Nine more school districts and more than 2,700 support staff workers have recently ratified new agreements under the B.C. government’s 2014 Economic Stability Mandate.

The nine school districts are:

• SD 10 (Arrow Lake) - 70 support staff workers (CUPE Local 2450)
• SD 22 (Vernon) - 503 support staff workers (CUPE Local 5523)
• SD 40 (New Westminster) - 449 support staff workers (CUPE Local 409)
• SD 50 (Haida Gwaii) - 115 support staff workers (CUPE Local 2020)
• SD 59 (Peace River South) - 89 support staff workers (CUPE Local 4992)
• SD 63 (Saanich) -  553 support staff workers (CUPE Local 441)
• SD 64 (Gulf Islands) - 182 support staff workers (CUPE Local 788)
• SD 75 (Mission) -  414 support staff workers (CUPE Local 593)
• SD 79 (Cowichan Valley) - 414 support staff workers (CUPE Local 5101)

To date almost 12,500 support staff workers in 30 school districts have fully ratified agreements in place. This represents approximately 36% of the total support staff workers in B.C. school districts. 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 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.

A backgrounder follows.

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