EXCERPTS:
UBC childcare workers have voted 94 per cent in favour of job action to back their bargaining proposals.
"Our UBC childcare members have given their bargaining committee the strong strike mandate it needs. That should send a clear message to the University of British Columbia: childcare professionals at UBC want improved wages that reflect the true value of their services to the university," says BCGEU president Darryl Walker.
There are no plans for job action at this time and UBC Child Care Services will operate as usual over the holidays and early in the new year.
The union sought a strike mandate from the 160 Early Childhood Educators it represents at UBC after negotiations broke down on November 28. BCGEU childcare professionals at UBC are seeking an improved wage scale that reflects their role as a professional body of the university.
"Early Childhood Educators are teachers, not babysitters," says BCGEU Local 303 Chairperson Andrea Duncan. "They are college trained, government certified professionals. Their wages must reflect the skills, training and value they provide UBC faculty, staff and the wider community."
Quality childcare services help UBC recruit and retain outstanding faculty and staff. This reality should be reflected in the pay scales for its Early Childhood Educators. Childcare services also open doors for women students seeking education and employment opportunities at UBC.
"UBC Early Childhood Educators are seeking professional wages in the childcare sector; a sector that is 95 per cent staffed by women. We have a vision at UBC Child Care Services of reaching fair and reasonable wages by March 8, 2013 - International Women's Day," adds Duncan.
UBC Child Care Services manages over 500 spaces for children aged infant to 12 years old and is the largest campus-based childcare system in North America. All BCGEU staff are certified Early Childhood Educators.
The BCGEU is the leading childcare union in British Columbia, representing over 1,500 Early Childhood Educators in 150 bargaining units.