Not voting achieves absolutely nothing. So you are not making yourself seem intelligent by going with that strategy.

You are just going with the "It sucks either way, so I will let someone else choose who I bend over and take it up the ass from".

What happens afterwards is irrelevant in terms of morals (to me), at least I know I didn't vote for something I did not agree with in the first place. You can either submit before or after the election depending on whether you vote or not, I choose not to participate in the rat race. If I don't vote, at least I know that I did not make the decision to support whatever it is I'm against.

Of course it would make more sense if I told you that I didn't support how our government is structured in the first place.

This settlement was not a win for teachers, but was for the union; Iker and his crew got to be relevant while fighting for a "noble cause". I am disappointed that we were led into a predictably terrible financial situation (many of us predicted in June that we would be legislated back to work in late September or early October as a starvation tactic) by a government that wanted us to strike to save money. In the end we walk away with only slightly better classroom conditions, a big hole in our pockets, and an uphill battle to repair our tattered public image. I was ready to sign the deal in June but it's follow the leader and/or majority rules, so here we are.

Just over 65k after eight years. I'm not sure that any teachers would say that we don't get paid enough, but COLA increases are nice (and have nothing to do with seniority or performance) since life isn't getting any cheaper.

65k for 10 months is equivalent to ~$78k for 12 months, that's pretty good.

What you're supposed to do it go vote, but "spoil" your ballot. Not voting is being lazy, spoiling your ballot is voting "none of the above"

So how come teachers don't do anything about this?

I worked a long side a semi dysfunctional union for a good length of time, was probably about 3000 odd members. Even with only about 30 or 40 members behind their cause, a band of guys gained real traction and forced a few changes out of the union. They also rallied a lot of other people behind them pretty quick, in that situation had change within the union leaders not come about I'm pretty sure dissolution would've been a very real possibility.

So again, why don't teachers do anything about the union which represents them if they don't have faith in the union, or its leaders?

It's not 78k, it's 65k. I can't work for an extra 2 months for the same daily/weekly/monthly rate. I'm a teacher with no transferable skills, so my summer job isn't going to pay me like my teaching job (as my $14/hour job this summer proves ;)).

That's $65k in 2022 ... Roughly equivalent to $55k in today's money (using Bank of Canada's inflation calculator).

is it easy to get a position to teach summer school? what's the process and is it the same pay rate?

B.C. teachers' strike: Vote No says teacher Tara Ehrcke

B.C. teachers' strike: Vote No says teacher Tara Ehrcke - British Columbia - CBC News

Yes I know that, I did that to show what the equivalent is if you did work 12 months since the rest of us don't get 2 months off. Sure if you choose to work during that time off you may not make the same per hour as you do as a teacher but you knew that going into the job.

I'm going off of what acrophobia posted as his salary, not wherever you got it from.

you didn't answer my question.

do you support or detest the BCTF leadership?

i agree with everything you say, it was about the union, not the teachers. i hope the teacher revolt from their union and make their own

one thing that really bothers me as a (past) BC taxpayer.

politicians, police, firemen, teachers, are all civil servants. NONE of them should get anything more or less than an inflation pay raise for each level.

if i were a teacher, i don't think i'd be happy at 7.x% over 6 years, that's not going to keep up with inflation, yet crusty and her cronies are getting pretty much that per year.

you don't go into civil service to make $$$$$$, you do it for a number of reasons.

as a taxpayer, i'm livid about how much civil servants (read: politicians) take for themselves, disgusting

you should be even more upset at how much $$ the governing political party dole out to their party supporters.

"The teachers" weren't asking too much - their union was. No doubt, they were convinced when they voted to go to full job action, that they would receive all the lofty demands their executive were asking for. No doubt, they expected this would make up for the funds lost when their union led them down this path *with no war chest*.

If I were a teacher, I'd be pissed as fuck with my union.

Kids back in school on Monday.

Yep. 86% voted yes

i cant believe how many articles im reading with teachers quoted as saying "the government screwed us. we missed 5 weeks of wages and the deal doesn't even come close to paying that back" :rukidding:

they should strike for it :accepted:

oh fuck they made a huge mistake.

12 years of battle and accomplished absolutely nothing, in terms of class composition.

They'll be stuck with this BS contract for next 6 years.
Special needs kids will be left out, kids will be stuck with low attention from teachers, teachers will be stressed out because of high number of kids.

look at the news,

many teachers who voted yes are actually very unhappy with this deal.

it was due to public pressure and financial struggles.

teachers (for the most part) want to teach.

the union was the big fucktard here.

teachers need a new union. the BCTF is over as far as i'm concerned. but then again, my concern is irrelevant as i'm not a unionist or a teacher... or live in BC

^ I agree, IMO BCTF has shown itself to be full of people who don't give a shit about the people they're supposed to represent. The teachers need to make them more accountable or get rid of them and build a new union with teachers in it.

What are the credentials of the bctf leader? An ex teacher? I think it should be an ex teacher with 25-30 yrs teaching experience... Someone that truly understands the demands of teaching