The very fact that we believed that we could garner a fair ruling from the Labour Relations Board chaired by Brent Mullin, Liberal appointee and recently reappointed by Christy Clark herself, is a true testament to teachers’ optimism and our unwavering belief in fairness in government. Appointed in 2002 by the same government that stripped our collective agreement, Mullin’s leadership at the LRB has resulted in a (i) systematic reduction in the bargaining power of workers and has excluded them from unionization, (ii) an increasingly isolated LRB that has been marked by political interference, and (iii) a significant undermining of its democratic possesses as community members representing labour have been eliminated from the Board. It is important to note that BC is now the only jurisdiction in North America that does not have representatives from labour on its Labour Relations Board. (search Brent Mullin LRB, there is plenty in terms of the recent LRB bias) Mullin himself is known for his political partisanship that puts employer interests ahead of the interests of workers and has at times controversially sat as a single person reconsideration panel to overturn decisions of Vice-Chairs in favour of business. During our job action of 2011, Mullin was uncensored in his criticism of our Phase One and vowed to never again allow it as ‘it applied disproportionate pressure on the employer.’ While the decision was in fact rendered by Vice Chair Richard Longpre, given the length of time taken to reach the decision, it is clear that Longpre conferred with the Chair in his deliberation. While the BCTF is undoubtedly aware of the above, BC teachers have no choice but to operate within the structures that presently exist. Colleagues, I urge you to stay the course. There is no doubt that this fight is an uphill battle but all battles that are worth fighting, as this one undoubtedly is, often are. Know that you are on the right side of a principled stance that vows to advocate for the rights of the most disadvantaged in our society, that stands committed to a fully-funded and accessible education system, and that remains unapologetic in its demands for a reasonable wage increase that better reflects the importance of our work and the reality of our lives. I will be voting a resounding ‘yes’ on Monday and I urge you to do the same. I will be voting ‘yes’ because I have children in this system who strive to learn but must compete with too many of their peers to appeal to an already over-burdened teacher. I will be voting ‘yes’ because I was one of those kids who was impacted by a teacher who believed in me and my potential when there were so few who did. I will be voting ‘yes’ because I am a teacher who feels the burden of under-funding, lack of prep-time, and over-crowded classrooms daily as I struggle to reach the students that are most vulnerable. I will be voting ‘yes’ because I am a professional who despite having three degrees will never be able to afford a house in the city, who has not taken a family holiday in the last two decades, and who is still paying off student loans after over a decade in my chosen profession. I will be voting ‘yes’ because my union has advocated for me when I have taken sick leaves and when my children have been hospitalized, because it has defended my rights to be both a mother and a teacher, and because it has protected my professional autonomy at all cost and has allowed me to own my craft. Finally, I will be voting ‘yes’ because nothing was ever achieved without people rising up in solidarity, refusing to accept the conditions imposed upon them, and having the courage to defy the status quo. Colleagues, I am proud to be fighting this battle with you and I cannot help but be optimistic for its outcome.
Posted on: Fri, 06 Jun 2014 01:07:55 +0000
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