TTOC

February 2012 Update

TTOC alerts are being prepared during the job action to assist in keeping TTOCs informed about bargaining and job action. Please pass this communication along to your teacher on-call colleagues.

Did you know?

In 2006 TTOCs gained:
Salary on scale after three days in any position
A provincial minimum of $190/day (now $213 in year 5) Accumulation of seniority while on scale
BCTF bargaining objectives
1. Salary
  
  Year 1: 3% COLA plus 0%
  Year 2: 3% COLA plus 3% market adjustment Year 3: 3% COLA plus 3% market adjustment
  
  Why are we asking for 15% over 3 years?
  Net zero (0%) is equivalent to a pay cut because of inflation (2011 inflation was 3%)
  To stop the gap widening between BC and other provinces we need a 12% wage increase (Alberta is $21,000/year higher=20%+)
  Net zero (0%) over three years would widen the gap to $30,000/year at category 5 max
2. Classsizeandcomposition
  
  Lower class sizes = more full time positions = more manageable classes
3. Benefits
  
  Affordable benefits offered to all teachers (including TTOCs) Paid sick days
  Salary
  
  Scale pay from day one
  
  Salary increase for all teachers (including TTOCs) Paid leaves
  
  More leaves = more TTOC work
  Equal access to leaves without discrimination or penalties (i.e. bereavement)

#3 – February 2012

Contract stripping proposed by BCPSEA

(From the Report from the Provincial Table—#55, November 22, 2011)
Virtual elimination of seniority (only used in a tie after other considerations such as “suitability to the position and school as determined by the principal)
Use of “performance” as a criteria for filling postings
No requirements for how a position is posted
No postings at all for positions filled during the year—teachers placed by employer
No more grievance process for disputes in posting and filling
Where to go for more information

Contact the staff rep at a school
Check your local union website
Call your local office
Check the BCTF website/member portal

5. Upcomingevents

New Teachers’ and Student Teachers’ Conference—March 2–3, 2012 (Richmond) (Register on- line through the BCTF website)
BCTF AGM 2012—March 17–20, 2012 (Vancouver)
BCTF zone meetings—April 20–21, 2012 (throughout the province)

BCTF Rep Assembly—May 25–26, 2012 (Richmond)
BCTF Summer Conference 2012—August 23–27, 2012 (Kamloops)

February 9, 2012: Labour Minister Margaret McDiarmid appointed Trevor Hughes to report on the progress of teacher bargaining. He will meet with both parties and report back by February 23, 2012. Education Minister George Abbott has said that if bargaining is not proceeding, legislation is an option.

TTOCs are reminded that this is an important time to remain aware of local meetings.

E-mail distribution: BCTF presidents, TTOCAC, TTOC contacts

Latest Zone Meeting Minutes! Attendees: Denise Flick, Jen Tagg, Andrew Gulyas, Mary Marrison, Bea Parker, Fresia Jamin, Jennifer Judd, Treena Stewart.

Meeting called to order at 1:09pm

Check-In (1-130pm)
- Added items 5a) Call out system, 5b) New Teacher Hire, 5c) Post and Fill under item 5 for local issues. Unanimously passed.
- 3 stars and a wish opening plenary – all districts put in their 3 stars and a wish. Collaborated that information and was given to Treena Stewart. Action Item: – Treena will compile that list and send out to TTOC reps for the zone.
Debrief of Plenary (130-2pm)
- Presentations on aligning with CUPE who are negotiating contract would be a good idea
- Presentation by BCTF representatives seemed disjointed, however, with it being a bargaining year, we understand that there have been other factors in the discussion.
Running a meeting (2-3pm)
- To bring a motion forward
  - Bring to the executive council
  - Bring to the Regional Assembly
  - Bring to Annual General Meeting
- How to make a motion?
  - Clear and specific
  - Thoughtful and well worded
  - Short and to the point
  - One idea per motion
  - Motion must stand alone without a lot of supporting documentation
  - If you want a report to the motion, state it in the motion ex. “ That the EC investigate by the next EC meeting.”
  - Assign a date to it if applicable
  - Make sure it’s directed at the right person
  - Include specific measurable results
  - Include a “verb” or a call for action
  - Proper spelling and wording – proof-read
  - Research if there was a motion presented before? Is it covered by the collective agreement?
  - Know how to put the motion forward
    1. Go to the president
    2. Go to our TTOC AC – Treena Stewart
    3. Go to the Executive Council
- ACTION items: Treena will e-mail the Meetings Minutes Motions and More by Christina Schut, October 12, 2009 “tips for writing motions”.

LOCAL ISSUES – callout for employment equality – this idea was encouraged to bring this issue to the local level for employment equity. Because callout is a zero dollar item, then it’s a good time to bring this forward in a bargaining year.

Practice making a motion: – topic – increase the TTOC budget

$ amount (next years 2012 budget)

Rationale (what are we using it for?)

Who – executive meeting (treasurer) and AGM at the local level, where the treasurer amends the budget at the AGM and put forward the motion.

Practice motion:

“That the Fernie Teacher’s District Association increase the TTOC meeting budget to $500 starting with the 2012/2013 budget year”

Rationale:

We believe it is imperative that the TTOC’s be treated with respect and dignity. We want to honour the TTOC’s contributions to our district. We want to honour the TTOC’s contributions to our district. We would use this increase in funds to function as a unified group within our profession and provide support for meetings, orientation and special items/events for when they meet.

We believe that the TTOC’s be treated with respect and dignity through providing funds to function as a unified group within our profession when we meet.

BCTF TTOC Workshops (3:15pm-4:05pm)
- TTOC Reality 101
- EI
- Boundaries – for TTOC’s
- Health and Safety
  - To book a meeting or session for your TTOC’s please contact Nancy Hinds nhinds@bctf.ca or call 1-800-663-9163 ext (1879)
  - New Teacher’s conference for teachers that are less than 5 years of teaching.
  - Can be booked for TTOC’s along with other sessions that you make it up.
Local Issues (4:05pm-5pm)
- Jeopardy regarding the “know your rights” game played for the end of the session
- NOTE: if you are injured at work fill out form 6A only not the district form as well.
- EI as a teacher the day of work is 9.1 hours for a day.
- Rate as a TTOC $213.90 + $3 for benefits.

Meeting Minutes – October 15th, 2011

Chaired by Treena Stewart

Attendees: Denise Flick, Jen Tagg, Andrew Gulyas, Mary Marrison, Bea Parker, Fresia Jamin, Jennifer Judd, Krista Wunsch, Treena Stewart.

5a) callout system

Denise Flick

call out system is done by the secretaries
provide top 3 choices for callout when the teacher calls in absent
System is not always being followed
Done by the schools

Mary

Letter to submit to stay on the list
Put down credentials, subjects and wanting to teach and a list of grades and schools
Nelson dispatch calls out a TTOC when a teacher calls out to a 1-800#
Primary teachers ticked off k-12 but frustrated by that
If placement of a TTOC is known in advance, then the TTOC is supposed to contact the teacher. Some people like it, and some don’t.
Preferential list is seen as a way of evaluating teachers or giving a report because they are judging how the teacher teaches
Note if you are absent from the district you need to call the central call-out or central dispatch if you are being absent.

Bea

Secretaries callout rather than Administrative Officers
Group of TTOC’s regarding callout made a list showing teaching qualifications, preferences, and unfortunately the secretaries disregarded it.
Long list for a small area, and the list covers a large geographical district from Christina Lake to Big White
Grand Forks secretaries are excluded staff rather than CUPE

Jen Tagg

Call out system had a minimal notification that it was being implemented as a “pilot project” however, the money has been invested. We had 2 weeks for notification regarding this plan.
Principals are short-listing, however, the principals are not using it and are calling out directly which circumvents the system.
Maybe not the right decision for a small district.

Fresia

Because the TTOC list is large and the preferred seems to work
Central callout system
If teachers don’t start with preferential than rotational
SOLUTION: – cut the list, although they just hired 5 new TTOC’s
107 TTOC’s for 235 Teachers

Jen Judd

Bypassing the call out system causing problems.
12 hours notice needed to cancel a job as a TTOC
2 minutes to accept the call
Technology and callout times are not working and need to have problems ironed out

Andrew

Happy with callout system but it is preferential rather than exclusively rotational
TTOC’s are being jaded because of lack of work
Treena same system as Andrew

Krista

TTOC’s are not to press #2 and #4 to decline a job just to hang up so it’s not recorded that the job has been declined
Preference list was not updated because of job action. Problem with the husband of a new administrator that was being called out to a different school but getting lots of work.
SD6 e-mail the preferred e-mail for callouts, and not secure as management has the right to look at e-mails. Means that management can see if you are applying for other jobs in different districts.
Callouts can come from 6am-11am however, if you have a half day teaching you can miss a call for the afternoon because you can’t answer your phone during the day.
How to give advance notice for certain schools with the automated system.
Health and Wellness – cannot access the outdoors so now people are out of range so it’s impacting their lifestyle and leisure life because they have to be within cell range by 4pm. Stifling their health and wellness.

New Teacher Conference information:

e-mail: mctremblay@bctf.ca

Communication

How do the TTOC’s communicate with their members and zones regarding information sharing and bargaining?

Andrew

98% turnout for TTOC’s at the AGM this year to speak about the phase 1 of the job action and bargaining

Jen Tagg

Directs communication to the presidents to distribute to the TTOC’s.

Fresia

Trying to get her TTOC list down
E-mail communication
Newly appointed as TTOC rep

Bea

TTOC rep because Paul stood down
Norm sends out e-mails and communications to the TTOC’s and teachers together
Meeting with new staff there’s a disconnect because they are in both camps wanting work and not rocking the boat.

Mary

Email lists and phone trees to get the information out there

Denise

Asked that all TTOC’s have an sd20 e-mail list. President contacts TTOC’s with information

Krista

Staff feel apathy
President emails out
Staff room discussions

Bargaining

What are we going to do and how do we feel about Phase 2? Where do we go to from here?

BCTF commercials need to be more prominent
Keep up the sports with the kids
Suggestion is rotating strikes between schools and districts
Sit-ins with the principals office – trying to affect the admin rather than the students
Keep up the extracurricular activities if it’s volunteer even if we go into Phase 2
When parents call teachers are saying “we would love to meet with you, and if you could please contact the principal and arrange for a time for them to come and cover my class so we can meet with you”

What to do next!

If you are a TTOC rep, make sure that you have a plan if we go to further strike action or if we are locked out from the job.

Get a current phone number
Get an alternate e-mail address to the president
Which school do you wish to be assigned to in the event we are locked out or move into further strike action?