All districts and unions representing education support staff that signed on under the provincial framework agreement negotiated this summer now have ratified agreements in place.

The final seven districts and nearly 3,500 support staff workers recently ratified agreements under the B.C. government’s 2014 Economic Stability Mandate.

The seven school districts are:

• SD 08 (Kootenay Lake) - 409 support staff workers (CUPE Local 409)
• SD 39 (Vancouver) - 177 support staff workers (Vancouver Trades Council)
• SD 43 (Coquitlam) - 1,526 support staff workers (CUPE Local 561)
• SD 46 (Sunshine Coast) - 228 support staff workers (CUPE Local 801)
• SD 49 (Central Coast) - 56 support staff workers (Non-Teaching Staff Association)
• SD 59 (Peace River South) - 200 support staff workers (Teamsters Local 31)
• SD 61 (Greater Victoria) - 893 support staff workers (CUPE Local 947)

This means more than 33,000 support staff workers - or approximately 97% of the total support staff workers in B.C. - have fully ratified agreements in place. Teamsters Local 31, the only local who opted not to sign on to the provincial framework agreement, has not yet reached an agreement with SD 34 (Abbotsford).

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 approximately 200,000 public-sector employees covered by tentative or ratified agreements under the Economic Stability Mandate. This represents about two-thirds 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