UPDATE: BCPSEA, CUPE reach tentative agreement; BCTF begins third week of rotating strike schedule
By Nelson Daily Staff
In a move that’s expected to shake up the current labour dispute between the provincial government and BC Teacher’s Federation, the BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) has reached a tentative agreement Sunday with Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
“The BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) is pleased to advise
that after five intense and productive days of bargaining, we have achieved a tentative Framework Agreement with the K-12 Presidents’ Council representing support staff unions in the public education sector, with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) having the largest membership,” Michael Marchbank, Public Administrator of the BC Public School
Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) said in a press release.
“Our announcement (Sunday) demonstrates that with good will, hard work and compromise, a negotiated collective agreement is achievable. It’s a testament to the commitment of both bargaining teams to remain focused on the objective at hand and work toward a solution,” said Marchbank.
The tentative agreement, covering off from July 1 to June 30, 2019, provides for wage increases within the government’s so-called Economic Stability Mandate for public-sector unions..
The framework deal covers about 34,000 support staff, including education assistants, bus drivers, custodial staff and office administrators.
About 27,000 are CUPE members, whose contract expires at the end of June.
Marchbank said each school district and its respective local support staff unions then proceed to conclude local bargaining and ratify their collective agreements.
Districts and unions that conclude their agreements by a specified date will be able to include the Framework Agreement in their local collective agreement and participate in its terms.
BCTF begins third week of rotating strike schedule
The BC Teachers Federation will be holding a vote on whether teachers want to launch a full-scale walkout during a province-wide ballot Monday (June 9) and Tuesday (June 10).
The voting is being done while teachers prepare for round three of the rotating strike schedule Monday.
The rotating strikes has closed every school in every district in B.C. for one day the past two weeks.
Here’s the schedule for the upcoming week of rotating strikes.
Students in Kootenay Lake (Nelson-Creston) School District 8 get a long weekend as teachers will be off Friday.
Arrow Lakes is Wednesday while Kootenay Columbia teachers walk the picket line Thursday.
Monday, June 9
- No rotating strike
Tuesday, June 10
- 61 — Greater Victoria
Wednesday, June 11
- 06—Rocky Mountain
- 10—Arrow Lakes
- 22—Vernon
- 38—Richmond
- 39—Vancouver
- 40—New Westminster
- 41—Burnaby
- 44—North Vancouver
- 45—West Vancouver
- 46—Sunshine Coast
- 48—Sea to Sky
- 50—Haida Gwaii
- 52—Prince Rupert
- 54—Bulkley Valley
- 58—Nicola Similkameen
- 62—Sooke
- 64—Gulf Islands
- 67—Okanagan Skaha
- 68—Nanaimo
- 78—Fraser-Cascade
- 79—Cowichan Valley
- 92—Nisga’a
Thursday, June 12
- 05—Southeast Kootenay
- 20—Kootenay Columbia
- 23—Central Okanagan
- 27—Cariboo-Chilcotin
- 28—Quesnel
- 37—Delta
- 42—Maple Ridge
- 59—Peace River South
- 69—Qualicum
- 70—Alberni
- 72—Campbell River
- 74—Gold Trail
- 75—Mission
- 82—Coast Mountains
- 83—North Okanagan-Shuswap
- 84—Vancouver Island West
- 87—Stikine
- 91—Nechako Lakes
Friday, June 13
- 08—Kootenay Lake
- 19—Revelstoke
- 33—Chilliwack
- 34—Abbotsford
- 35—Langley
- 36—Surrey
- 43—Coquitlam
- 47—Powell River
- 49—Central Coast
- 51—Boundary
- 53—South Okanagan-Similkameen
- 57—Prince George
- 60—Peace River North
- 63—Saanich
- 71—Comox
- 73—Kamloops-Thompson
- 81—Fort Nelson
- 85—Vancouver Island North
