The K-12 provincial bargaining committee met with their counterparts from the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association this week to begin negotiations for a new Provincial Framework Agreement.
Talks began with your provincial bargaining committee tabling a comprehensive set of proposals. With guidance from K-12 locals and the provincial bargaining survey, the union’s proposals covered a wide array of issues, with focus on four key areas. They include fair wages, increased hours, securing public child care work for our members, and addressing violence experienced by school support workers.
This first bargaining session – a 3-day meeting in Burnaby – was positive and cordial. Your bargaining committee voiced a commitment to working cooperatively with public school employers in strengthening B.C. public schools. Your committee was clear with BCPSEA: school support workers need better support to keep providing the services BC students depend on and deserve. These workers also deserve to earn a fair wage to live in the communities they serve.
The bargaining committees are scheduled to meet again in May and June. The K-12 bargaining committee will be sending out regular bulletins as negotiations progress. Watch for them at bcschools.cupe.ca, our Facebook page @cupek12bc, and directly from your local.
Learn more about the K-12 sector bargaining process in B.C.
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