Highlighting our power: Focusing on labour in our union magazine

2 hours ago

2 min read

By Kaitlyn Schafer (she/her), teacher-librarian and First Vice-President, Greater Victoria Teachers’ Association

It has only been a little over three years since I began my involvement with the union. Since then, I’ve learned that union work is so much more than the bread and butter of negotiating salary. Advocating for sick days for teachers teaching on call is important. Ensuring our contract rights are upheld is important. Sharing teaching experiences and successes with the union community is important. I also learned about the labour movement as a whole and the effects of social justice issues on our profession, which is also incredibly important.

I’ve learned that the only reason I will be able to get paid time-off if I have a child one day is because postal workers went on strike for 42 days in 1981 to fight for it. Their sacrifice has positively affected millions of people, including most of the children who I teach whose mothers were able to stay home with them when they were born.

I saw attacks on sexual orientation and gender identity resources from organizations planning a rally on the lawn of the Legislature a few years ago. Our union fought back so strongly with a counter-protest that the groups were completely overpowered, and they cancelled their next event, creating safety for students and families in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

I learned that the richest people in this province have been gaining unbelievable wealth since 2020, despite the negative effects of inflation on the lives of most British Columbians.

At the BCTF AGM this year, I brought forward a motion “that the Teacher magazine include substantive content on class consciousness, labour issues, and the labour movement, as well as issues relating to our contract.” The motion was carried, so what does this mean for us?

Well, now we have a job to do. I encourage you to find something you’re passionate about surrounding these categories and write an article about it. If you’re stuck on ideas, maybe consider one of the following:

Write something that exposes the drastic inequality of wealth in this province, country, or across the world.
Find a historical event that is related to the labour movement and share that history.
Talk to someone from another union who has been on a picket line recently. Write about their experience and how the sacrifices translated into gains.

The options are endless, and I’m really excited to see what teachers share about the labour movement and the power it holds. You can find Teacher submission guidelines here.