Susan Lambert is facing a surprise challenge for the presidency of the B.C. Teachers' Federation (BCTF) from another member of the union executive.

Rick Guenther, an Abbotsford teacher who has been an independent executive member for four years, announced Friday he will run against Lambert for the top job when the union holds its annual general meeting in March. BCTF presidents are elected for one-year terms.

Guenther, a former president of the Abbotsford Teachers' Association and a teacher on call, is associated with a more conservative faction of the union than Lambert. He topped the polls in 2010 when he was re-elected for a second term as a member-at large and received cheers - as did Lambert - when he announced his candidacy during a weekend meeting of union representatives in Richmond.

While it's not unusual for a BCTF president to face a challenger, the timing is unexpected given that the BCTF is in the midst of a difficult round of bargaining and at a crucial juncture in its battle against 10-year-old legislation that stripped it of its right to bargain class size, class composition and specialist-teacher ratios. Teachers say that change has resulted in a steady deterioration of their working conditions and students' learning conditions.

In April, B.C. Supreme Court ruled that the legislation - known as Bills 27 and 27 - violated teachers' constitutional rights and gave government a year to remedy the situation. Although negotiations have occurred, there has been little progress and some are speculating that government will impose a settlement during the spring sitting of the legislature.

Bargaining for a new contract has also been underway for almost a year but there has been no progress, despite a limited job action by teachers. The union wants a 15 per cent wage hike over three years plus improved benefits, but the government insists teachers - like other public-sector employees - are bound by its net-zero mandate, which stipulates no new costs in a two-year deal.

Lambert was acclaimed president in 2010, after Irene Lanzinger stepped down following three uncontested years at the helm. She had followed Jinny Sims, who was president when the BCTF staged a 10-day illegal strike in 2005 and is now an NDP MP.