By Sasha Moedt (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: March 7, 2012
The BC Teacher’s Federation (BCTF) has proven to be one tough bunch in the face of negative media spins and government legislation. This past Monday, in a protest to the draconian Bill 22 being passed by the BC government, BC teachers are striking: fully walking off the job. The BCTF president Susan Lambert described the bill as a “a destructive act of legislative vandalism that will violate collective bargaining rights for teachers and have a profoundly negative impact on learning conditions for students” in her strike announcement.
It’s just another dishonest attempt from the Liberals to push aside the issues being brought forth by teachers. Classroom conditions, funding, support for special needs children, low salary: the teachers brought these issues to the table. Meanwhile, the government came with nothing. Negotiations went nowhere not because the BCTF’s obstinacy – they have been willing to negotiate in the past. In the 1990s, teachers gave up a salary increase for eight years in exchange for the right to determine class size and composition in the contract, according to Burnaby Now. Currently, the Liberals are taking that right away. Now we have Bill 22 establishing some of these proposals for reducing teachers’ rights in law. Bill 22 will effectively take away a teacher’s right to determine class composition and size.
The teacher would have no say in how many children with special needs will be integrated in their class. George Abbott, Education Minister, stated in The Vancouver Sun that this will prevent discrimination. He’s completely missing the point. The BCTF wants the cap set at three special needs students without extra support in a classroom, not because they are discriminating against that fourth child who wants to be in that class, but because the classroom teacher will not be able to fully support that fourth child. He/she will be included and left with needs unattended because the teacher cannot attend to all of the class’s needs.
Bill 22 also takes away rights to determine class size. It does offer compensation or extra prep time for teachers who are recognized as teaching overloaded classrooms, but even if a teacher is getting paid more and even if they have more out-of-class time to prepare, they will be unable to fully help a class of over 30 students. Someone will be overlooked.
The bill ensures there will be no professional autonomy: students learn what the government dictates, not what the teachers think is appropriate or what students need. There is no more protection from unfair hiring or firing practices.
It also legislates the “cooling off period,” which effectively forces teachers back to work. Once the negotiations start again, the teacher’s bargaining power will be limited and narrowed.
To put it bluntly, Bill 22 is garbage: complete bullshit. The BC government is pushing to legislate, rather than negotiate. These negotiations consist of the BCTF bringing forth issues and are met with proposals for huge strips in the contract. When the BCTF does not agree, the government paints them as greedy, selfish and stubborn. Damn right they’re stubborn – but for the right reasons. “The BCTF has a proud history of standing up to bullies.” Susan Lambert explained. We’ve got people complaining that BCTF thinks that it is above other union’s, that they should step back and wait with the other unions waiting for the government to fulfill their needs.
I think the government will only give you more than they want to give you when you take steps like the BCTF. When you’re aggressive, you get what you want. Unions like CUPE are pushovers compared to BCTF. The BC government can afford to give their MLAs a 29 per cent salary increase, but essentially cut back on funding to schools by just leaving it – the funding will then not match inflation. The Liberals have the money to fund what they want.
BCTF is one of the strongest unions in the province. They’re our bulldog friend that doesn’t back down. The Liberals would love to break them and gain control of the education system.
“The Bill that was tabled on the legislature on Tuesday was such a sign of appalling disrespect for the profession of teaching in this province, for the students of this province, and for public education in BC,” Lambert said.
That’s exactly what it comes down to: respect of professionals. Teachers have five, six, seven years of university education. They are thoroughly trained. But the government is looking to control how they teach, who they teach, what they teach – as if the government knows better than these professionals. It’s absurd. The government is messing around with the wrong crowd: don’t cut back on the future generation’s minds. It’s extremely short-sighted.
“There is a breathtaking arrogance to this government’s announcements,” Lambert said. I like her style: why should the government speak down to the teachers, and their “essential service?” Thank God we have a union like this backing up the well-being of the education system. When Bill 22 comes, I hope our powerhouse of a union stands up to this bullying, intimidating government. I hope they keep butting heads hard with the government, even though the media’s twisted portrayal of what the BCTF is fighting for is completely screwed up. Let’s figure these things out with a backbone and support the teachers.
