Briefly: February 28, 2014

Union calls strike vote

In a move to increase pressure on the provincial government, the BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) has called for a strike vote citing the government’s refusal to bring a reasonable offer to the contract negotiation table.

Jim Iker, BCTF president, said it called the vote to push back against the government which has only made concession demands and has not offered to restore class size and composition which were stripped from the teachers’ contract in 2002.

Last month the BC Supreme Court ruled, for the second time, in favour of reinstating contract language surrounding these issues. The government has brought the ruling to the BC Court of Appeal.

"Teachers care deeply about our schools, our students and our communities,” said Iker. “We don't take a strike vote lightly. There's not one single item we can agree to. There's nothing on the table that we can recommend to our teachers."

The province has been at the bargaining table with the teachers’ union for the past year.

“We will consider all job action options and timing very carefully,” said Iker. “Our goal is to reach a negotiated deal at the bargaining table without having to resort to job action.” Results from the vote will be announced March 6, but the BCTF president added that teachers may not actually be going out on strike anytime soon.

Once the strike vote is taken, the union has 90 days to engage in a form of job action. Iker explained that if the teachers take action it would occur in stages and not include immediate school closures, stop teachers from participating in extracurricular activities, or affect report cards.

Education minister Peter Fassbender said, in a press conference following Iker’s announcement, that he was disappointed with the BCTF’s call for a strike vote.

"I have constantly said our goal as government is to stay at the table, to find a negotiated settlement, to resolve the issues at the table. So for me, this is very provocative so far as our process in bargaining goes,"  said Fassbender.

According to the teachers’ union, the government has offered a non-retroactive 0.5 per cent salary increase on the date of ratification. The teachers have been working without a contract since June 2013.

He added the teachers have already had two years of legislated zero-per-cent wage increases. Iker said the 10-year deal proposed by the government includes another four years of increases of one per cent or less, followed by an indexing scheme.

The union is looking for wage increases of between 3.5 to four per cent over two years, similar to what other public sector employees have received under the government’s cooperative gains mandate.

"Teachers are asking for an increase that addresses the rising cost of living, and a market adjustment that reflects how far we are behind other teachers in Canada,” said Iker. “We believe that's fair and reasonable."

Fassbender responded to the strike vote announcement by saying that class size and composition have been on the table and negotiations have to start somewhere.

BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) chief negotiator Peter Cameron called the BCTF’s announcement “counterproductive.”

“Holding a strike vote before the union has tabled its proposals raises significant concerns about its commitment to reaching a negotiated agreement,” said Cameron.

-with files from Vancouver Sun

City of Powell River is holding its first budget meeting of the year at 1 pm on Monday, March 3 in the Poplar Room at Powell River Recreation Complex.

Delegations include Bert Finnamore, heritage manager of Powell River Historical Museum and Archives, who will present the 2014 museum budget, and a letter dated February 17, 2014 from Hector Beauchesne to ask council to reconsider its policy of reducing the flat tax.

The prior year revenues and expenses, general municipal tax revenue, tax allocation comparative, 2014 assessment values, market changes, affects of flat tax, the 2014 integrated budget, general reserves and more will be discussed.

The meeting was re-scheduled from its original date of February 27 to March 3 when it could be held in the Poplar Room to address concerns of accessibility. Members of the public are welcome to attend.

Travellers to and from the Lower Mainland on Saturday, March 1, will be using a different ferry schedule between Horseshoe Bay and Langdale.

For one day, berth one at Langdale will undergo “expedited maintenance to replace the berth’s turning dolphin pad,” according to BC Ferries’ service notice. This maintenance is resulting in a modified schedule to utilize single ramp on and off loading using berth two.

The ferry will leave Langdale at 6:20, 8:40 and 11:25 am, 2:30, 4:50, 7:05 and 9:15 pm. It will leave Horseshoe Bay at 7:30 and 9:55 am, 12:45, 3:40, 6:00, 8:10 and 10:15 pm.

BC Ferries will notify customers with reservations booked for Saturday, March 1, of the affected changes.