SOLIDARITY WITH THE BRITISH COLUMBIA TEACHERS’ FEDERATION

Whereas; the 41,000 members of the British Columbia Teachers Federation (BCTF) have been on a full-scale province-wide strike since June 17^th for improved learning conditions for students like class size, class composition and staffing levels for specialist teachers and for a fair salary increase after 4 years of zero increases, and;

Whereas the BCTF has moderated its demands significantly and is calling on the government to negotiate in good faith and;

Whereas the government is continuing to ignore the two decisions of the British Columbia Supreme Court, which found that the constitutional rights of the BCTF and its members have been violated, and;

Whereas the BCTF is insisting that the government invest 225 million dollars in improvements in classroom conditions as reparations for twelve years of illegal contract stripping, and;

Whereas the BCTF has been a leader in extending union solidarity to educators and their unions in their fights for justice throughout our continent and in other parts of the world, and;

Whereas they are fighting against attacks on public education and union rights that are so similar to what we face here in the USA and;

Be it resolved that the American Federation of Teachers extend our solidarity to the BCTF by sending a letter of solidarity to our brothers and sisters in British Columbia.