GOVERNMENT’S 10-YEAR BARGAINING
FRAMEWORK PROPOSAL
Is it a good deal for teachers
and public education?
1
Stats and facts:
• BC has worst student-educator ratio in the
country (Stats Canada)
• To bring teacher staffing levels to national
average, an astounding 6600 teachers
needed!
• Past 12 years of underfunding has taken a
toll
• Per student funding in BC is $1000 below
national average. Surrey would receive an
additional $70,000,000 per year.
BC Teachers' Federation: Overview of
Government White Paper —Framework For
2
It is time…
 for government to reinvest in
teachers and public education for
the social and economic wellbeing of our province.
 for government to refrain from
interfering in bargaining and to
provide BCPSEA with resources to
obtain a negotiated settlement.
BC Teachers' Federation: Overview of
Government White Paper —Framework For
3
Current context
Bargaining table
– bargaining objectives
set provincially and
locally
– Agreement in
Committee “AIC”
– at table since early
February
– local bargaining
occurring around the
province
– Provincial bargaining
continues
BC Teachers' Federation: Overview of
Government White Paper —Framework For
Outside of bargaining
– Clark announced 10
year scheme
– Liberals re-elected to
a majority
government
– government alters
BCPSEA’s bargaining
objectives midstream
– New cabinet
– Summer session of
legislature called
4
“AIC” between BCTF and BCPSEA
• Moved some items to local tables, like post and fill and
transfer
• Agreed to work with a facilitator, Mark Brown
• Agreed to a process for costing proposals
• Agreed not to publish bargaining proposals publicly and
restrict media coverage of bargaining
• If no agreement by expiration of agreement (June 30),
facilitator will issue a report with overview and
recommendations
BC Teachers' Federation: Overview of Government White Paper —Framework For 10-Year
Agreement
5
What are they proposing?
They say:
A 10 year contract
What it means:
• 10 years of silence from teachers
• A frozen collective agreement
• No opportunity to improve salary, benefits,
prep time, or any other conditions of work
• No opportunity to respond to change
…
BC Teachers' Federation: Overview of Government White Paper—Framework For 10-Year Agreement
6
What are they proposing?
They say:
• Teachers will be given a seat on the Education Policy
Council (EPC) - representatives from government, the
BCTF and boards of education trustees to advise
government on public education policy priorities,
including allocation of the PEIF
What it means:
• A committee to provide advice on policy and
spending
• Merely an advisory committee, not binding
• Items like class size and composition will not be part
of collective bargaining process; they are seen as
policy matters instead, despite supreme court ruling
BC Teachers' Federation: Overview of Government White Paper —Framework For 10-Year
Agreement
7
What are they proposing?
They say:
• We will create a government fund (“PEIF”) to
address “education priorities”
• Yr 1 $0, Yr 2 $0, Yr 3 $100 million, Yrs 4-10 TBD
What it means:
• Removes class size, composition and ratios as a
collective bargaining matter
• No guarantee of funding from year to year
• Similar to Learning Improvement Fund
• Spending priorities set by government with advice
from ‘Education Policy Council’
• Won’t resolve current underfunding of public
schools, loss of $275 million per year for last
decade
BC Teachers' Federation: Overview of Government White Paper—Framework For 10-Year Agreement
8
What are they proposing?
They want:
•A new bargaining process and dispute
resolution mechanism
What it means:
• Very limited bargaining, once per
decade
• Mandatory conciliation with
government appointed “mediator”
• Legislation to remove full right to
strike and replace it with a restrictive
all-or-nothing strike option
• Strike votes in the summer
• Will lead to more conflict, not less
BC Teachers' Federation: Overview of Government White Paper —Framework For 10-Year
Agreement
9
What are they proposing?
They want:
• Indexing of teachers’ compensation to an average
of other major public sector increases
What it means:
• Teachers prohibited from bargaining their own
salaries
• Compensation determined by government based on
AVERAGE of SELECT public sector unions
• Average of zero is zero
• Contracts may be imposed on other public sector
unions under restrictive mandates
• Doesn’t permit BC teachers to catch up to teachers
in other provinces in Canada
BC Teachers' Federation: Overview of Government White Paper —Framework For 10-Year
Agreement
10
“A bold, respectful & responsible solution”?
The premier’s plan is another effort to
severely limit teachers’ constitutional right
to bargain and to intrude into the
negotiation process yet again.
A negotiated outcome can only be reached
through a fair process with sufficient
resources at the bargaining table.
Labour peace is achieved through genuine
collective bargaining, not imposed
legislation.
BC Teachers' Federation: Overview of Government White Paper —Framework For 10-Year
Agreement
11
What should our next steps be?
1. What types of decisions should the Federation make before the end
of June?
2. What can we predict will be the decisions the Federation will have
to make in August (at either the EC or a special RA at Summer
Conference)—given that we don't know the nature of probable
legislation, but we can speculate on the range of options the
Liberals have, given the nature of the White Paper?
3. How will such decisions be communicated to members before the
start of school in September?
BC Teachers' Federation: Overview of Government White Paper—Framework For 10-Year Agreement
12
Upcoming meetings
• BCTF Presidents’ meeting
scheduled for June 24
• BCTF Executive meeting
scheduled for June 25
• Emergency Rep Assembly may
be called in August if needed
BC Teachers' Federation: Overview of Government White Paper —Framework For 10-Year
Agreement
13
• Questions?
• Comments?
• For more information, visit the BCTF
member portal:
https://www.bctf.ca/myBCTF/content.aspx?id=23112
BC Teachers' Federation: Overview of Government White Paper—Framework For 10-Year Agreement
14