Final ratification of new agreements for education support staff
By Contributor
The Kootenay Lake School District union representing education support staff joined the rest of the province to ratify provincial framework agreements.
The final seven districts and nearly 3,500 support staff workers recently
ratified agreements under the B.C. government’s 2014 Economic Stability
Mandate.
The seven school districts are:
* SD 08 (Kootenay Lake) – 409 support staff workers (CUPE Local 409)
* SD 39 (Vancouver) – 177 support staff workers (Vancouver Trades Council)
* SD 43 (Coquitlam) – 1,526 support staff workers (CUPE Local 561)
* SD 46 (Sunshine Coast) – 228 support staff workers (CUPE Local 801)
* SD 49 (Central Coast) – 56 support staff workers (Non-Teaching Staff
Association)
* SD 59 (Peace River South) – 200 support staff workers (Teamsters Local
31)
* SD 61 (Greater Victoria) – 893 support staff workers (CUPE Local 947)
This means more than 33,000 support staff workers – or approximately 97%
of the total support staff workers in B.C. – have fully ratified
agreements in place. Teamsters Local 31, the only local who opted not to
sign on to the provincial framework agreement, has not yet reached an
agreement with SD 34 (Abbotsford).
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.
