PGDTA Vote Tomorrow on Tentative Deal
By 250 News
Prince George, B.C.- The Prince George District Teachers Association will be meeting tomorrow at Vanier Hall to hear details of the tentative agreement reached between the BCTF and the Provincial government. The PGDTA will then cast their ballots on whether or not they will accept the package.
PGDTA President Matt Pearce says neither side in this dispute is jumping for joy “It’s nothing I’m really excited about, you have to understand this agreement has not come out of a free, collective bargaining process. It has come out of what we believe to be an illegally legislated forced mediation process. It does not address many of the pressing needs teachers have.”
Pearce says he is not sure how members will vote on the package, but their results won’t be known until Friday night.
B.C.’s Education Minister George Abbot says the tentative agreement with the BC Teacher’s Federation “ is not a babe that was easily born”.
While full details of the agreement have not been released, the two year agreement will carry through to June 30th of 2013 and it meets the net zero mandate. Abbott says the agreement has been reached to the surprise of many, “including me to some extent, although I have had the opportunity to watch it evolve in earlier days.”
The agreement, which will end June 30th of next year, has a net zero cost, and allows for further discussion on key policy issues such as professional development and evaluation . “We would like to see far more continuity and consistency across the 60 school districts” says Abbott.
When asked if perhaps the Teachers are moving forward on this deal with hopes a new government will be formed next May that may be more sympathetic to their cause, Abbott says regardless of who wins the May 2013 election, the time has come for Government and the BCTF to build a better relationship “Regardless of who is elected in 2013, I do think the BCTF needs to sit down and try to build that mature, constructive relationship that has proven illusive for so long. The fact of the matter is, when Government and the BC Teachers Federation fight, neither of us are really hurt by that, typically those kinds of fights are not things that hurt the parties that are fighting. The people who get hurt are principally the kids, the students of the public education system, it is they and their parents who suffer for this poor relationship. I think it is incumbent upon us as adults to learn to get along and build a better relationship.”
Abbott says the Province is optimistic the deal will be ratified. The BCPSEA will vote on the deal next Wednesday while the BCTF vote dates have not yet been released.
Regardless of the end result of the ratification vote on this package, PGDTA President Matt Pearce says the teachers are pushing forward with their court challenge to Bill 22, which they say has many illegal components. That court case is expected to be heard in December.
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Comments
Posted by: hartbooks on June 27 2012 11:15 AM Posted by: Sine Nomine on June 27 2012 11:44 AMWe must restore law and order and good governance to this province. The stakes couldn't be higher.
Posted by: mr.pg on June 27 2012 11:59 AMStuff it Matt. It was, is and always will be about teachers getting paid more to do less. Now get back to work.
@ rocky, LMAO!! Who doesn't want to get paid more to do less?
Posted by: Icicle on June 27 2012 12:05 PMWhat I don't understand is why the teachers seem to never be able to work with any government past or present.
Is this a reflection on the past and present governments or the teachers? We change governments regularly, but that doesn't solve the problem. How do you change the teachers?
Posted by: Pylot Project on June 27 2012 12:30 PMEven George Abbott may not even be around (one way or the other) as he's been mulling retirement.
Posted by: karrman on June 27 2012 1:54 PM Posted by: Icicle on June 27 2012 2:55 PM Posted by: mr.pg on June 27 2012 3:22 PMI take it you and rocky want to do more work for less pay?
Posted by: rocky on June 27 2012 3:26 PM Posted by: detoe43 on June 27 2012 3:27 PMIn most collective bargaining, whether right or wrong, the union is always aware that the employer can bring in replacement workers. This is not the case with the BCTF. In effect they really do hold the bargaining process hostage in that the employer can't go out & bring in replacement workers.
I don't agree with the tactics taken by both sides, what is important is that some form of normality has to happen & get on with the business of teaching our children, not all this political posturing BS.
Posted by: Howrd_B_Stern on June 27 2012 4:14 PMIs this some bizarro world where you work hard for your money, get reasonable vacations, and are satisfied with your wage?
I'm not a teacher Rocky, but I have the utmost respect for them. Sure there are ones who make me question why I support them, but overall they do a lot of good things for kids. I know I couldn't do it and especially today where the public, pressed by ever increasing demands at their job, often attack the holiday times teachers get. Somewhat of a fair assumption I guess, but most loggers are seasonable workers at best and you don't see me complaining about the countless dollars they all collect on EI every year. However, teachers negotiate holidays throughout summer months (which were designed for agrarian purposes), and they are the bad guys?
Seems to me that the real world is a pretty big place and not just where you live.
Posted by: lonesome sparrow on June 27 2012 5:25 PMYet she is still whining and sniveling of how hard done by they are...mute button next time she is on. You would think that they would be aware of the current global economic climate being teachers and all.
Posted by: Chester on June 27 2012 9:09 PMEver wonder why the teachers are never satisfied or content? Me too.
Posted by: One Democrat on June 27 2012 9:38 PMAnd yet you speak from these uninformed positions as if you know what you are talking about.
Educate yourself with facts before spewing fertilizer.
Posted by: Jack son on June 27 2012 9:51 PMWe need to ask ourselves what would you do and how willing would you be to work with a government that has no honour. If there is a problem, the liberals caused it!
I don't think they should sign any agreement with these degenerates.
Posted by: detoe43 on June 27 2012 10:20 PM Posted by: detoe43 on June 27 2012 10:22 PM Posted by: karrman on June 27 2012 10:32 PMIn 1998 teachers signed a contract negotiated with the government. They got a 0-0-0 raise for three years, but gained in the area of learning conditions. This benefitted teachers and students
Gordon Campbell tore up the contract . The teachers challenged his actions in court and after five years the court ruled his actions illegal. What has taken place since then has been a bitter dispute with the current gov't trying to legislate into law what Campbell did, in effect 'going around the court's ruling.
One Democrat really got it right when he wrote, " It is incredible how uninformed the majority of you are on what occurred during these so-called contract negotiations.
Stuff it Matt. It was, is and always will be about teachers getting paid more to do less. Now get back to work.