The bargaining committee of Teamsters Local 31 is meeting with the Abbotsford school district today in hopes of reaching a collective agreement that will be accepted by its membership.
In a posting on its website, the local said if the parties fail to reach an agreement, the union will notify all concerned about when strike action should commence.
The local has been in a legal position to strike since Monday afternoon, after issuing 72 hours’ notice to the school district on Friday afternoon.
The Teamsters in Abbotsford consist of 800 school support staff such as clerical workers, educational assistants, bus drivers, custodians and maintenance workers.
They say they are the lowest paid school support workers in the province.
The two sides reached an impasse on April 10, when the Teamsters rejected the school district’s last proposal and requested the withdrawal of the mediator appointed by the Labour Relations Board.
It is anticipated that any strike action by the Teamsters will be honoured by local teachers, who are members of a separate union, the B.C. Teachers’ Federation.
Watch the school district website (sd34.bc.ca), the Teamsters Local 31 website (teamsters31.ca) or abbynews.com for updates.
