The union representing education assistants and other inside support staff in the Greater Victoria school district remains without a contract heading into the new year.
Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 947 was one of just two union locals in the province to miss the deadline for ratifying a deal with employers.
Local 947 president Brad Hall expects to re-open negotiations next week once students and staff head back to the classroom.
If the union is unable to resolve its concerns, Hall said support staff could walk off the job later this month.
“We’re going to give ourselves two weeks to work out something and then, if all else fails, I think we’re aiming at the third week of January,” he said.
Hall said he plans to contact local trustees and CUPE B.C.’s presidents’ council Monday to see “if I can nudge anybody into a discussion.”
B.C.’s Ministry of Education remains optimistic that a deal can be reached without disrupting classes, spokesman Scott Sutherland said. “There is hope a solution will be found.”
CUPE B.C.’s bargaining team signed a tentative provincial deal in September and union locals were given until Dec. 20 to resolve any remaining issues with their school districts.
The provincial framework called for a staggered 3.5 per cent increase over two years.
Hall has said workers were bothered by changes to their benefits plan.
Under the proposed deal, school support staff receive a drug card that allows them to purchase medications rather than having to pay cash and get reimbursed later. In exchange, the employees agree to participate in a program that makes greater use of generic drugs and other cost-effective treatments.
Hall has said one consequence of that trade-off is that workers would lose coverage for some medications. His members, however, were never able to determine which drugs would be affected.
On Dec. 4, they rejected the deal by a vote of 137-61 with 198 of the union's approximately 800 members casting ballots.
“To me it’s always been an easy issue to resolve because it’s a non-cost item,” Hall said Friday. “We’re not asking for anything that costs money; we’re just asking to keep our current benefit package.”
