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MERRITT HERALD FREE
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2014 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS
Teachers hold flash mob as labour dispute goes on By Michael Potestio
on the building, but teachers and unionized CUPE workers have some items left to move over to the new school. When the strike ends, students could move over to their new school within a day or two, Comeau said.
THE HERALD
reporter@merrittherald.com
Merritt teachers came out in large numbers Friday afternoon to let the public know they’re still determined to fight for what they believe in as their labour dispute with the province lingers. Collettville Elementary School teacher Nicole Mackay-Smith said the demonstration is a positive and concise way to get their message across to the public. In a co-ordinated dance, teachers from around Merritt swayed back and forth with protest signs to the song Brave by Sara Bareilles, in front of a small group of children and adults. Nicola Valley Teachers’ Union president Peter Vogt told the Herald they wanted to put the issues of the labour dispute into a simplified context. He said teacher picket lines went up the week before the 2014-15 school year was set to begin. Vogt said the union has been flexible when it comes to benefits for teachers and that while the teachers want a wage increase on top of benefits, the government wants the pay raise to be inclusive of benefits. On Wednesday, striking teachers will vote on whether to take the union’s proposal to binding arbitration, BC Teachers’ Federation president Jim Iker said Monday. Accepting binding arbitration would see an arbitrator settle issues surrounding wages, signing bonuses, preparation time and benefits.
Province eyes longer school year
By Jeff Nagel
BLACK PRESS jnagel@blackpress.ca
A flash mob of teachers from School District 58 gathered at Spirit Square on Friday morning in front of a group of spectators, which included schoolage children. The teachers held the demonstration to remind people why they are on strike as the labour dispute between their union and the B.C. government enters what would normally be the second week of the school year. Michael Potestio/Herald
The union would send its wage and benefit demands as well as its proposal for class size and special needs support to an independent arbitrator, Iker said. “We think it would be really tough for government to come back and decline that offer, because they’ve been trying to say all along that somehow this is our fault we’re out here,� Vogt said. “If they’re not going to go to binding arbitration, what is their plan for settling this?� Binding arbitration was already rejected once by the province over the weekend.
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Lead negotiator for the B.C. Public School Employers Association Peter Cameron said the government wouldn’t move towards the union’s wage and benefit demands. He also said the BCTF’s proposal had too many stipulations. School District 58 chairman Gordon Comeau told the Herald regardless of what is eventually agreed upon, the concern for the school district is that the government fund the deal rather than having that burden fall on the district’s shoulders. “We want to see the kids in school, we want to
see the teachers get a fair settlement [and] at the same time, we want to make sure the government funds whatever agreement is made,� Comeau said. Comeau also disapproved of the $40 per day allowance the government is giving parents with children under the age of 13 affected by the strike, saying that money should be reallocated back to the district. That money comes from the savings the province is making from not having to pay teachers during their strike. — With files from Black Press’ Tom Fletcher
Nicola-Canford delayed Construction on the new Nicola-Canford Elementary School is about 95 per cent complete, but its grand opening has been delayed due to teacher picket lines, School District 58 treasurer Kevin Black told the Herald. He said the classrooms are ready, but there are still some “odds and ends� that still need to be worked on. Unionized workers have been asked not to cross the teacher picket line at the site of the new building. SD58 chairman Gordon Comeau said non-unionized workers are still working
Meanwhile, Education Minister Peter Fassbender says the province may take extraordinary steps to ensure senior secondary students’ school year is not cut short by the teachers strike. That could mean adding days to the school calendar later in the year, he said, to ensure Grade 12 students in particular complete their courses and get all the marks they need. “Do you put it on the end of the year? Do you take it out of spring break? Do you take it out of Christmas holidays? My staff are looking at all of the options,� Fassbender said. “It’s going to depend on how long this drags out. Whatever length of time it takes to get this settled, we will do everything we can to make sure the school year is kept whole for those students.� It’s unclear how the government would finance adding extra days of classes later when all of the $12 million per day in strike savings may be consumed by the province’s offer of $40-a-day payments to parents.
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