Labour negotiations often involve a great deal of theatre, drama manufactured during the give-and-take struggle to obtain the best possible deal for workers and for employers.
In the current round of discussions between the B.C. Teachers' Federation, the B.C. Public School Employers' Association and the provincial government, the teachers' union has asked for a large increase in pay, as well as other benefits. B.C.'s finance ministry has costed out the union's proposal at $3 billion.
The union has countered by stating in a bulletin that a one per cent increase in salary costs $20 million. "So even if teachers were paid a 24 per cent increase in the first year, it wouldn't equal half a billion dollars."
The two sides are far apart in more than their analysis of how much the teachers' demands will cost over the length of the contract.
This spring B.C. residents witnessed an unprecedented number of public sector contracts negotiated without labour disruption. The government used windfall revenues it received last year due to high commodity prices to offer signing bonuses to employees.
The catch? The 75 bargaining units representing 240,000 workers had to sign before the end of the 2005/06 fiscal year.
The teachers were exempt from the deadline since their contract - imposed by the government last fall after a two-week illegal strike - is up at the end of the month. The highest settlement in the 55 separate agreements reached before the end of March was 14 per cent for nurses.
The association bargaining for B.C.'s school boards has signalled its willingness to move from its initial eight per cent increase offer, but so far the union hasn't signalled any flexibility.
Theatre aside, if the union doesn't reach an agreement by the June 30 deadline, the $3,700 signing bonus available to each teacher comes off the table.
Despite the more than 85 per cent vote to strike in September, most teachers want to be back in the classroom in the fall, not out on the street striking for less money than is available now.
Hopefully, that message is getting through to union leaders along with the results of the strike vote.
