THE FRET PRESS
   UP FRONT
 Page A3                                                     THURSDAY,   MARCH 30, 2000                                             PHONE 564 0005
 Free Press staff writer
    With 63 regional elementary and high schools closed, and thousands of kids on an extended spring break, there is little sign that the CUPE strike will end soon.
    “Nobody appears interested in settling this thing. I have personally phoned Ujjal Dosanjh, Penny Priddy, Paul Ramsey and Lois Boone to express my concern, the concern of the Board, and most importantly the concern of thousands of parent whose children are not in school today,” says Prince George School District chair Shirley Bond.
    Local talks were scheduled to resume Wednesday, Ms. Bond adds. Senior staff of the district were in touch with local and provincial CUPE representatives to restart local talks.
    “Local bargaining really works, as our new contract with UBCJA proves. We are committed to sitting down with CUPE to fashion a fair, manageable agreement that will serve the interests of CUPE and our students. We believe that is the wish of par ents and is likely the wish of the majority of the CUPE membership,” says Ms. Bond.
    Ms. Bond says she is particularly worried for Grade 12 students, who should be hard at work preparing for provincial exams in June.
    “I’ve already had calls from some Grade 12 parents today, and even being out for two days is two days too many,” she says.
    For her part, CUPE local 3742 president Marilyn Hannah says, “There is no reason why we can’t negotiate locally”
    Ms. Hannah was not on hand to negotiate locally over the weekend because she was involved with sectoral negotiations in Richmond. “I was there because it makes better use of our resources. If there is sectoral bargaining happening, as the president, I should be there. When you can have all the reps, mediators and locals under one roof it helps to avert a strike.”
    Ms. Hannah says she doesn’t know when she will return to Richmond, but says
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Shifting blame, schools closed
                                           Teachers honour lines but talks resuming
 By MELISSA SHAW
 CURB
 CUPE
 Local 3742
 STRIKE
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  Striking CUPE members picket outside Ron Brent Elementary School. John mcKenzie/fme press
if sectoral bargaining resumes and she’s needed, she’ll go.
   While the schools remain—in theory— open to teachers, they have chosen to honour CUPE’s picket lines. Sandra Davies, president of the Prince George and District Teachers’ Association, says as members of the association, teachers who cross picket lines would be “breaking a code of ethics.” Ms. Davies says she is not aware of any teachers in the region crossing the picket lines, and the association will continue to
back CUPE in their strike.
   “I think we’re committed to sitting out and supporting the committee on this, and we would encourage the board to sit and negotiate in good faith. It behooves us in interest of all involved that we stay with CUPE and respect their picket lines, to bring this to a swift close.”
   But the District Parents Advisory Committee is not feeling so supportive. President Roxanne Ricard says she has “little sympathy” for CUPE’s strike, and the par-
ents she has talked to are in “panic mode.” Further, she says parents who want to volunteer in schools are tired of having the union “looking over our shoulder.”
   CUPE has said one of the issues they want addressed in their contract is the nature of work parents do in schools. Last week, Ms. Hannah said parents are valuable in many school programs such as fund-raising, field trips and hot-dog lunches but they should not do work that belongs in the CUPE bargaining unit.