ETEA enthusiastically welcomes Vancouver English Centre (VEC) as its newest local. Teachers at VEC organized themselves quickly in response to increasing privacy issues and job security concerns. On December 1, 2014 90% of teachers voted in favour of unionizing. As ETEA President Kevin Drager noted, “With a strong vote in favour of joining the ETEA, teachers at VEC have come together to show they care about their profession and their workplace. VEC can only be better for having such a committed group of teachers. I am proud to welcome them into the ETEA.”
Category Archives: What’s New
New ETEA President
Kevin Drager was voted the new President of ETEA at the last annual general meeting in May. Kevin brings a wealth of leadership and experience to the ETEA from his work at Local 6 (KGIC) and on the organizing committee. Kevin has a clear vision moving forward in 2014-2015: to consolidate and strengthen ETEA after its recent fast growth with the addition of locals 8, 9 and 10. Kevin won the election in ETEA’s first ever contested election for President.
Upcoming Round Table Discussions and Social Event on October 30th at the YWCA
On October 30th the ETEA will host a series of round table discussions and a social for ESL teachers from across Vancouver. The event will run from 3:45 to 7:00 pm at the YWCA (535 Hornby Street) in Welch Room 1, on the fourth floor. All ESL teachers in the public, non-profit and private sectors are invited to attend and take part in discussions and enjoy some food and beverages. Where is the ESL industry going and how will this affect teachers? Can ESL teaching be a long-term career or will we always be stuck with part-time and temporary work? Do teachers have the working conditions they need to deliver high quality education? These are some of the questions that will be discussed. We look forward to seeing you there.
ETEA Supports VCC Teachers at Board of Governors’ Meeting
ETEA members came out to support Vancouver Community College teachers and students at the VCC board of governors’ meeting on September 24th. With dozens of vital ESL programs for immigrants and refugees and 70 good union jobs facing elimination in December the ESL Matters campaign sought to delay the board’s vote on the matter until after meeting with the provincial government again to pressure it to restore funding. There were many moving testimonials presented to the board but the most powerful came from students who spoke of how these programs made them feel like full members of the community and gave them opportunities to pursue their dreams. ETEA will continue to support the ESL matters campaign and our brothers and sisters in the VCC Faculty Association (FPSE Local 15).