Surrey Teachers’ Strike, plaque
This bronze plaque is located at the Surrey Teachers’ Association office, 9030 King George Blvd, Surrey BC. It was developed with the support of the Surrey Teachers’ Association.
The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized foundry in Richmond which has operated since 1928. It was unveiled on February 15, 2017.
This is one of many Plaques around the Province, a project of the BC Labour Heritage Centre which aims to recognize events, actions, episodes, movements, or experiences that played a significant role in the history of the labour movement and working people in all regions of British Columbia.
BCTF 100 Celebrating a century
The plaque reads: On February 14, 1974, about 1,000 Surrey teachers crowded into the auditorium at Queen Elizabeth Secondary School to discuss the severe funding shortages in their rapidly-growing district. Outrage was so high that teachers voted almost unanimously to walk off the job the very next day and take their protest to Victoria. Led by their local president, Lloyd Edwards, they rallied on the lawns of the BC legislature calling for increased funding for public education. The results of their courageous protest were dramatic. The BC Teachers’ Federation and government reached an agreement that, over three years, resulted in 4,000 new teaching positions and reduced class sizes across BC. This was an important step towards full collective bargaining rights for all BC teachers. BC Labour Heritage Centre 2017 Union Made Surrey Teachers’ AssociationBCTF 100 Celebrating a century