IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 20, 2014

BC teachers to begin rotating strikes on Monday, May 26

As a result of the unwillingness of the provincial government and the BC Public School
Employers Association to offer any improvements to class size, class composition, and other
important learning conditions for students, as well as the employers unfair wage demands,
teachers will begin rotating strikes on Monday, May 26, 2014.

Last week, teachers were hopeful when they saw the government and BCPSEA put out an olive
branch by backing off the unrealistic 10-year term, said BC Teachers Federation President Jim
Iker. But the next day, hope that this government would start negotiating in good faith faded
when the employer announced a series of threats around wage rollbacks, lockouts, and attempts
to divide teachers, parents, and students.

BC teachers began low-level job action to put pressure on government and BCPSEA to bring
fair offers to the table. Unfortunately, the employer has steadfastly refused to table any
improvements to class size, class composition, and staffing levels for specialist teachers.
Teachers have twice won the right to negotiate our working conditions, which are also students
learning conditions, in BC Supreme Court. We expect government to bring new funding to the
table to make those improvements happen.

The rotating strikes will begin on Monday, May 26 and continue May 27, 28, and 29. All school
districts will be impacted on one of those days. All schools will be open on Friday, May 30. Any
extension of the rotating job action will depend on events at the bargaining table.

The rotating closures are part of a two-stage strike plan voted on by teachers in March. During
that vote, teachers gave their bargaining team an overwhelming mandate to begin low-level job
action and then move to rotating strikes if meaningful progress was not made in negotiations. In
all, 29,301 teachers cast ballots89% voted in favour of the two-stage job action plan.

Teachers do not take job action of any kind lightly, said Iker. As teachers, we care deeply
about our students and their education, but with another round of brutal cuts looming, we need to
act now. With BC funding education $1,000 per student less than the national average, British
Columbians must take a strong stand and convince Christy Clarks government to reinvest in our
students. It is time for government to make education a funding priority.

Teachers remain committed to reaching a fair deal at the negotiating table that respects our
work and provides better support for our students. If this government is serious about labour
peace they should offer teachers a fair deal and show some good faith. We will remain at the
bargaining table. There are six days left before the first schools shut down. I encourage Christy
Clark and Peter Fassbender to be in touch, move off their unreasonable demands, and empower
BCPSEA to negotiate a fair deal.





The planned schedule of school closures (by school district name) is as follows:

Monday, May 26
#5 - Southeast Kootenay
#6 - Rocky Mountain
#28 - Quesnel
#39 - Vancouver
#40 - New Westminster
#48 - Sea to Sky
#49 - Central Coast
#59 - Peace River South
#62 - Sooke
#67 - Okanagan Skaha
#72 - Campbell River
#74 - Gold Trail
#75 - Mission
#78 - Fraser-Cascade
#85 - Vancouver Island North
#87 - Stikine
Tuesday, May 27
#10 - Arrow Lakes
#19 - Revelstoke
#20 - Kootenay-Columbia
#23 - Central Okanagan
#27 - Cariboo-Chilcotin
#35 - Langley
#38 - Richmond
#42 - Maple Ridge
#52 - Prince Rupert
#54 - Bulkley Valley
#63 - Saanich
#68 - Nanaimo
#70 - Alberni
#81 - Fort Nelson
#83 - North Okanagan-Shuswap
Wednesday, May 28
#34 - Abbotsford
#37 - Delta
#43 - Coquitlam
#47 - Powell River
#50 - Haida Gwaii
#51 - Boundary
#53 - Okanagan Similkameen
#60 - Peace River North
#61 - Greater Victoria
#69 - Qualicum
#73 - Kamloops Thompson
#84 - Vancouver Island West
#91 - Nechako Lakes
#92 Nisgaa
Thursday May, 29
#8 - Kootenay Lake
#22 - Vernon
#33 - Chilliwack
#36 - Surrey
#41 - Burnaby
#44 - North Vancouver
#45 - West Vancouver
#46 - Sunshine Coast
#57 - Prince George
#58 - Nicola Similkameen
#64 - Gulf Islands
#71 - Comox
#79 - Cowichan Valley
#82 - Coast Mountains

School District #93 (Conseil Scolaire Francophone) schools will be closed with others in their
local communities throughout the week.

Learn more about the issues at http://aFairDeal.ca.

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For more information, contact Rich Overgaard, BCTF media relations officer, at 604-871-1881
(office) or 604-340-1959 (cell).

News Release May 20, 2014
RO:unifor/vt:lw:tfeu