In a statement sent to members, BC Federation of Teachers president Clint Johnston said the agreement was reached after more than 50 days of negotiations and the union executive is recommending its members ratify the contract.
Johnston said he’s proud the group was able to secure a tentative agreement that will have significant pay and other gains for teachers.
“If ratified, this agreement will take us from nearly the lowest paid teachers in Canada to the top tier. I am deeply grateful to the team members who have worked so hard to get us to this point,” said Johnston.
The statement sent Sunday said annual pay for teachers at the top of the pay scale will be $10,000 to $13,500 more annually than it is now by the third year.
“For the first time, experienced BC teachers they will exceed the $100,000 per year mark, putting you much closer to or even above teachers in places like Calgary and Toronto,” he said.
By the end of the three-year term, Johnston said, the new members’ annual salary will be about $6,000 to $8,500 a year higher than it is now, depending on their placement and category in the network.
Other improvements in the deal include 10 extra minutes of preparation time for elementary teachers, improvements to health and maternity benefits and a provincial minimum standard for professional development funding, the statement said.
Covering Canada’s best-paid teachers has been a priority for the federation for years, and the gains, if ratified, will help address recruitment and retention challenges, the statement said.
The BC Public School Employers Association, which is negotiating on behalf of the provincial government, said the agreement was reached Friday.
The union said the agreement follows the provincial joint recovery mandate, which sets out specific wage increases, including inflation protection, while ensuring the government has the resources to protect services and support the economic recovery.
The mandate promises a flat wage increase of 25 cents an hour plus 3.24 percent in the first year, a 5.5 percent wage increase in the second year and a two percent increase in the third year. The last two years also include potential cost-of-living adjustments.
The union said there have been challenges and frustrations in negotiating teacher workloads, but the bargaining team believes the deal is the best that could be reached.
“Personally, I do not believe that any form of job action would result in significant changes to the workload at this time,” Johnston said in the statement.
A ratification vote will be held by each local union between November 16 and 18.