One big reason to settle teachers’ contract

WEDNESDAY MORNING EDITORIAL — B.C. Teachers began voting Tuesday on strike action to support their position at the bargaining table with the Liberal government.

Disruption to the education of our kids as the school year draws to a close is unthinkable, and B.C. Teachers Federation president Jim Iker says initial job action won’t include forcing schools to close or interrupting extra curricular activities.

Escalation of job action would depend on progress at the bargaining table, says the BCTF.

When the votes are counted at the end of the day Thursday, it’s a safe guess the result will favour giving the BCTF executive the authority to call a strike. When unions take strike votes, it’s for the purpose of putting pressure on employers to settle. A failed vote greatly weakens the union at the bargaining table.

So, assuming this vote passes — whether it does so by a strong majority or a marginal one — teachers will have 90 days to back it up with action, meaning a strike could theoretically happen at the crucial end-of-year time period.

A spirit of friendly co-operation seems unlikely to be in the cards, given the history between the teachers and this government. The current climate has its roots in 2002, when legislation on class sizes and staffing levels changed the bargaining landscape.

The issue has progressed through the courts right up until last week when the B.C. Court of Appeal put a hold on restoring the pre-2002 status quo until an appeal is heard.

That leaves the ball in the hands of those doing the collective bargaining for both sides. There’s a lot of pressure on them, and the outcome of the strike vote will add even more.

So far this week, the war of words between the two sides has continued with no obvious hope of progress on outstanding issues.

Their most compelling motivation for finding a solution is the right of children to an education uninterrupted by the disagreements of adults. It’s an easy thing to talk about — now they must put it into practice.