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Timeline of past BCTF teachers’ strikes

Date: 1919 – Victoria – 178 teachers
Issues: Salary dispute
Duration: 2 days
Resolution: A negotiated settlement

Date: 1921 – New Westminster – 84 teachers
Issues: Salary dispute – teacher’s salaries in this district had fallen behind those in other districts
Duration: 7 days
Resolution: A settlement between the board and teacher representatives was met regarding salaries

Date of strike: March 19, 1971 – First Province wide job action
Issues: To fight to improve their pension situation

Date: 1974 – Surrey
Issues: To fight to obtain smaller class sizes in B.C.’s public schools

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Date: June 12, 1981 – Terrace
Issues: To fight for satisfactory resolutions
Duration: 6 days

Date: November, 1983 Province wide (a.k.a. “The Solidarity Strike”)
Issues: The introduction of 26 bills

Duration: 3 days
Resolution: Negotiation of “fair” layoff, a policy stating that all government members will honour strikes in the future

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Date: June 1, 1987 – Province wide
Issues: A protest to the introduction of Bills 19 and 20

Date: November 28, 1988 – Kitimat, B.C.
Issues: To negotiate the policies and practices of school districts
Duration: 10 days
Resolution The teachers met expectations by negotiating class size and a salary increase

Date: Spring of 1993 – Vancouver and Surrey
Issues: Building on two previous strikes
Resolution: The government ordered teachers back to work

Date: March, 2000 – 43 districts across B.C involving 25,100 teachers – more than half of B.C.’s public school system was shut down

Date: November of 2001 – Province-wide
Issues: Protecting and improving public education, as well as a salary dispute

Date: October 7, 2005 – Province wide
Issues: Response to Bill 12, introduced by the B.C. Liberals, which ordered an end to job action and to demand smaller class sizes, a salary increase and support for troubled students
Duration: 15 days
Resolution: Recommendations from mediator Vince Ready were accepted by vote

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