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. He's virtually certain the message they've already sent to the provincial government will not change. Teachers are no longer in a legal position to strike, but they can and will 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 longterm 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 province-wide," 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.
