Eleven employers and fourteen faculty bargaining units (9 FPSE units and 5 BCGEU units) are bargaining the Common Agreement provisions of their new collective agreements at the 2006-07 Faculty Sectoral Table (ST). The ST employers--(with their faculty union(s) in parentheses)- are:

• Camosun College (FPSE & BCGEU),
• College of New Caledonia (FPSE),
• College of the Rockies (FPSE),
• Douglas College (FPSE),
• Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (FPSE),
• North Island College (FPSE),
• Northern Lights College (BCGEU),
• Northwest Community College (FPSE & BCGEU),
• Okanagan College (BCGEU),
• Selkirk College (FPSE & BCGEU), and
• Vancouver Community College (FPSE).

The ST commenced on Monday, December 4, 2006, and bargaining will continue until December 15th, and will then recommence for the period of January 22nd to February 15th, 2007. The bargaining of the PSEA and its member employers is based on the following principles:

• Post-secondary institutions are focused on being responsive to the needs of students and the community at large while also recognizing the need for fiscal responsibility.

   

• The institutions need collective agreements that respond to changing priorities while respecting the essential role played by faculty.

   

• The PSEA employers' bargaining mandate for faculty settlements is consistent with the provincial negotiating framework that was overwhelmingly successful for 98% of all other public sector employers, including post-secondary support staff.

   

• The mandate provides for meaningful salary increases and a significant incentive for settling prior to March 31, 2007 as well as making monies available to address specific recruitment and retention problems for some teaching disciplines and some regions of the Province.

   

• The employers will bargain in a respectful, business-like manner and anticipate that the faculty unions share the employers' goal of reaching an agreement that reflects the needs of students, faculty, and the post-secondary institutions.