve.
Government has options. It can abandon its legislation, it can agree to LRB mediation and give its bargaining team a mandate that will result in a fair and reasonable deal.
Please dress warm on Monday (especially those of you in the north!).
Materials to share:
Please make use of our “Message for Parents” document, which explains why teachers are taking action now: http://www.bctf.ca/uploadedFiles/Public/Parents/FairDealFlyer.pdf
Check out CCPA researcher Iglika Ivanova’s piece entitled “BC isn’t broke: putting teacher bargaining in perspective.” It includes the full text of a speech she gave last Monday at the Surrey teachers’ rally. http://www.policynote.ca/bc-isnt-broke-putting-teacher-bargaining-in-perspective/
Susan Lambert
President
Teachers campaign for a new contract that’s fair and respected
BC teachers are launching a new advertising campaign to highlight the importance of reaching a fair and reasonable collective agreement negotiated at the bargaining table.
The three-week campaign comprises two television ads, two print ads, and online pre-roll ads.
One of the TV ads is a quick-paced animation called “Problem/Solution” and its message is echoed in one of the print ads. The other TV ad is entitled “Interest” and it features two BCTF members, addressing the facts and issues in this round of negotiations.
As one of them says: “It’s time for government to invest a bit more in teachers, and a lot more in kids.”
All elements of the campaign can be viewed on the BCTF website at:http://bctf.ca/bargainingAndContracts.aspx?id=25078
