The union representing painters, carpenters, custodians and groundskeepers in the Greater Victoria school district is warning its members to brace for possible job action when students return to the classroom in September.
CUPE Local 382 president Gilles Larose said in a letter to his 225 members this week that they should consider setting aside money this summer to carry them through a labour disruption.
Larose noted that contract negotiations with government have stalled and that no further talks are scheduled.
He said the impasse, coupled with the uncertainty around provincial negotiations with teachers, has created a “double-edged sword.”
“We’re just making sure our members are aware that there is a possibility that there could be some job action — whether it’s from our side or whether it’s from the teachers — and that they need to save up their pennies,” Larose said in an interview.
CUPE represents 27,000 support staff, including education assistants, in 57 locals across the province. They have been without a contract for a year and without a raise since 2009.
The union is looking for wage increases of two per cent a year over a two-year deal.
“We’re not looking for extraordinary measures,” he said. “We just haven’t had a pay increase in four years.”
The government’s co-operative gains mandate requires that employers and unions find savings to pay for wage increases.
“As a sector in public education, up until this point, we have been unable to find the necessary savings that would result in a wage increase for employees,” said Alan Chell, who chairs the board of the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association.
“We recognize this has been a very important issue. The work that the support staff do is incredibly valuable in the school districts, and we want to come up with a positive solution here.”
Chell said the board discussed the issue at a meeting Thursday and continues to search for possible solutions.
The B.C. Teachers’ Federation, meanwhile, is expected to receive the results today of a vote by teachers on how to respond to the government’s push for a 10-year deal. The union executive has asked members to reject government interference in the bargaining process.
NDP education critic Rob Fleming said new Education Minister Peter Fassbender risks “bungling” the short-term agreements with support staff, while putting unrealistic expectations on negotiations with teachers.
“The minister’s so-called ‘road map’ on bargaining risks putting education stability for parents and kids into the ditch,” Fleming said.
