Teachers picket again before strike vote

NEWS/ SCHOOLS — Hundreds of Kamloops-Thompson teachers and CUPE support pickets effectively shut down the public school system again today (Thursday) ahead of an all-out strike vote next week.

At South Kamloops secondary and Beattie School of the Arts, teachers stood their ground where a handful of Beattie students held their own protest over the simmering dispute on Wednesday.

Teachers will vote on Monday and Tuesday to determine whether to move their action to the next level – a full-scale strike – but results won’t be known until the end of next week.

There is an emotional tug-of-war that’s not visible on the picket line, teachers said Thursday.

“You take away 10 per cent of our salary, you lock us out of our own place of business, and that includes our homes where we do our marking, and you put a gag order on us, preventing us from talking about the issues,” said Debbie Taylor.

“At the same time you expect us just to carry on with grad ceremonies and field trips. To me that is extremely demoralizing and unjust.”

Re-inserting class size and composition in the contract, along with a salary increase denied for much of the past decade, are the central objectives of the job action.

Some teachers think the rotating strikes are taking a toll on parents, who may be less supportive of teachers’ demands in the second week of action.

“Frustrations are growing with parents,” said teacher Brandi Rusk. “I get the sense there’s more blame on teachers because of the things we’re not doing.”

She feels there is a “huge disconnect” between the demands of the profession and the public perception of teachers job responsibilities. People don’t realize that teachers take their work home with them every night.

They believe the government intends to use the money it saves from withholding teachers’ salaries during the dispute to fund any increase they may achieve at the bargaining table.

At the same time, teachers feel compelled to honour their students in customary fashion at grad ceremonies.

“We’ll take a bullet in the foot so we can cross over and give them a hug,” Taylor said.

On Westsyde road in front of Arthur Stevenson elementary, there was no indication of lessening support from the public — most car driving by the teacher pickets honked enthusiastically in support.

But Anna-Lynn Zelisko, on the picket line, said there’s a misunderstanding by the public about the main reasons for the job action.

“I keep hearing about pay,” she said. “It’s about class size and compensation.”

Roy Styles said teachers are following the lead of their union. “We’re really hoping for a resolution.” He thought public support was still strong.