Teachers voted for a second day Tuesday to determine whether they support a union action plan to continue protesting Bill 22 legislation.
The yes or no decision of the province's 41,000 teachers won't change Matt Pearce's perception of the mood of Prince George teachers. Teachers are no longer in a legal position to strike, but they can withhold voluntary services.
"This vote will [determine] what kind of action we're going to take if the government goes ahead with the Bill 22 fake mediation," said Pearce. "They include things we're going to be doing teacher-by-teacher, and on a united basis, and long-term things we're going to do leading up to next year's election.
"Our local members have already made a decision that they will withdraw from extracurricular voluntary activities, not just for the next two-and-a-bit months but for the next school year. Around grad, you'll see greatly-reduced teacher preparation."
Graduation ceremonies won't be cancelled, Pearce said, because school counsellors are paid to organize those services, but he predicted school sports will suffer in the absence of teacher volunteer coaches. The Grade 8 boys basketball season started two weeks late, with no teacher involvement, and the rugby and track and field seasons will also be affected.
"That was already decided by our membership and this week's vote [which concludes today] would expand that provincewide," said Pearce. "I think you'll see a big effect in the fall, when the majority of the coaches for volleyball and football are teachers, and you'll see greatly-reduced participation there."
The action plan being voted on this week, if passed, would allow union locals in the B.C. Teachers' Federation, to make their own decisions on formulating individual and collective protests, provided they are not illegal. Teachers and the BCTF are subject to hefty fines under Bill 22 if they decide to withhold their mandated duties.
A hearing continued Tuesday in Vancouver at the B.C. Labour Relations Board to determine if teachers should be ordered to release second-term report cards. The BC Public School Employers' Association is concerned there might be some parents unaware some students are at risk of failing their courses because there have been no formal reports on student progress issued this school year.
"You'll get the June year-end, the last of the three, and it must be a written formal one at the end of the year and we intend to do that," said Pearce.
Teachers refused to fill out report cards as part of their job action that started in September and ended in March, when the government enacted the Bill 22 legislation. In protest, teachers walked off the job for three days in March, shutting down classrooms.
