Today is the last day School District 57 teachers can vote as the B.C. Teachers' Federation seeks a mandate for a full-scale province-wide strike.
The ballot boxes will be sent to the Prince George and District Teachers' Association before 4 p.m. and counted, with the results sent to the federation's head office before 8 p.m. The approximately 1,000 teachers in the district were also able to vote last Friday and Monday.
"Usually in Prince George we have a good turnout because it's at the school sites," said Tina Cousins, the president of the association. "We, last time, had over 700 people vote, so I'm predicting we'll have the same amount."
If the vote is affirmative, the teachers could be out as soon as next Monday, with the school year set to end on June 27. Teachers in School District 57 will already be on the picket line this Friday as part of the rotating strikes. One of the items the teachers are considering while voting is the amount of money in the federation's strike fund.
"Understandably with 41,000 members, the well is going dry, which is always a concern for members anytime [they] aren't getting paid," Cousins said. "We know there are going to be sacrifices that we need to make."
While Cousins said the members will vote the way they feel, the labour dispute's more than just about the strike pay.
"We are feeling backed into a locked out corner," she said. "We feel we need to stand up for public education and it's bigger than field trips and bigger than money."
The province is offering an increase of 7.3 per cent over six years, while the federation wants mandated class sizes and an increase of 9.75 per cent over four years plus a cost of living allowance, bringing the increase closer to 12 per cent. Both sides have expressed a desire to have a deal by the end of the month.
Brian Pepper, School District 57's superintendent, said the district was making plans in case of a full-scale strike, but until it actually receives direction from the provincial government and knows for sure what the teachers are doing, it couldn't reveal them to the public.
"We know that we're going to receive some direction and so we're waiting at this point," he said.
The province, in a media release, said for students from Kindergarten through to Grade 9, the schools would be closed in the event of a full-scale strike, but they would be receiving final report cards. For students in Grades 10 to 12, the schools would only be opened for the 15 provincial final exams.
The province has applied to the Labour Relations Board to have exam preparation, supervision and marking, as well as the submission of final grades, declared an essential service. Cousins said at this point, the association would wait for the board to make its ruling before commenting, but added the lockout that prevents teachers from working more than 45 minutes before or after school hours doesn't give enough time for teachers to prepare their report cards.
