The British Columbia Public School Employers' Association board of directors has ratified two-year collective agreements for support staff in seven school districts under the government's 2010 net-zero mandate, bringing the total to 31 ratified agreements covering approximately 13,600 employees.
The collective agreements were reached through collaborative discussions between the BCPSEA, the accredited bargaining agent for the province's 60 public boards of education and union bargaining teams representing K-to-12 support staff in December 2011. The agreements have been ratified at the local level and will continue to be announced as they receive final ratification by the BCPSEA board over the next few weeks.
The seven most recent settlements under the provincial Framework Agreement cover approximately 3,300 employees working in school districts in British Columbia, including School District 78's (Fraser Cascade) Construction Maintenance and Allied Workers.
The provincial government made the announcement of the agreements, saying it "has been clear that there is no new money to fund wage increases and won't download those costs onto families or future generations."