TENTATIVE AGREEMENT

B.C. Liberal government negotiators and BC Teachers Federation have come to an tentative agreement that may mean the end of this several month standoff. Once details are also agreed upon today, Teachers will have to ratify this, as will the Liberal leadership. With this hope, school may begin on Monday 22nd September 2014.
UPDATE 5:02 PM Teachers will vote Thurs., 7.5% wage increase over 5 yrs. plus other items I’ll mention later.

TEACHERS, YOU HAVE A DIFFICULT CHOICE TO MAKE

Education Minister Peter Fassbender and BCTFf Pres Jim Iker

Teachers will have to decide whether to give their BCTF an overwhelming mandate to play hardball at the bargaining table or to say adamantly, strike a deal ASAP. Teachers are angry. If you are a teacher, how angry are you? Are you angry enough to go on full strike and finish off the school year that way? Do you agree with the demands that your BC Teachers Federation is making?

If as I am led to believe, wages are not the primary objective but of more crucial concern are class sizes and composition, then teachers need to tell their representatives to bring the salary demand more in line with the government offer. Negotiation logic expects that the government then will be more inclined to address class size and composition demands.

The most recent ask by the union is for a pay hike of 9.75 per cent over four years, not including the cost-of-living allowance that compensates for inflation. That reflects an increase of 3 per cent in the first year, followed by 2.25 per cent each year over the following three years. So while 9.75% doesn’t sound like much, the impact is larger of course because of the unexpressed cost of living compensation. When the government reads that demand it says the compounded numbers come to a total increase of 14.7%. That doesn’t appear to be a great improvement over the earlier 15.9% BCTF demand.

The B.C. Public School Employers Association (the government’s bargaining vehicle) earlier offered 7.3% over six years. That’s a presumptuous offer too, representing no salary increase apart from bare cost of living increases.

I believe that if BCTF made a request for 10% over four years and that includes COLA, as well as the class size and composition proviso, there would be a deal. That demonstrates to government a noteworthy willingness to compromise and it underscores that the primary issues are class size and composition each of which speaks to parents about the desire to provide superior education to children.

PETER CAMERON – CAN TEACHERS EXPECT A FAIR DEAL?

Photo is by David P. Ball

Let’s examine how likely it is that teachers will get a fair deal with Peter Cameron as chief negotiator.

Cameron is the hired gun negotiator mandated to bring resolution to the Liberal government and BC Teachers dispute. Cameron’s reputation as a strong and shrewd spokesperson was birthed at the vanguard of the Canadian Association of Industrial, Mechanical and Allied Workers (CAIMAW) in 2002 when he was their chief mining negotiator. Then he was on the workers’ side. He was appointed as a union panelist on the LRB (Labour Relations Board) for a four-year term. In an acrimonious departure he left CAIMAW to join Unifor and Health Sciences Association becoming its executive director in 1990. In 1992, he became NDPs assistant deputy health minister. He was now on employer's side and he never returned to the union side of the negotiation table.

He immediately brokered a ‘social contract’ with the B.C. Health Care workers that was a win-win for government as well as workers. However, under the Liberals, Cameron, at no time has negotiated for workers, any deal outside the tight-fisted government imposed guidelines and restrictions. This displays his hand, his loyalty. He could broker a wage increase for teachers if he chose to do so because he clearly understands that the government does have money despite the denials. Instead of the evenhanded skill of a celebrated negotiator, he now plays to the public with predisposed comments that predict another inequitable conclusion for teachers in B.C.

In the above piece, I have précised a remarkable article written in The Tyee on 24 May 2014, by Rod Mickleburgh, entitled, ‘Who is the Man Steering the Fortunes of BC Teachers.’