GVTA Knowledge
What does GVTA stand for?
Greater Victoria Teachers' Association.
What is the name of the system TTOCs get callouts from?
ADS
Under what article would you look for TTOC Pay and Benefits?
B.2 - TTOC Pay and Benefits.
Were continuing positions posted in the September round?
No E.20.11 - Vacancies which arise after the start of school in September shall be posted as temporary
You are a TTOC and a contract teacher at your school tells you, “The Collective Agreement only applies to contract teachers.” Are they correct?
No. TTOCs are covered by the Collective Agreement, although some rights, benefits, and provisions differ depending on your employment status
The union is the same as the employer. True or false?
False
Under what article would you look to find the general rights and provisions for Teachers Teaching on Call?
C.27
What is the maximum category of pay that a TTOC can make?
Category 5, Step 8.
If you have a 0.5 FTE contract for the full year, how much seniority do you accrue?
A part-time continuing contract employee whose schedule does not require the employee to work each school day of a week shall be deemed to be working each school day of that week.
What article covers sick leave?
G.20
Name 3 GVTA standing committees.
Contract Committee, Professional Development Committee, Social Justice Committee, Teachers on Call and New Teachers Committee, Indigenous Education Committee, Climate Justice Committee, Health & Safety Committee
If you receive 45 calls in a year and take 20 of them, can you be moved from the A list to the B list?
NO.
The important part of the scenario is that the District has to offer 50 call-outs before the A-List work requirement applies. If you are offered only 45, you haven't reached that threshold, so you remain on the A List, even if you accepted only 20.
Under what article would you look for the teacher salary grid and salary rates?
B.1 - Salary.
When can you port your seniority from another district?
C.2.2 The employee must initiate the seniority verification process and forward the necessary verification forms to the previous school district(s) within one hundred and twenty (120) days of receiving a continuing appointment in the new school district.
You need to find information about maternity leave. What section/article of the Collective Agreement would you start searching?
ARTICLE G.21 MATERNITY, PARENTAL LEAVE AND S.E.B. PLAN
What union meetings are you entitled to attend?
General Meetings (& the AGM) and Local Staff Representative Assembly (LSRA) meetings. All members have voice and vote at General Meetings and AGMs. All GVTA members have the right to attend and speak at LSRA meetings, although only elected Staff Representatives and Executive Committee members vote at LSRAs
You are called into a school for 1 hour at the end of the day. How much of the day will you be paid for?
A minimum of 2 hours' pay. Article B.2.8 provides the minimum two-hour call-out, subject to the exceptions specified in the clause
You taught for three years in another Canadian public school district before coming to Greater Victoria. Does that experience disappear when you start with SD61, or can it affect your salary placement? What does the Collective Agreement say?
It can count toward salary placement. Under B.20.4, previous teaching experience in government-supported and inspected schools in Canada is recognized for salary placement, subject to the conditions in the article.
You are a TTOC and you see a teaching position posted that you are interested in. You have been working regularly in the district, but you aren't sure whether TTOCs can apply for posted teaching positions. What should you check in the Collective Agreement to find out whether you are eligible to apply?
Look at Article E.20 — Staffing, along with the relevant eligibility/qualification provisions. TTOCs can apply for posted teaching positions when they meet the requirements of the posting.
You are a TTOC and a close family member passes away. You need time away from work to attend the funeral and be with your family. You know there is bereavement leave, but you're not sure whether TTOCs are entitled to it. Where in the Collective Agreement would you look to find out?
Look at Article G.4 — Bereavement Leave.
You all received a callout from the GVTA last week for a role very important to TTOCs. What role was it and what does it entail?
When you become a TTOC Rep, you get the chance to advocate for TTOC’s by bringing questions and issues to the Greater Victoria Teachers’ Association Local Staff Rep Assemblies (GVTA LSRA’s - we like our acronyms!). There are 4 LSRA’s a year (Oct. 15, Jan. 19, Apr. 20, and Jun. 3), and as a TTOC Rep you would attend these meetings (which are usually held from 4-6pm) and speak up for TTOC’s. Whether this is your first role with the GVTA or you're a seasoned activist for teachers’ rights, we would love to have you!
We can elect up to 7 people to attend these meetings as TTOC Reps.
You are working a full day and have one block of prep in your schedule, and the teacher you’re replacing has left work for you to complete. When you start your day, the principal says you will be redeployed during the prep block to cover another teacher. What do you do?
Communicate with the teacher you are replacing that their prep was used for coverage and that you were unable to complete the work they left for you.
The teacher being replaced is entitled to have that preparation time replaced under the Collective Agreement.
Email the GVTA to let them know what happened, particularly because this is becoming a recurring issue.
You're a TTOC and you're trying to figure out when you'll move up the salary grid. What does the Collective agreement tell you about how TTOC experience is accumulated and when your increment is awarded?
C.4.1 says a TTOC gets one day of experience for each FTE day worked, with 170 FTE days = one year of experience, and C.4.2 says the increment is awarded on the first of the month following the month in which that one year of experience is accumulated.
What clause in the Collective Agreement says that senior candidates receive preference for job postings? In what case could a junior teacher be given preference?
E.20.10.b The applicant with the greatest seniority as defined in Article C.2 shall be given preference, provided that they possess the qualifications as set out in Article C.21 of this Agreement. Where a junior teacher is selected, their ability to perform the teaching position shall be demonstrably higher than more senior candidates.
You are a TTOC working at a school, and your class is on the field for a game you’ve organized. A teacher storms up to you and yells that they had the field booked, calling you irresponsible and stupid for not checking ahead of time. The students are watching as they berate you. You believe your rights under the Collective Agreement may have been violated. What do you do?
Contact the GVTA for assistance. As a GVTA member, including as a TTOC, you are entitled to representation and assistance from the GVTA. You can contact your Staff Rep or the GVTA Office to discuss what happened and determine the appropriate next steps.
If the conduct meets the Collective Agreement's definition of harassment, there is a specific process for making a complaint, including involving the GVTA. The agreement defines harassment in terms of vexatious comment or conduct that is known, or ought reasonably to be known, to be unwelcome.