Teachers carry signs on the way to a vote in response to B.C.'s Bill 12 in Vancouver on Oct. 5, 2005. (Lyle Stafford/The Globe and Mail)

1987 B.C. court grants teachers the right to bargain collectively. Initially, bargaining is conducted by a local school board and a local union. Over the following six years and three rounds of bargaining there are approximately 16 strikes and one case of legislative intervention across all of the local districts in the province.

Nov. 28, 1988 Kitimat teachers launched a 10-day strike during the first round of bargaining, before inking a deal that includes class-size maximums. A total of 12 locals went on strike during the first round.



1994 Teacher bargaining in B.C. becomes provincial in scope. The British Columbia Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) and the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) are established as the bargaining agents for employers and local teachers’ unions.



1996 BCPSEA and BCTF ratify a Transitional Collective Agreement that rolls over the existing language of the 1993-1994 local agreements, increases compensation slightly and adds some provisions relating to standard collective agreement issues such as union membership and the grievance procedure.



September 1997 With the transitional agreement set to expire on June 30, 1998, the two sides resume negotiations.

1998 With talks stalling and the prospect of reaching an agreement unlikely, BCPSEA accepts the government’s offer to facilitate the negotiations. The government, however, opts instead to meet and negotiate privately with the BCTF. The government and the BCTF come to an agreement, but BCPSEA rejects the deal. The government ends up legislating it into effect on July 30, 1998.



2000 BCPSEA drafts a new bargaining framework to guide its objectives during negotiations with the BCTF.



2001 Negotiations begin, but the two sides are unable to reach a consensus. In mid-December the process enters the facilitation phase, with the help of veteran mediator Stephen Kelleher. The BCTF is unwilling to budge from its demands.

Jan. 27, 2002 The government passes two bills, one ending the labour dispute by establishing the terms of a collective agreement, the other removing terms defining teachers’ working conditions – such as class size and composition – from teachers’ collective agreements. A court battle ensues.



Oct. 3, 2005 After the 2004-2005 round of negotiations gets off to a rocky start and it becomes clear that reaching a collective agreement will be difficult, the province introduces Bill 12, the Teachers’ Collective Agreement Act. The bill extends the terms of the existing collective agreement to June 30, 2006.



Oct. 6, 2005 The government appoints mediator Vince Ready to recommend a new collective bargaining structure.



Oct. 7, 2005 Teachers begin an illegal strike to protest having a contract imposed on them.



Oct. 21, 2005 Mr. Ready presents a set of non-binding recommendations to end the dispute. Both the BCTF and BCPSEA accept his recommendations.



Oct. 24, 2005 Teachers return to work.



April 11, 2006 Fourth round of collective bargaining begins.



June 30, 2006 Both parties agree to the first ever negotiated collective agreement, spanning a five-year term that expires June 30, 2011.



Fall 2011 Teachers start off the school year refusing to perform administrative tasks.



March 2012 Teachers stage a three-day walkout. The government passes back-to-work legislation, imposes a cooling off period and sends the negotiations to mediation.



June 30, 2012 Teachers vote 75 per cent in favour of a tentative one-year deal, ending the dispute.