Teachers put withdrawal of extracurricular activities back on the table, vote on bargaining tactic April 17-18
By Bruce Fuhr
The B.C. Teachers Federation refuses to take the harsh realities of Bill 22 sitting down.
And using one of its only bargaining tools, the 41,000-member federation will vote on the withdrawal of extracurricular activities in April.
“This government has repeatedly demonstrated such profound disrespect for the work we do that members felt they had to take a stand,” President Susan Lambert said on the BCTF website.
“It’s one of the only options left open under Bill 22,” Lambert, re-elected Tuesday for her third term as president of the 41,000-member federation, added.
Local teacher associations in about a dozen school districts have already voted independently to withdraw participation in extra-curricular voluntary activities.
These volunteer activities include sports, clubs like band and drama, and Grade 12 graduation exercises.
The plan will be voted on April 17 and 18.
The decision to put extracurricular activities on the chopping block came as almost 700 delegates met at the BC Teachers’ Federation 96th Annual General Meeting.
The delegates decided to play the extra-curricular card after three days and evenings of intense debate about the best ways to defend public education from a decade of attacks by the provincial government.
“Christy Clark as education minister started this fight 10 years ago with her legislation that stripped teachers’ collective agreements of our bargaining rights and of guarantees for quality learning conditions for students,” Lambert said.
“The BC Supreme Court found her bills to be illegal and unconstitutional, yet her government has done nothing to show respect for the ruling, for public education or for the teachers and students of BC.
“In fact they’re violating the rights of teachers and cutting the same services to students with Bill 22.”
Lambert said teachers would also make legal challenge to Bill 22 and plan to make the legislation an issue in the next provincial election, Tuesday, May 14, 2013.
Bill 22 legislation penalizes teachers, unions and union representatives with harsh financial penalties for those taking illegal strike action during the cooling-off period.
The fines are $475 per day for teachers, $2,500 per day for union representatives and $1.3 million per day for the BCTF organization.
Bill 22, which was passed into law by the Liberal government law week, brings in a mediator to try to settle the long-running teachers’ contract dispute.
If no mediated settlement is reached by the end of June, the government will then legislate a new contract with new legislation.
Teachers have been without a contract since June and began job action in September.
Key issues in the contract dispute include wage increases, class sizes and support for special needs students.
