Five more school districts and more than 2,800 support staff workers have recently ratified new agreements under the B.C. government’s 2014 Economic Stability Mandate.

The five school districts are:

• SD 23 (Central Okanagan) - 1,367 support staff workers (CUPE Local 3523)
• SD 68 (Nanaimo-Ladysmith) - 846 support staff workers (CUPE Local 606)
• SD 79 (Cowichan Valley) - 143 support staff workers (USW 1-1937)
• SD 82 (Coast Mountains) - 436 support staff workers (CUPE Local 2052)
• SD 92 (Nisga’a) -72 support staff workers (CUPE Local 2298)

To date more than 9,700 support staff workers in 21 school districts have fully ratified agreements in place. The remaining districts are working to ratify agreements by November.

Within 30 days of ratification of a new collective agreement by a board of education, the local union and BCPSEA, the board will reimburse each employee for all scheduled hours that the employee and has not otherwise been paid during the BCTF strike.

The term of the new agreement for each district is from July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2019. It provides for a modest 5.5% wage increase over the five years of the term, with potential for additional increases if the B.C. economy exceeds the annual forecasts set by the Economic Forecast Council during the last four years of the agreement.

The government’s Economic Stability Mandate provides public-sector employers the ability to negotiate longer-term agreements within a fixed fiscal envelope, and offers employees an opportunity to participate in the province’s economic growth through the Economic Stability Dividend. Settlements are expected to be unique and to reflect priorities negotiated to ensure labour stability and affordable service delivery throughout B.C.

Media Contacts:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Education
250 356-5963

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Finance
250 213-8065

BACKGROUNDER 2014

Economic Stability Mandate - Key Facts

• Currently, there are more than 150,000 public-sector employees covered by tentative or ratified agreements under the Economic Stability Mandate. This represents about half of all unionized public-sector employees in B.C.
• If the province’s real GDP growth exceeds forecasts over the term of the agreement, the agreement provides for the sharing of some benefits of that growth with the public-sector employees who work on behalf of British Columbians and help make that growth possible.
• Under this proposal, employees would receive a conditional, incremental wage increase equal to half of any percentage-point gain in real GDP growth above the Economic Forecast Council’s forecast published in the February Budgets.
• For example, if actual real GDP growth is one percentage point above forecast real GDP growth, then a 0.5% wage increase would result, beyond whatever wage increase had been negotiated in the contract.

An up-to-date listing of tentative and ratified agreements under the Economic Stability Mandate is available at:  http://www.fin.gov.bc.ca/psec/

Media Contacts:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Education
250 356-5963

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Finance
250 213-8065