Ending a months-long strike, British Columbia’s 41,000 teachers and the province reached a six-year contract agreement, their longest agreement ever.

The contract includes a 7.25 percent salary increase, a $105 million payment to address unsettled grievances, $400 million to hire new teachers, additional prep time for elementary school teachers and improvements to dental and extended health benefits.

The union’s members approved the deal on Sept. 18, and students returned to school the following Monday.

The teachers walked off the job in June, bringing an early end to the 2013–14 school year. The strike also delayed the start of school by nearly three weeks.

Not all teachers are happy with the contract, however, with some noting that the 7.25 percent pay increase will not keep up with the rate of inflation.

“We feel like we were a little taken by the government and not left with a lot of improvements,” said Vancouver teacher-librarian Frances Renzullo after casting his ballot. “We walked [the picket lines] a lot and lost a lot of our wages.”

The Globe and Mail, Sept. 18
The Vancouver Sun, Sept. 17