(With files from Brendan Pawliw-MyPGNow)
It’s official, BC teachers will be getting a substantial pay hike.
Last night (Wednesday), members of the BC Teachers Federation voted to ratify its agreement with the BC Public School Employers Association.
The vote was 94% in favour with 35,559 ballots cast.
The total number of eligible voters was 49,684.
On November 1st, both groups reached a tentative three-year contract.
In an earlier interview with Vista Radio, BCTF president Clint Johnston stated the new package would see experienced educators cross the 100-thousand-dollar-a-year threshold.
Under the new deal, this will leapfrog BC into the top tier of teacher salaries.
“It’s been a long time since we were among the lowest paid in the most expensive jurisdiction and it wasn’t viable. Hopefully, the new deal will keep us on pace with that cost of living increase on what we are seeing right now. We are very happy with the deal overall and glad to recommend it to members so that teachers can continue to work in the classroom and get a good deal.”
“I think that says everything. We’ve tried to get a good read on the membership and understand where they are at and we think this deal meets their needs and is good for them.” said Johnston.
For instance, annual pay for teachers on the high end of the salary grid will make $10,000 to $13,500 more per year according to Johnston.
New members, on the other hand, would earn about $6,000 to $8,500 more per year depending on their current role.
The new deal will also include other significant benefits.
The BCTF represents nearly 49,000 teachers who deliver education to students in the province’s 60 school districts.
That total includes around 250 teachers in the Quesnel School District and 340 in the Cariboo/Chilcotin School District.
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