This pamphlet was written by some Victoria teachers to encourage debate before the BCTF membership vote. Please copy, modify and distribute freely.
Vince Ready’s Recommendations: Nine Reasons to Vote “No”
1. The recommendations contain no guarantees for class size and
composition limits. The one-time $20 million dollar infusion will mean 330 teachers added province wide. In Victoria, this will likely mean only 6 teachers for the whole district. This is approximately 1/10 of a teacher per school. The main issue for teachers was class size and class composition. We cannot go back without addressing these issues.
2. The proposed changes to the School Act do not include any
guarantees for actual limits. Nothing prevents Campbell from amending the School Act with a limit of “40”. We have gained nothing substantial without actual numbers being discussed.
3. Parent support was predicated on our fight for learning
conditions. WE CANNOT ACCEPT A PACKAGE THAT DOES NOT MEET OUR GOALS ON LEARNING CONDITIONS. We would never get public support again. The public would perceive us to be ditching class-size and composition in exchange for money.
4. The $40 million for harmonization represents only an average of 2% increase for teachers province wide. This is understood to only affect locals below the average income. We need some increase for all members. There will be no increase for Victoria teachers because we are above the province wide average.
5. The total money included in the recommendations ($105.2 million) is close to what we have lost in salary during job action. Thus, even the small monetary gains are simply reassigning our own salaries within the school system.
6. Some of the recommendations are one time only. This includes the extra $20 million for learning conditions and the $40 million for LTD (SIP).
7. The recommendations include no improvement to our bargaining rights. Bargaining rights were one of our three principle goals in this job action. Bill 12 stands and we have imposed working conditions, not a negotiated settlement. The Essential Services legislation stands.
8. The Learning Round Table is not a decision making body, and the increase in teacher representatives still leaves us in a small minority. We cannot expect this body to address learning conditions meaningfully.
9. Non-enrolling ratios are not addressed at all. This was one of our primary bargaining objectives: ratios to ensure adequate
teacher-librarians, counselors, and learning support teachers.
Please discuss these points with your colleagues. A strong NO vote will send a message to Campbell that he must negotiate meaningfully. We CAN do better if we show strength and resolve. Public support is at record levels. Teachers voted to strike to address our three primary bargaining objectives: learning conditions, bargaining rights and a fair wage increase. These recommendations provide no meaningful resolution to any of
these objectives.