After a year of bargaining, there has been some talk of job action among teachers, but the BCTF said there is no plan at the moment to hold a membership vote on job action.
This past weekend, 300 representatives from all teacher locals met on the weekend to discuss “contingency plans,” but they are not reporting on what was discussed at this point, explained BCTF media spokesperson Rich Overgaard.
A few weeks ago, Overgaard said unfortunately it’s common for negotiations to reach the one-year mark, adding that the two sides are “still pretty far apart.”
In the meantime, Richmond Teachers' Association president Liz Baverstock was encouraging people on Twitter to sign a petition to tell the B.C. government to support teachers.
The BC NDP Government: Our kids and their teachers: worth investing in! - Sign the Petition! https://t.co/WOIZtI4l3B via @CdnChange
— Liz Baverstock (@LizBaverstock) January 31, 2020
Some teachers and retired educators have been expressing their disappointment - also on Twitter - with the BC NDP party, claiming that teachers continue to be underfunded.
Like you, I also expected so much more. Upset that I actively encouraged friends/family/ colleagues to support @jjhorgan. Mistakenly believed that @bcndp would rectify #bced underfunding and fairly compensate @bctf members. https://t.co/PUf37uQvcp
— Debbie (@DebbieLPawluk) February 2, 2020
The teachers’ contract expired last June and the BCTF and B.C. Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) – the agency that bargains on behalf of school boards – have been negotiating since last February.
This has included involving a mediator, David Schaub.
In December, Schaub met with both sides and gave them some issues to consider, according to BCPSEA.
Overgaard said the BCTF would be releasing more information later this week about what happened at the representative assembly this past weekend.
