SD 20 Kootenay/Columbia support staff ratifies agreement
By Contributor
Nine more school districts, including School District 20 Kootenay/Columbia and Southeast/Kootenay, recently ratified new agreements under the B.C. government’s 2014 Economic Stability Mandate.
To date more than 29,000 support staff workers in 55 school districts have fully ratified agreements in place. This represents about 87% of the total support staff workers in B.C. school districts. The remaining districts are working to ratify agreements by November.
Within 30 days of ratification of a new collective agreement by a board of education, the local union and BCPSEA, the board will reimburse each employee for all scheduled hours that the employee and has not otherwise been paid during the BCTF strike.
The term of the new agreement for each district is from July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2019. It provides for a modest 5.5% wage increase over the five years of the term, with potential for additional increases if the B.C. economy exceeds the annual forecasts set by the Economic Forecast Council during the last four years of the agreement.
The government’s Economic Stability Mandate provides public-sector employers the ability to negotiate longer-term agreements within a fixed fiscal envelope, and offers employees an opportunity to participate in the province’s economic growth through the Economic Stability Dividend. Settlements are expected to be unique and to reflect priorities negotiated to ensure labour stability and affordable service delivery throughout B.C.
The nine school districts are:
- SD 05 (Southeast Kootenay) – 336 support staff workers (CUPE Local 4165)
- SD 20 (Kootenay-Columbia) – 216 support staff workers (CUPE Local 1285)
- SD 27 (Cariboo-Chilcotin) – 488 support staff workers (IUOE 959)
- SD 35 (Langley) – 754 support staff workers (CUPE Local 1260)
- SD 35 (Langley) – 224 support staff workers (CUPE Local 1851)
- SD 44 (North Vancouver) – 914 support staff workers (CUPE Local 389)
- SD 48 (Sea To Sky) – 239 support staff workers (CUPE Local 779)
- SD 69 (Qualicum) – 277 support staff workers (CUPE Local 3570)
- SD 78 (Fraser-Cascade) – 154 support staff workers (CMAW 2423)
- SD 91 (Nechako Lakes) – 474 support staff workers (CUPE Local 4177)
