[posted in Victoria Times Coloinist regarding column — Now is the day of our national disgrace by Geoff Johnson — http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/columnists/geoff-johnson-now-is-the-day-of-our-national-disgrace-1.1337335, Sept 02 '14. Below is my comment Sept 03]
#’s Count
From Geoff's column:
1 ½ million (500,000) children barred from BC public education because of teacher strike.
2 BCTF members got $4000 signing bonus 2006. All other civil servants got $3000. Did BCTF get extra through tough bargaining?
From other records:
3 Globe & Mail says: “Since teachers won the right to collective bargaining in 1987 there have been 52 strikes, a series of controversial legislation, bitter court battles and only a single new contract signed without the aid of strikes or legislation.” http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/history-of-bitterness-between-bcs-teachers-and-governments/article20285359/#dashboard/follows/)
4 Poor math till Vaughn Palmer figures 0+0+2=11: "Dix has rosy view of role in ’98 teachers deal. http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=8939e534-0a32-43c3-a59b-b63a8dc27e76
5 Court cases: How many judges does it take to settle an issue? The Griffin decisions were made by 1 judge (Griffin) — 2X. The Appeal Court will have 5 judges, Oct. 14-16. The Supreme Court of Canada will have 9 judges. Would you rather have one judge or 9 looking at a case?
6 How many years of turmoil have all governments of different stripes had with BCTF? Answer: 40+. See “Worlds Apart: BC Schools, Politics & Labour Relations Before & After 1972”, Thomas Fleming 2011, Bendall Bks.
7 What was Jim Iker upset about today besides Christy Clark’s request to stop the strike and go into mediation? "$40 day to parents." So, If it’s for day care, is that what public school is about? But, if it will be used for “tutoring or other educational opportunities” as Finance Minister de Jong hopes, then parents will just be seeking what the public schools were supposed to deliver, and parents are doing THEIR JOB by their children — ensuring that they get an education.
8 Are teachers poorly off? Of course, some are suffering at the moment, regrettably, due to no pay, but when employed they are in the top 10% of workers in Canada. “Canadian teachers are some of the best paid in the world, earning generous salaries for working nine months a year and retiring early with a generous pension indexed to inflation. Most
Canadians would be ecstatic at such good fortune but union culture always demands more no matter what.” (High times for the public sector, National Post, Aug 28, ’14 http://business.financialpost.com/2014/08/28/high-times-for-the-public-sector/
Yes, these 500,000 students and their parents are caught in a “disgraceful history” as Geoff Johnson, ex school superintendent concludes. “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
– Einstein (attributed)