SURREY — CUPE 728, the largest K-12 local in British Columbia, reached a tentative agreement after a marathon bargaining session ending at 4 am today.

CUPE 728 President Marcey Campbell praised the bargaining team for their dedication and hard work since early March when bargaining began. She noted that opening each session with an acknowledgement of First Nations territory was a positive feature of bargaining, as was updating contract language to be gender-neutral.

“I’m honoured by the hard work and long hours our committee put in,” said Campbell. “Their professionalism and creativity went a long way towards reaching a settlement that included no concessions.”

“I’m very proud of the gains we were able to make for all of our members, but especially for precarious workers,” added Randy Anderson-Fennell, CUPE 728 bargaining Chair.

The provincial framework agreement (PFA) approved by the K-12 Presidents Council in September forms part of the tentative agreement. The current K-12 agreement expires on June 30, 2019. When ratified by CUPE locals and school districts, the provincial agreement will be in effect from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2022.

Further details of the tentative agreement will not be available until after ratification by all parties. Ratification is expected to be completed by the end of June.

CUPE 728 represents more than 4,000 support workers in B.C.’s largest and fastest growing school district, SD36. Members include education assistants, bus drivers, clerical, caretakers, maintenance, and trades.

Mutual respect at the bargaining table and a marathon session lasting until 3 am culminated in a tentative agreement for CUPE 2450 K-12 support workers on June 6. CUPE Local 2450 and School District 10 began bargaining in May.

“Bargaining was really positive,” said CUPE 2450 bargaining Chair Kim Reich. “We certainly had our agenda and we were able to attain some good gains for members, without any concessions.”

CUPE 2450 President Andy Cruden praised the “involved and focused” bargaining team and Chair Kim Reich for their preparation and hard work. “The whole crew gave everything they could,” said Cruden.

Reich noted that funds for local tables negotiated last July as part of the provincial framework agreement (PFA), helped the bargaining process.

The K-12 PFA was approved by the K-12 Presidents Council in September and forms part of the tentative agreement. The current K-12 agreement expires on June 30, 2019. When ratified by CUPE locals and school districts, the provincial agreement will be in effect from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2022.

Further details of the tentative agreement will not be available until after ratification by all parties, expected to be completed by the end of June.

CUPE 2450 represents 69 K-12 support workers in Burton, Edgewood, Nakusp and New Denver in SD10. Members include Education Assistants, Bus Drivers, Clerical, Custodians, Trades and Strong Start workers who provide services to assist students in the Arrow Lakes district.

COURTENAY — Early Years and K-12 members of CUPE 439, reached a tentative agreement with School District #71 last week.

According to CUPE 439 President Denise Bullock, it was a productive and energetic round of bargaining. She noted that working collaboratively in a culture of relating to each other as human beings instead of “us vs them” made a big difference. The local’s bargaining committee has been together since last year and the tentative agreement was reached after six bargaining sessions.

“Although under enormous stress with the weight of the membership on our shoulders, our bargaining committee is confident that we achieved the best agreement we could,” said Bullock. “With the gains we’ve made, we hope our members will feel more respected and valued.”

The provincial framework agreement (PFA) approved by the K-12 Presidents Council in September forms part of the tentative agreement. The current K-12 agreement expires on June 30, 2019. When ratified by CUPE locals and school districts, the provincial agreement will be in effect from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2022.

Further details of the tentative agreement will not be available until after ratification by all parties. Ratification is expected to be completed by the end of June.

CUPE 439 represents just under 600 Early Years and K-12 workers in the Comox Valley including Trades, IT, Custodians, Library Clerks, Education Assistants, Program Workers, Support Workers, Administrative Assistants, and Distributed Learning Clerks.

K-12 support workers, members of CUPE Local 15, reached a tentative agreement with the Vancouver School Board yesterday, after five months of bargaining.

“Both bargaining teams worked well together and recognized the needs and concerns of our members,” said CUPE 15 President Warren Williams.

Staff representative for CUPE 15 and lead negotiator Kathie Currie noted that a full and comprehensive review of the current collective agreement was carried out as well as ongoing issues addressed. The two bargaining committees met a total of 9 times prior to reaching a tentative agreement.

“After 20 years, we finally had the opportunity to bargain collectively, with fewer restraints,” said Currie. “Both parties worked together amicably to achieve gains for our members in areas we were unable to make any headway previously.”

The provincial framework agreement (PFA) approved by the K-12 Presidents Council in September forms part of the tentative agreement. The current K-12 agreement expires on June 30, 2019. When ratified by CUPE locals and school districts, the provincial agreement will be in effect from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2022.

Further details of the tentative agreement will not be available until after ratification by all parties. Ratification is expected to be completed by the end of June.

CUPE 15 represents more than 2,000 K-12 support workers in Vancouver including Education Assistants, Indigenous Support Workers, Clerical, and IT who provide services to assist students in over 100 schools throughout Vancouver.

K-12 support workers, members of CUPE 379, reached a tentative agreement with School District 41 in Burnaby in May, after three months of bargaining.

CUPE 379 President Paul Simpson noted that bargaining before the current collective agreement expired did not lessen the seriousness or work to reach a new tentative agreement.

“This was a tough round of bargaining,” said Simpson. “Our members needed to attain some of the gains that mattered to them the most – to enable them to help all students, including those most vulnerable, succeed.”

The provincial framework agreement (PFA) approved by the K-12 Presidents Council in September forms part of the tentative agreement. The current K-12 agreement expires on June 30, 2019. When ratified by CUPE locals and school districts, the provincial agreement will be in effect from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2022.

Further details of the tentative agreement will not be available until after ratification by all parties. Ratification is expected to be completed by the end of June.