Teachers vote 86 per cent in favour of full-scale strike

VANCOUVER — Teachers voted 86 per cent in favour of a full-scale strike Tuesday night, which means schools in B.C. could be closed as soon as next week.

B.C. Teachers’ Federation president Jim Iker said 72 hours’ strike notice is required for a full-scale walkout.

“That gives both sides a small, but important, window to reassess their positions,” Iker said, adding that the decision to escalate would be made soon.

He said 28,809 teachers voted yes, which is 86 per cent of 33,387 votes cast.

“This is one of the highest turnouts we’ve had in BCTF history,” Iker said. “With this vote, B.C. teachers have sent a very strong message to Christy Clark and her government; it’s time to negotiate in good faith, put new funding on the table, and reach a fair deal with teachers that also provides better support for students.”

In March, 89 per cent of the 29,301 teachers who voted gave their union a mandate for administrative job action and rotating strikes. The province has 41,000 teachers.

Education Minister Peter Fassbender said the results were not a surprise.

“I know teachers would prefer to be in their classrooms and I know that students and parents would rather finish this school year on a positive note. It is now up to the BCTF leadership to decide if they are going to move to a full walkout,” Fassbender said in a statement.

“The earliest a full strike could begin is next Monday – five days from now. It took five days of hard bargaining to get a framework agreement with school support staff. They did not need to strike to get a fair deal and neither do teachers.”

Both the BCTF and Fassbender said they want to reach a deal at the table, ideally before the end of June.

Iker gave two examples of classrooms that teachers provided to him. He said one Okanagan Grade 6-7 class of 30 students has five students with special needs ranging from autism to obsessive compulsive disorder.

He described a Vancouver class that has 25 students, including nine special needs students, with needs ranging from fetal alcohol syndrome to autism to English language learners.

“Those kids deserve so much more – all of our kids deserve so much more,” Iker said. “Teachers are doing the best they can, but it’s time to stop the cuts.”

Meanwhile, the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association issued a letter saying the lockout of teachers would not apply to summer school.

Teachers have been on rotating strikes, closing schools from each district for one day each week, since May 26.

Schools will be closed today in 22 districts, including most of the Lower Mainland, with further closures planned for Thursday and Friday.

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