B.C. teachers vote in favour of job action

[Spazito]

Students in British Columbia could be headed for some unscheduled time off, after teachers in the province rejected back-to-work legislation with a resounding strike vote.

Members of the B.C. Teachers Federation voted 90.5 per cent in favour of striking in protest of Bill 12, the law passed Monday to impose a contract and order an end to job action.

According to the teachers' union president Jinny Sims, the strike vote sends a clear message.

"Teachers have spoken clearly," Sims said Wednesday. "We will not be bullied into accepting another legislated contract that does not meet the needs of our students and doesn't respect our rights as working people."

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http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20051006/job_action_teachers_051006/20051006?hub=TopStories

(The Liberal government should get rid of BCPSEA (B.C. Public Schools Employers Assn) which has NEVER successfully negotiated a contract with the teachers since it's inception. It is a very costly organization completely inept and a boondoggle, imo)

[donco6]

1. Do they really think . . .

. . . they can get a 5%/year raise for three years? That seems kinda unreasonable to me - at least here in the States it would be. Our total funding in my district only increased by 1.1% this year, and they're looking at a 5% cut to THAT if our referendum fails. Can't imagine things are much better in BC. Maybe I'm wrong...

[tuvor]

2. "Job action"

That's what I do when I go to work.

When I don't work, it's usually called "inaction".

[tuvor]

3. If this was so damned important...

...why did they wait until immediately after their two-month vacation before they started making noise?

Sorry, but that makes it really, really hard to believe their for-the-children refrain.

[HEyHEY]

4. The BCTF can kiss my ass

A first year teacher makes $40,000 a year to work ten months. Then they often apply for UI for the two months off, meaning they make about $45,000 a year. ANd that isn't good enough? Fuck them.

That being said, I don't like the idea of the Government making them work.

[tuvor]

5. How can they possibly apply for UI?

I taught high school for one year in Alberta, and this never came up in any conversation I ever had.

My dad was a teacher, too. He acknowledged that he was basically unemployed for two months, but again, UI never was a consideration.

Is this another weird BC thing? (Sorry, I've been in BC ten years, and canNOT get used to this union-as-protector mentality.)

All this being said, I have no doubt that a lot of BC teachers ARE noble about their profession and just want to get back to work.

[HEyHEY]

6. That's what I understand

They are eligble.