BC Teachers

[bevvyd]

Well here we go again only this time it looks like they are sticking their heels in.

http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do?pageID=bc_home&articleID=2047657

As someone who has spent alot of time volunteering in the schools I support the teachers.

I've held birthday parties with 8 kids and almost lost my mind after 2 hours, I couldn't imagine trying to control, let alone teach anything to, a class of close to 30 students.

Plus some of the students don't have text books cause there is no money in the budget so the parents are left fundraising for these basic necessities of school.

ESL and special needs students are a huge burden to the teachers. The first group doesn't speak English and if lucky gets about 1 hour a week of ESL teaching as there are too many of them. And the special needs students need one on one teaching. Plus all the personal attention that is required of some of the students. I personally know a special needs teacher who has 3 of them to teach, all of them are incontinent. Heck you can't even send your kid to daycare if potty training is learned.

A teacher at my daughters high school was injured while coaching a soccer practice after school. WCB denied his claim as soccer coaching is not part of the job description, same with LTD.

These people are charged with the duty of teaching and helping to mould our children into society's future. How the heck is one supposed to do that when resources aren't there and other basic tools required to do the job are in short supply?

And before anyone goes off about the 10 months that the teachers work let me ask you this: How many EMPLOYEES dictate what the operating hours are?

 

[no1important]

I hope they do like the Ferry workers and ignore the legislation. How can they negioate when the government says they will have no raise and no input into class rooms. The agencey that negioates on behalf of the government knows that they will get what they want, as Campbell will legislate them a contract and force them back to work. Collective bargaining has disappeared under this government. They run roughshot over the working people(nurses, Heu,BCGEU members, ferry workers etc) and I am glad and hope the Teachers kick Campbells government in the teeth.

Funny how he was bragging about huge surplus but yet only shares it with his business cohorts and not the people who make this province run.

In closing I hope the teachers stay out, they are teachers and not babysitters. I would rather have a happy teacher and not a miserable one who is forced to take a non negotiated deal.

I hope all unions band together and shut down the whole province for a while and maybe then Campbell will treat people with respect.

 

[LeftCoast]

I've got my 6 year old home with me today as I took a day off work.

I hope the teachers win this one.

 

[bevvyd]

Anyone see the BCTV news last night or this morning? Seems the students have joined the teachers on the picket line, they don't like the sizes of the classes they are in, the shortage of special needs and ESL teachers (cause if your a smart cookie and finish your work ahead of everyone else, you get to look after the special needs kids).

And one of them even brought up Gordo's drunk driving conviction, on how its OK to break the law if you say your sorry.

Ohhh dear what are we gonna do now?

And I thought it was totally unfair to show the wage gap between the teachers, who need 6 years university, and politicians, who don't need any university (the teachers are wayyyy behind the politicians).

How about a comparison to another profession which requires the same amount of education.

 

[Tianna]

Speaking as a parent... I hope teachers stick this out... What the government did was an ignorant bully tacktic... All in an age of teaching our kids zero tolerance of bullying... Campbell should be ashamed of himself... He himself should have school aged children in a class filled with 30 children 20 percent ESL 20 percent highneeds in social abilities and educational abilities... And do it with very little outside support...
I praise our BC TEACHERS!!! And i stand beside them through this whole joke we call a government... As for parents scrambling for childcare? When did our school systems become our daycare? Is it not our childrens education? Last i checked they were not there to babysit our kids.. thats an added benifit we all as parents should be greatful for... So when its not there? We need to support them and stand behind them... Not be angry! Our kids daily care is the PARENTS responsibility not the teachers.. Its there responsibility to educate them.. Thats what there fighting for... Lets remember that in the next few weeks....
My Two Cents Worth...

 

[bevvyd]

Ohhh no did you hear? 3 school boards (Vancouver, NW and some other one) have written a letter to DeJong the Labour Minister pleading that they go back to negotiating settlements.

And the BC Federation of Taxpayers wants to sue as they feel that the economy is loosing 25 million dollars a day due to this school strike. Hmmm why don't they sue because of summer vacation? It's not like this job action has been kept secret or was a surprise to anyone.

 

[no1important]

Dejong is as useful as.......Gee I can not think of anything.

 

[no1important]

Sounds like a possible general strike. I say good. Campbell and his regime need a kick in the butt. He can give his corperate buddies a tax break as we are running a surplus, but yet he kicks the teachers in the head as he refuses to negioate with him and shows what a dictator he really is, by imposing a contract after negotiating in bad faith.

Sends doctors dispute to arbitration, does not like arbitrators result so passes legislation to change it. Screwed nurses, ferry workers, heu workers, teachers etc

I was talking to some teachers this morning (brought them some donuts) and they are in it for the long haul, enough abuse is enough and they are sick of it.

Teachers work hard with the limited resources they have, have class sizes that are too large, old beaten up books, always expected to do more, so why the hell shouldn't they have a say of what goes on in the classroom? They are the front lines, so they would know best.

The problem with Campbell and other right wing governments is not just the fact they hate unions, but they treat people with no respect, and go out of their way to pick fights with labour and thats what that bastard Campbell (who is a convicted criminal I might add) has done with unions and working people since he became premier. So much labour strife, strikes, problems since he arrived on the scene.

I hope the unions shut this province down at least for a day or two.

 

[neocon-hunter]

Campbell really is a strange cookie. I hope the teachers win this one. With Campbell as BC premeir, we really realize how much we need unions, otherwise we all would be making Wal Mart wages.

 

[LeftCoast]

This is a no win for Campbell.

This type of issue puts me in a real quandry as a progressive voter. I will not vote NDP - they simply do not deserve another chance to ruin the BC economy.

Unfortunately, the non-socialist option in BC is a liberal party that is not very liberal. It is understandable that in the aftermath of the economic ruin that the NDP caused, the Liberals would have to resort to Ralph Klien like austerity measures to restore fiscal discipline to the province. While I do not advocate wide open free spending, even with a budget surplus, beating up the teachers is not a good move.

We want excellent teachers in British Columbia. These are the people entrusted with educating our children. When it comes to assessing what is needed in the classroom, I have far more faith in educators than in politicians.

 

[MMMike]

I can't say I know anything about the particulars of this situation, but unionized government workers going on strike has always pissed me off. I don't see where the check is, or where the balance is to ever increasing wage demands. In the private sectors, with no unions, it is pretty simple: the marketplace dictates what your skills are worth to an organization. In the private sectors with unions, wage demands are kept in check by the companies need to be competitive and still maintain an acceptable profit margin. Where is that check with unionized government workers? What is the true value of their work? What is there to prevent the teachers (in this case) from demanding $150,000 in salary and striking to get it?

 

[no1important]

I see courts frozen strike fund for 30 days. But no fines for union. Just heard on radio. I will post a link when one becomes availble.

B.C. teacher's union escapes fines for strike

edited to add link.

 

[cdn_bc_ca]

So what are the teachers striking for?

From what I gather, they are:
1. Wages
2. Class size
3. Special Needs/ESL

Anything else?

 

[Reverend Blair]

That's the three things that I keep hearing, cdn_bc. Considering that two of those things are as much or more benefit to the students as to the teachers, I think that the parents should be joining the picket lines.

 

[bevvyd]

MMMike

Believe it or not wages in the public sector are not out of line with the private sector. I worked as a clerk for the feds and I was getting a whopping $25K a year before I had to pay for all the benefits (about $250 a month). I did go and work in the public sector and made $1 an hour less.

 

[MMMike]

Re: RE: BC Teachers

MMMike

Believe it or not wages in the public sector are not out of line with the private sector. I worked as a clerk for the feds and I was getting a whopping $25K a year before I had to pay for all the benefits (about $250 a month). I did go and work in the public sector and made $1 an hour less.

That depends where you look. On the lower end of the skill level, I think public workers make much more - just look at custodial staff or unskilled labour. On the higher end, I think they actually make less, albeit with less pressure and less work to do. I still haven't seen an answer to my earlier question, which was:

I don't see where the check is, or where the balance is to ever increasing wage demands. In the private sectors, with no unions, it is pretty simple: the marketplace dictates what your skills are worth to an organization. In the private sectors with unions, wage demands are kept in check by the companies need to be competitive and still maintain an acceptable profit margin. Where is that check with unionized government workers? What is the true value of their work? What is there to prevent the teachers (in this case) from demanding $150,000 in salary and striking to get it?

 

[bevvyd]

MMMike,

here's a link to the current jobs, by category, for the feds. I just looked at the Electrician posting $23.72 an hour and the carpenter was $22.28 an hour. In line with public sector.

http://www.jobs-emplois.gc.ca/jobs/index_all_e.htm

 

[cdn_bc_ca]

Here's an interesting article from the government:
http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2005-2009/2005EDU0087-000911.htm

I found the interesting portions being:
- the average teacher salary - maybe I should become a teacher!
- the class-size limit (if specified in contract) exceeded by one student caused problems.

Any thoughts?

 

[Tresson]

Here's an interesting article from the government:
http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2005-2009/2005EDU0087-000911.htm

I found the interesting portions being:
- the average teacher salary - maybe I should become a teacher!
- the class-size limit (if specified in contract) exceeded by one student caused problems.

Any thoughts?

It's was issued by the government and as such can't be trust to anything other then try to make themselves look better and the teachers worse.

I'd say the same if it was a press release from the teacher's. What's needed is unbias 3rd parties opinion on the situation.

 

[peapod]

Voter Participation

BC's Minister of Labour needs to be reminded about his special role in government. Like the Attorney General, the Minister of Labour is usually expected to stand apart from partisan politics and play a peace-making role in disputes. Minister Mike de Jong is anything but peace-making as he moved from saying that the "contract" with the teachers is resolved since his government imposed it, and that the issue is obedience to the law, to his new position of attacking the BCTF over its member participation in its latest vote to continue its protest.

Global TV carried de Jong's comments on its 5 PM news, but dropped him in favour of doing its own report on BCTF voter participation on the 6 PM news. According to the story, exact membership in the BCTF is uncertain but, according to a leaked email to presidents of teacher union locals, 20,545 teachers voted to continue to protest while 2,145 voted to return to work. That means 90.5%, of those who voted, voted yes. According to the Ministry of Education website, there were 36,331 educators last year compared to a BCTF claim of 42,000 members. Depending on which number one picks, the voter turnout for continued protest ranged from 49% to 56%; Global said 55% to 60%.

Those who live in glass houses ought not to throw stones. Minister de Jong needs to be reminded that the BC Liberals won the May election with 45.8% of the popular vote. In that election, there were an estimated 3.05 million eligible voters, 2.76 million registered voters, but only 1.76 million who voted. In other words, less than 64% of eligible voters voted, meaning that less than 29% of eligible voters voted to continue the Campbell government. Using the lower turnout of only 49% for the teachers, they got a vote of 44% (.905x.49), half again as much as the Campbell Liberals, to continue their action.

Rather than engaging in teacher bashing, the Labour Minister should put his mind to ending the dispute. He needs to review Bill 28 (2002) which stripped the teacher contract of protections on working and learning conditions. As a sign of good faith, the government that now calls for respect for the law could rollback some of its contract breaking legislation.


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