The illegal teachers’ strike continues. 600,000 students remain out of their classrooms. For the uninitiated, here’s some context.
BC’s Minister of Education, Shirley Bond, says teachers should report back to classrooms and end the illegal action. In short I think a minister of education would want what’s best for education, not government, but there she is: a woman who barely passed high school, and she represents a pro-authoritarian agenda.
It would be one thing if each side represented a certain reality and the two just couldn’t reconcile, but we have more than a billion dollars sitting in the bank and no one’s quite sure what to do with it. (And anyone who knee-jerks and says we should reduce taxes will just have to suck it up when we have to raise taxes again once the surplus is gone.)
No one can reasonably claim teachers are acting rashly. They have worked without a contract for over a year simply because, like the rest of us, they want our kids to get the education they deserve. They’re parents too, don’t forget. But how long can parents be expected to put up with woeful conditions they witness first hand? Would you stand by and watch your kid struggle?
And yet the government remains resolute in claiming two contradictory mandates: BC kids have a legal right to education; and that education should be cheap and substandard, in overcrowded classrooms with outdated resource materials.
Surely most of us can see the position in which this puts the teachers? The position in which we all are?
Judge Brenda Brown of the BC Supreme Court has ruled that the teachers union will not be fined for their action but neither will they receive strike pay. Nor can they receive financial support from third parties. She is saying, essentially, that though they are in contempt of court she is willing to allow them to show their resolve.
The conservative government will respond by letting them dangle, which says to me very loudly and in no uncertain terms precisely where they stand on the well-being of the children whose right to education they claim to defend.
We are in contempt of court and now we will receive no strike pay ( which isn’t enough to survive on in the first place ) and we will not receive the financial support offered from the many many unions who are supporting us. This is union breaking 101. We want what’s best for the kids and I’m scared that that’s never going to happen.
I should stop. Go back to shutting up and lurking. Just tired after another day’s picketing.
COMMENT:
I’m hoping the supportive organizations out there will find ways around the ruling, such as paying for child care for the teachers, providing lunches to the picketers, and that sort of thing.
Hopefully the gov’t will not take long to realize public opinion is not with them.
The BC Teachers wants support from the CUPE union and CUPE is expected to support them as a return of favour for the teachers supporting cupe during their last labour issues. Only difference is CUPE’s job action was legal, the teachers action is not.
They claim that “this is for the kids” yet they use the kids as pawns in there silly little games. Sure they’ve been planning and planning this bullshit for ages, but they spring it on the kids and parents at the last minute. So what if the parents have to scramble to find care for thier kids, pay for it or take time off to do it themselves. In fact, who cares if the parents and kids don’t even realize that this is happening. So lets picket the bus garages preventing CUPE employees from operating the buses. Even though some kids will still be dropped off at their rural bus route with no idea that the bus won’t be coming to get them.
2 years with out a raise sucks, but for f***s sake, stop waving at me and get back to work so I can go to work with out being fined by my union for crossing your lame ass picket line.
I commend the government for freezing the assests of the teachers union. If only the teachers union takes advantage and saves face by stopping this with out losing face.
First – thanks for not leaving your name. That suggests a certain lack of conviction, don’t you think?
Second – the government did not freeze the teachers federation assets. The court did. If the government had its way the teachers would have no assets to freeze.
Third – If anyone is using the children as pawns it’s the government. Pay attention. Teachers spend eight hours a day with your kids, plus an additional twenty hours a week in prep time. With all this time devoted to your kid don’t you think they are in a singularly qualified position to guage the quality of care these kids are getting? Who in the world do you think is more qualified? You?
Fourth – there is nothing last minute about the strike action. It’s been widely publicized along with very detailed examination of their justification. You can hardly blame the teachers or the government if you don’t pay attention to the newspapers, radio or television.
Fifth – you say one strike is okay because it’s legal but another isn’t because it isn’t? If it were suddenly declared illegal for anyone to strike for any reason would you still feel that way? I’m sure you’d agree that everyone deserves to work in humane and safe conditions but ensuring those conditions costs companies and the government a fortune. Do you think employers would bother if they didn’t have to? Seriously? Have you heard of third world labour? I seriously, and I do mean seriously, think you haven’t thought this through beyond its impact on you personally in the immediate. And that’s why the conservative, pro-business, anti-service, and short-sighted government is able to manipulate your opinion to apply pressure on the teachers federation.
Because you don’t care if your kids have to share ten year old text books in a classroom of thirty five so long as it doesn’t inconvenience your workday.
*hugs the mischiff*