The long and bitter contract dispute between British Columbia teachers and the province raises a fundamental question: what part of “no” – as in: no more money – do teachers not understand?

They’ve been told, endlessly, that hard times have led to successive B.C. government budget deficits. Those shortfalls, coupled with increased spending pressures in areas such as health care, now mean all B.C. government employees receive contract settlements based on a “net zero” wage increase. If any B.C. union wants pay increases, the settlement must include offsetting cost reductions elsewhere.

Or, as B.C. Education Minister George Abbott recently noted: “I’m afraid there’s a net-zero possibility of the government deviating from what has been the basis now of 130 public-sector settlements with virtually every union – except for the B.C. Teachers Federation.”

Like everyone else, B.C. teachers must understand that the province’s public coffers are under mounting stress. Many elements of B.C.’s health care, for example, are in crisis management. That’s especially true of sectors such as non-emergency surgery or extended care for seniors.

Social services are being cut to the bone or eliminated, transportation infrastructure is deteriorating and, yes, even K-12 education is under the fiscal gun even though B.C.’s student population is declining.

B.C. teachers claim they’re fighting for the kids. But to many watching the acrimonious negotiations, it looks more and more like they’re fighting for themselves.

The union represents about 41,000 teachers who earn, on average, more than their counterparts in the other provinces (roughly $70,000 annually). And the union has a long history of confrontation with provincial governments of all political stripes.

Union members also have far-reaching monopoly employment powers and only work about 1,270 hours a year, compared with an average of about 1,960 hours for the rest of us. Of course, teaching is often stressful; but so are many, many other jobs that pay far less.

So far this year, B.C. teachers have pulled a three-day strike and refused to staff extracurricular activities in some school districts. They also have refused to write report cards for most of the school year.

Meanwhile, some of the union’s contract demands have little relationship with reality: paid leave for up to 26 weeks to care for sick “non-relatives”; an annual 15% wage hike; a year’s bonus pay for retiring veterans.

In response, Victoria quickly passed Bill 22, the Education Improvement Act, which creates a mediation process with a June 30 deadline for settlement. The legislation also tightens teacher evaluation, aligns professional development with teaching needs and revises seniority clauses – all of which many onlookers feel are timely.

The BCTF is trashing Bill 22 and the appointed mediator, and now is openly calling on members to defeat the ruling B.C. Liberals in the 2013 provincial election. So much for being non-partisan.

Over the years, B.C. teachers have won generous contract benefits that are now increasingly difficult to justify, while facing little in the way of public accountability. Ultimately, of course, it’s B.C. taxpayers – through their government – who must have the final say in education, not the teachers. That’s a hard lesson the BCTF hasn’t learned – yet. IE

© 2012 Investment Executive. All rights reserved.