Wildcat strike urged by some B.C. teachers despite hefty fines
VANCOUVER - One faction of B.C.'s public school teachers is urging its union to stage an illegal strike in protest of recently passed education legislation that it argues prevents fair collective bargaining.
Tara Ehrcke (ER'-key), president of the Greater Victoria Teachers' Association, says several other union locals have voiced agreement as the B.C. Teachers' Federation debates next steps at its annual convention in Vancouver.
The union is barred from striking under the new legislation, and could be fined more than $1 million per day, but Ehrcke says teachers would only agree to return to work if the fines were waived.
She says other options to amp up the pressure include pulling voluntary extracurricular supervision, performing duties from bell-to-bell and even challenging the legislation in court.
About 700 union members will vote on the proposals when the convention closes tomorrow, after which a broader vote would be held by the province's 41,000 teachers.
B.C. Education Minister George Abbott says he hopes the union elects to take advantage of the new legislation, which will appoint a mediator who will work with both sides during this so-called "cooling-off" period.
