FEATURES The Walkout Making Sense of the BCTF's Actions By Kevin Welsh, Features Editor =e" Taking A Stand For Public To the casual observer, the recent actions of both the Liberal government and the British Columbia Teacher's Federation (BCTF) are baffling. The lengths both sides seem willing to go to spells trouble for many. The illegal strike has forced countless support staff out of work; parents are scrambling to make daycare arrangements and pay for it; and now there are rumblings of mass walkouts by unions across the province in support of our teachers. As well, the Liberals brazen refusal to negotiate, despite claims that our economy is booming, has set off warning bells for many unions. The issues at hand are complicated and numerous. Many people I've spoken with are angry with the BCTF over the walkout. Most consent that working and learn- ing conditions have taken a few steps backwards in recent years, but are also dismayed with the union for demanding a 15 percent raise over the next three years- especially in light of the fact that most other unions under the Liberals' reign have had to settle for zero rais- es. Still, the same people are also dismayed with the government for changing the rules of negotiation, and passing bills, such as Bill 12, which appear to be entirely self-serving. Our provincial government doesn't like a law, so they change it with ease, especially considering there is next to no opposition. This standoff is poised to go for a long time and threatens to get ugly, as both sides dig their heels in, point fingers, and call upon allies or resources. Currently, many people are being negatively affected by this action-but if either side makes good on some of their more ominous promises, this could easily turn into a situation that will ultimately affect everyone in British Columbia. With this in mind, I took the opportunity to inter- view a pair of teachers over this past week, and spoke with them in lengths about some of the key issues at hand. Teaching and learning conditions This is the issue where the BCTF is bound to find the most support from the public. For years, classrooms have become more crowded-and with special needs stu- dents integrated into the average classroom, many teachers have found themselves having to divide their time between students who need as much attention and instruction as possible and the rest of the class. Teachers are feeling as though they are being spread too thin to be effective. Colin McLean, a Hatzic Elementary (Mission) School teacher with a grade five and six split class, has 28 students in his class. Among the students, he has two autistic children (who do have Teaching Assistants), one English as a Second Language (ESL) student, and three who he claims realistically need full-time support to get by-something they're not getting now and are unlikely to receive in the future. “With one student, I just get him up and running and walk away, and hope he doesn't disrupt the class too much.” McLean knows of another teacher in the Mission School District with a class of 28 that includes one ESL student, two international students, two low-incident medical students (with conditions that effect their learning ability), two students with behavioural problems, three students that are receiving on-going coun- selling, and three more students that are awaiting evaluation. McLean added, “Our text books are all from the 1980s. I have enough for the grade fives. I have to make photocopies for the grade sixes-there's nothing for them. Over the past ten years, we've been fighting for class sizes and learning condi- tions, not money. We went on strike for two weeks to get that. Now, the Liberals have taken it away. I gave up two-weeks pay for nothing.” Linda Glencross, who has a grade four and five split class at Surrey's Simon Cunningham Elementary, has a “Right now, all we want is Just the right to negotiate...” opfeatures@gmail.com similar story. “I've got 24 students, I'm a little lucky that way. I've got three students with Attention Deficit Disorder, ten ESL students, one student with a learning disability, and two more that most likely do.” Glencross has no Teaching Assistants (TA) or Special Education Assistants (SEA) dedicated to her classroom. Justifying a 15-percent raise This is the issue where the BCTF loses the support of many. Nurses, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), and others have all recently been legislated back to work with no raises. Yet the BCTF is unwavering in their demands for a 15-percent raise over the next three years. In light of what their co-workers and other public employees providing essential services have received from the Liberals, how can the BCTF jus- tify such a relatively large pay hike? McLean answers, “Anyone accepting zero percent raise is really accepting a cut because the cost of living continues to increase, despite our economy. Just because other groups have accepted that I don't think we should have to. I'm not embarrassed in the least to ask for 15 percent.” When suggested that perhaps the money simply isn't there, McLean claims, “The BC government has report- ed a $2 billion surplus. They recently gave corporations a multi-million dollar tax break. The CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) settles for a nine or ten per- cent raise over three years, with $3,000 to $3,500 signing bonuses.” According to McLean, the last imposed contract for the BCTF called for a six-percent raise over three years, with the teachers receiving a two percent raise each year. “The government paid for the first year, then imposed the next two raises onto the individual school boards. In order to accommodate the teach- ers, the school boards were forced to cut back in other areas.” This is similar to a one percent raise that was offered to CUPE members, but that one percent would have come directly out of their medical benefits, something all unions would deem unaccept- able. “We're not about to start talking wage pack- ages in lieu of benefits,” McLean stated. As well, teachers still have to reach into their own wallets to provide many supplies for their students. “The amount I have to do and spend versus the amount that I have left over-I've still got a mortgage and bills, with the cost of living always going up I'm losing money.”