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OAK BAYNEWS
EDITORIAL
Wednesday, September 4, 2013 - OAK
BAY NEWS
Penny Sakamoto Group Publisher Kevin Laird Editorial Director Laura Lavin Editor Oliver Sommer Advertising Director
The OAK BAY NEWS is published by Black Press Ltd. | 818 Broughton St., Victoria, B.C. V8W 1E4 | Phone: 250-480-3239 • Fax: 250-386-2624 • Web: www.vicnews.com
OUR VIEW
Another year, another dispute With all the busyness of the summer months now over, September is a great time to fall back into a routine. And the provincial government and unions representing teachers and school support staff appear to have their annual routines down pat by now. September, especially since their labour disputes seem to be never-ending in recent years, is when both sides of the bargaining table argue that the other party is uncooperative and doesn’t truly have students’ interests at heart. This annual back-and-forth of finger-pointing just tells us neither side truly believes it’s all about the children. Accusatory bargaining in a public forum does nothing to help the situation we’re faced with, a situation where the kids truly should be the priority. We agree with both sides when they say a deal needs to be reached soon. We agree when they both say that deal has to happen without disrupting students in the classroom. And we agree that education is essential to our kids’ futures, and is essential in growing our economy. But we can’t be teaching our kids to play nice and do good when we aren’t walking the talk ourselves. It’s the worst-kept secret that labour relations of any kind – essential service or not – are selfserving to some extent. The province and the teachers both need to quit pretending that they’re only fighting for the kids. They need to honestly acknowledge their differences and what they’re fighting for, and find a compromise that isn’t going to negatively impact the goings on in the classroom. Back-to-school season should be a happy, positive experience for everyone. That hasn’t been the case for many years now, and we need to get resolutions soon for the teachers’ and support staff’s contracts. Otherwise, we’re going to have yet another negative school year that could be severely impacted by two massive labour disputes. Let’s do this for the kids. What do you think? Give us your comments by e-mail: editor@oakbaynews.com or fax 250-386-2624. All letters must have a name and a telephone number for verification. The OAK BAY NEWS is a member of the British Columbia Press Council, a self-regulatory body governing the province’s newspaper industry. The council considers complaints from the public about the conduct of member newspapers. If talking with the editor or publisher does not resolve your complaint about coverage or story treatment, you may contact the B.C. Press Council. Your written concern, with documentation, should be sent to B.C. Press Council, 201 Selby St., Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 2R2. For information, phone 888-687-2213 or go to www.bcpresscouncil.org.
2009
Back-to-school labour woes country, has a sophisticated media Another school year dawns in B.C., with the prospect of disruptive campaign to generate public sympathy. We are repeatedly labour disputes. reminded not only that the First up are 27,000 last raise was 2009, but support staff, in a legal that the “average” pay is strike position. These a mere $24,000 a year. If are the teacher aides, that’s accurate, it reflects custodians, bus drivers a large number of partand crossing guards. timers. Most are members of Let’s look at a few the Canadian Union of provisions CUPE doesn’t Public Employees, with a talk about, on behalf few Teamsters and other of those self-employed locals scattered around taxpayers who have no the 60 school districts. Public discussion Tom Fletcher paid holidays, no employer B.C. Views pension or benefits and about these disputes no paid overtime, but are usually focuses on wage expected to help pay all of increases, which CUPE the above to government workers. members in schools haven’t seen The 60 contracts have many for four years. Their current deals variations, but core elements are expired more than a year ago, after the same. In the Central Okanagan they were subject to the same twoschool district, the starting CUPE year wage freeze imposed on the wage rate is $17.37 an hour. The rest of government. The B.C. government moved from top rate is $26.59, or $28.78 for workers who qualify for a “trades the post-recession wage freeze to adjustment.” a system they call “co-operative All contracts have rigid seniority gains,” where raises must be and “bumping” clauses to ensure financed by savings in other that new employees absorb any areas of the operation. Only two reductions in working hours. From a provincial employee groups have taxpayer’s perspective, this leads to yet to do this: school support staff the maximum number of employees and teachers. making the highest wages. (Education Minister Peter Overtime in Central Okanagan Fassbender confirmed last week is time and a half for the first two that teacher raises will be funded hours, and double time after that. by extra transfers from the Contracts also include the provision provincial treasury as they try to that unscheduled overtime is get a long-term deal. But that’s a subject to a four-hour minimum. It’s topic for another day.) amazing how often an unexpected CUPE, the largest union in the
hour of work can arise when it’s paid at quadruple time. The Surrey school district contract details how even “spare board” employees are to be enrolled in the municipal pension plan, a defined-benefit system most private-sector employees can only dream about. Then there are paid sick days. The Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation reports that the average B.C. private sector worker took 7.4 sick days last year. The public sector average was 12. The Surrey contract details the windfall of unused sick days that must be paid out to employees who retire as early as age 55. The maximum is 150 days, for a lavish perk only available to employees hired before July 1, 1996. Even so, we’ll be paying these bonuses out for years to come. It goes on and on. Six weeks’ paid vacation after 20 years, with an extra day added for every year after that. There are many little things, such as a $60 “swimsuit allowance” for teacher aides who take part in swimming instruction. This is not to devalue the work done by these people. It is to suggest that given the growing gap between public and private employment benefits, finding savings is reasonable. Tom Fletcher is legislative reporter and columnist for Black Press and BCLocalnews.com tfletcher@blackpress.ca
‘CUPE has a sophisticated media campaign to generate public sympathy.’