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School support staff reaches agreement

Contract a compromise in face of zero-sum mandate

Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and BC Public Schools Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) have reached a compromise that will see no wage increases but more hours for educational assistants.

Daphne Ross, Powell River’s CUPE Local 476 president, was part of the committee that negotiated provincially with BCPSEA. Ross said she learned a lot from the experience, her first at the provincial level.

This is the first time a provincial agreement has been reached without third party involvement, said Ross, and although the agreement might not be ideal from CUPE’s standpoint, it is a compromise that works.

“They listened to us and we listened to them,” said Ross.

The tentative framework for the agreement is laid out in both a letter of understanding and a letter of agreement.

The letter of agreement is between BCPSEA and CUPE, and other support staff unions, and the government. It concerns the work hours of educational assistants. The government has agreed to provide $7.5 million in new funding from its Class Organization Fund for educational assistants. CUPE predicts this funding will translate into an extra 45 minutes of paid time per week per educational assistant.

The funding will be accessed by local unions and school districts. Ross said this is an important step to making the profession of educational assistants one that is financially stable for those who choose it. Currently, most educational assistants are paid for six-hour work days, some less, but most put in far more time than they are paid for.

“That’s huge because we have brought this issue forward for many years,” said Ross.

The letter of understanding deals with wages. CUPE has agreed to no wage increase with this contract considering the government’s current zero-sum mandate and precedent set by other contracts. They had been seeking a two per cent increase, similar to what teachers received in 2010. The letter, however, assures that should the government allow a wage increase to another union then CUPE has the right to reopen negotiations.

The agreement also brings $550,000 in new funding to the support staff education and adjustment committee. The money will be used to study wage regionalization, introduction of shared services and other matters, as well as integration of skill development. CUPE will also be allowed to access more statistical information from the government for research purposes.

Additionally, $200,000 will be earmarked by BCPSEA to develop a framework for future provincial bargaining. This will make meetings between BCPSEA and CUPE more standardized and assures that talks will start six months before the expiration of a contract.

“All in all it’s not the best, but I think it was fair and I think we worked together,” said Ross. “I thought it turned out pretty good. I know my members won’t be very happy because of not getting the two per cent in 2010 that the teachers got, but the only way to do that would be to go on strike.”

Ross said this contract expires in June and bargaining for the next contract will begin almost immediately.