BC Teachers' Federation President Jim Iker announced 99.4 per cent of the 30,669 teacher who voted are in favour of ending their strike and entering binding arbitration. That's a larger majority than those who voted in favour of gradual strike action and the full-scale strike earlier this year.
"Our members are sending a strong message that they support our call that we made on Friday [for binding arbitration], and we are ready to stand down if government would agree," said Iker, adding additional support has come in from school trustees, municipalities, news media, other unions, and parents. "Just because you say no once, it doesn't mean you can't change your mind."
Education Minister Peter Fassbender has actually said no twice, and said it a third time for good measure in a press release issued soon after the conference.
"As we have consistently made clear, binding arbitration would lead to unacceptable tax increases in this case. That's because the two sides remain too far apart on wages and benefits," he said. "I will continue to call on the BCTF to suspend this strike and get into the affordability zone, just like 150,000 other hard-working women and men in the public sector who have settled this year."
Reasons for rejection
Iker proposed binding arbitration at a press conference on Sept. 5. Unlike mediation, which both sides have been involved in with independent mediator Vince Ready since August, binding arbitration means both sides agree beforehand to accept a deal proposed by a third party.
Fassbender rejected the idea twice: first on recommendation from Peter Cameron, chief negotiator for the BC Public School Employers' Association, after Cameron met with Iker and Ready over the weekend; and second after the union released its proposal online, calling on the government to drop clause E.80, which the union and now some academics say would supersede the B.C. Supreme Court ruling in favour of restoring teachers' class size and composition bargaining rights, and to leave all class size and composition and teacher staffing ratio decisions up to the B.C. Court of Appeal in the case starting next month.
Instead, the education minister has repeatedly called on the union to decrease its salary and benefit proposals in order to reach a mediated settlement through mediation.
At tonight's press conference, Iker said mediation's a possibility, but only if the government brings more money to the table. "We've been calling for mediation: we're ready to enter into full-scale mediation at any time," he said.
'It has to be a priority': Iker
Binding arbitration is a financial risk for the government, which is calling on teachers to accept a deal financially similar to the settled contracts of other public sector unions. But with no control over the final arbitrated decision, the government could end up spending much more than it wants.
Fassbender has referenced the 2001 doctor's strike, which was settled by binding arbitration, as the basis for his rejection. It was the only time this government has used binding arbitration in a labour dispute, and the resulting cost of the doctor's deal meant raising provincial sales and tobacco taxes to fund it, he said.
Binding arbitration has its risks for teachers, too, since they leave their contract content to a third party. It's the first time the union has called for it, but the quickest way to get students back to class, Iker said. As for the potential cost to government, however, he said teachers are asking for the equivalent of $3 a day for every student in the province.
"We know from their own fiscal budget, it's three years and in each of those years they've forecasted a surplus and an additional contingency fund," he said. "It's also about choices government makes in their spending, and we think that public education should be a choice that government makes in terms of their spending. It has to be a priority."
Union resources dwindling
Teachers have been picketing schools every weekday since June 17, cancelling the last two weeks of school and now the first two weeks of the new school year. Despite tonight's vote, the strike could go on longer: bargaining is at an impasse, with neither side willing to budge further on their salary, benefits, class size and composition and teacher staffing ratio proposals since both made moves over the Labour Day weekend.
The union's $50-a-day strike pay ran out at the end of June, and the union's resources are dwindling. During the press conference, Iker denied a rumour the union is considering mortgaging its headquarters.
Financial help has poured in this week, with an $8-million loan from the BC Federation of Labour and its affiliate unions, while the BC Nurses' Union donated $500,000 to the cause. FamiliesFundingTeachers.ca, a parent-led drive encouraging families to donate the $40-a-day government promised to parents of kids 12 and under during the strike, raising $33,000 from parents and non-parents in nine days.
"I am humbled and inspired by the support that British Columbians have shown our teachers during the strike," said Families' co-founder Kate Milberry, who spoke at the teachers' press conference.
Vancouver restaurant Bandidas has also jumped in, offering 100 per cent of their profits from every Wednesday between now and the end of the strike to the union.
Original Article
Source: thetyee.ca/
Author: Katie Hyslop
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