Teacher bargaining is on hold until September, but CUPE school support staffs are willing to go back to the table during their summer vacation to avoid a fall strike.

A press release from CUPE BC issued this morning indicated most of the 57 locals active in 53 of the province’s public school districts have voted for a strike mandate. The 27,000 support staff—including custodians, education assistants, clerical and maintenance staff—have been without a contract for over a year and without a wage increase since 2009.

CUPE BC called off collective bargaining in April, saying the government’s cooperative gains mandate prevented BC School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) from negotiating a fair agreement with the workers. Seven CUPE locals held a day of strike action on June 5 that the union says did not disrupt classes. However CUPE BC K-12 Coordinator Bill Pegler says they would prefer to avoid future strike action.

“Our priority is a settlement with government,” he told The Tyee, adding a few more locals have voted for a strike mandate since their last press release on June 25.

“We have been crystal clear in discussions with the employers and with government that we are willing to sit down anytime over the course of the summer to negotiate a fair and reasonable settlement.”

Pegler says the average full-time annual salary for CUPE school support workers is $24,000. Without a wage increase or improvement to benefits, there will be no negotiated settlement.

“This government’s been able to negotiate those types of settlements with other unions, and so we believe that they can come to the table and negotiate the same deal with us,” he said.

The Tyee contacted BCPSEA for comment but did not hear back.

Katie Hyslop reports on education and youth issues for The Tyee Solutions Society. Follow her on Twitter.