Collective bargaining rights attacked by Liberal government
The collective agreement for BC’s 41,000 public school teachers expired June 30, 2011. After a 90% yes vote, teachers started a “teach only” campaign at the beginning of the school year.
Instead of negotiating, the government and their bargaining agent, BCPSEA (BC Public School Employers’ Association) stalled the bargaining process by refusing to move off its opening position of net zero and deep, damaging concession demands.
Throughout the months of bargaining sessions, teachers showed a willingness to significantly modify proposals and compromise on every objective, including salary. Click here.
Bill 22—Education Improvement Act does not improve education
In another blatant attack by the Liberal government on teachers’ rights to bargain collectively, Bill 22, the so-called Education Improvement Act was legislated with absolute disregard for the collective bargaining process.
To this point, teachers tried every possible avenue to reach an agreement: working with the government’s fact-finder, calling for mediation, even agreeing to arbitration. The legislation of Bill 22 made it clear the government never intended to sincerely negotiate a collective agreement. “Teachers know that this government’s so-called Education Improvement Act is going to have the opposite effect in our classrooms throughout the province,” said BCTF President Susan Lambert. “Bill 22 hurts students and attacks teachers’ rights. It will only make working and learning conditions worse.” Click here to read the full story.
Bill 22 interferes with free collective bargaining
Bill 22 follows the neoliberal ideology of reducing or eliminating the collective agreements of public servants. This government orchestrated a drawn-out and phony negotiation in an attempt to justify legislation to end the bargaining process.
Bill 22 imposes a government-appointed “mediator” who must operate under a narrow mandate focused on employer concession demands. That mandate includes imposing concessions regarding seniority, post and fill, layoff and recall, evaluation and dismissal, and control of professional development.
In order to effectively eliminate any response from teachers, it makes any strike action an offence subject to heavy fines for members, representatives, and the union itself. Bill 22 attacks the fundamental Charter right of freedom of association and ignores the BC Supreme Court ruling last year, which found that contract-stripping legislation regarding class size and composition was unconstitutional.
The failure of the Liberal government led by Christy Clarke to truly debate the merits of Bill 22 was called “pathetic” by the NDP. Read the full article here.
Bill 22 has a negative impact on students
While Bill 22 has devastating implications for teachers’ bargaining rights, it also enables this government to further cut costs by eliminating effective class-size limits for Grades 4 to 12, protections for class composition, and reduces the guarantees of services to students with special needs.
It also absolves government of any obligation to provide the funding needed so that every child can receive a program of learning tailored to their individual needs.
This legislation will:
- fundamentally change the way that students with special needs are accommodated in public schools, forcing students, teachers, and parents into a competition to get their hands into a pot of money that is far too small to begin with.
- replace highly qualified teachers with paraprofessionals, support staff, private instructors, and, indeed, anyone in the broader community that has an interest in trying their hand at “teaching” and making a profit.
- pit teachers against each other and not only strip the right to due process and clear, unbiased procedures, but create the conditions whereby being hired as a teacher and staying a teacher will be directly related to compliance, doing more and more with less and less, and not raising concerns.
- seriously diminish teachers’ ability to act in their students’ best interest, using professional judgment to organize to meet student needs, and provide a comprehensive, well-rounded education experience.
Vancouver school board chair, Patti Bacchus voiced concerns with Bill 22 with a letter to Education Minister George Abbott. “Bill 22 is causing our valued education partners to feel bullied and disempowered, putting any real improvement to our education system in peril.”
Silas White, chair of the Sunshine Coast school board and a director of the BC Public School Employers’ Association has been very critical of Bill 22. “Bill 22 has evidently not improved education in this most fundamental aspect of relationship building,... At the local level, our board will continue to focus on educational excellence, and we will work harder than ever to appreciate our teachers for the important roles they have in daily improving the lives and futures of our students. Bill 22, however, is turning out to represent yet another tremendous obstacle to bettering these local relationships, and to getting where we all need to go, together, in BC public education.”
Liberal government funding scheme fails students
The Liberal government Learning Incentive Fund is a paltry $60 million aimed at helping vulnerable students. The Liberal government has committed to reducing education funding in 2012–13 by $100 million, the LIF money falls short of the more than $135 million school districts need every year to keep pace with inflation and downloaded costs.
Silas White, Sunshine Coast school board chair, emphasizes; “Real improvements in special-education funding are desperately needed,...but the $195 million offered province-wide over three years won’t cut it. The Sunshine Coast alone needs $1.5 million this year to cover its shortfall in special-needs funding,...”
The LIF scheme is a spending plan that carries beyond the Liberal mandate and the next provincial election in May 2013. In other words, the funding really doesn’t exist. BCTF President Susan Lambert said “The LIF amounts to mere pennies per day per child. This is a massive theft of educational opportunities from the next generation of BC kids.” To view a related article here.
What can you do?
Talk to your trustees to encourage your school board to speak out on Bill 22.
- Let your school trustees and MLAs know public education is a priority and a commitment. Bill 22 does nothing to improve public education.
- Write a letter to the editor of your community paper explaining the impact of Bill 22 on teachers, students, and the quality of education in your school district.
More information