Oh restless night... This is not a decision to come by lightly. And I understand anyone who votes either no or yes. Here are some of my thoughts early this morning: The deal sucks and is not worth the struggle we have been through. Not even close. HOWEVER... a no vote will not guarantee better. In fact, it is much more likely that it will mean worse, and not just in terms of a contract. -If the government actually negotiated, under the conditions WE set out when we nearly unanimously backed a binding arbitration (that had the major concession of tabling class size and composition until the matter is out of the courts), and WE say no... the government could argue in court that they tried to negotiate, but teachers were not willing and therefor they were forced to legislate us. They could argue that this has always been the case and they have never bargained in bad faith. We know this isnt true, but, it could be argued and this could hurt us in court. Right now, WE are the ones who have tried to negotiate and work through issues and the Gov has been unwilling and impeding. We know this is the truth, so lets keep it a clear truth. PS - At this point, the gov still looks bad. It is clear that they were the ones impeding any real negotiation. And no one believes their sudden miraculous finding of funds. They have been forced to show at least part of their hand and reveal their true colours. And it looks bad. They stumbled through this and took a major (and deserved) hit. Lets let them stay under the negative spotlight that they have put themselves under. - We know they want to create division within the union, and ideally to break the union. By voting down the deal that our union negotiated and recommended we ratify, it may look like our union is cracking from the inside. I think we are stronger together than ever, but this is what it will look like to others, including the government. -They will not offer us a better deal. We only asked for 1.6% increase in pay and got 1.2%... and were going to stay out for X more weeks to MAYBE see a .4% difference? And we know they will NOT negotiate class size and composition at this time. We pushed hard, but they wont back down. This is a gov that has spent MILLIONS fighting the order to restore funding for these issues, and tried very hard to get the court orders nullified by trying to force E80 on us... they arent suddenly going to wake up and do the right thing. This must play out in the courts first. ... Finally, I dont believe all is lost. For the first time (that I have known), the public has become aware of the realities in public education. We have opened our doors and our hearts like never before. (Which is why I post my thoughts here for all to see... while the decision weighs heavy on the shoulders of teachers, we are all a part of this together. We have shown that being open and honest is powerful and I dont want to start shutting people out now). And this increased awareness and understanding has begun to forge a bond; a team of citizens who are not only informed, but who are taking action to make changes happen. While some may wane a bit on this as they return to comfortable routine, a fire has been lit in many that will not be extinguished. We can continue to fight for public education (and other essential issues in this province/country) together. Keep sharing information and informing others about the issues. And maybe, just maybe, the citizens of this province will step up and take back their province. This could be the beginning of a movement; of a turning point in this provinces history. Keep the momentum going.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 12:12:40 +0000
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