Bargaining
CapilanoU – Strike Meeting Details Incoming
March 15, 2023
To: All MoveUP Members at CapilanoU
We’re writing to you today to provide an update on the status of bargaining. We last were in communication with the employer on March 1, via e-mail, when the employer declined to participate in mediation and we advised them we were at impasse. It’s been radio silence since.
As discussed in our last two meetings, the parties are log-jammed on two separate issues. One is the inclusion of reasonable work-from-home language into the collective agreement, the other is the use of a flexibility allocation provided by the Province for the parties use based on their priorities.
You’ve been clear with us since day one, and in multiple pulse checks at membership meetings. These matters are priority. These matters are the members’ mandate.
The wage increases are already pre-determined by the mandate. They are as follows :
Year 1 – Effective July 1, 2022 increase all rates of pay by 25 cents per hour and then increase all rates of pay by 3.24%.
Year 2 – Effective July 1, 2023 increase rates of pay by the annualized average of BC CPI over 12 months starting on March 1, 2022 to a minimum of 5.5% and a maximum of 6.75%.
Year 3 – Effective July 1, 2024 increase rates of pay by the annualized average of BC CPI over 12 months starting on March 1, 2023 to a minimum of 2% and a maximum of 3%.
The flexibility allocation is calculated on 0.25% of the total compensation for the bargaining unit during the term of the collective agreement. While the Province has restricted the use of the flexibility allocation as a flat wage adjustment, several other tables in the Province have found creative alternatives to ensure their members’ monetarily benefit. We are asking for the same consideration for our own members.
Unfortunately, and similar to other agreement’s telecommuting and work-from-home language, the employer has refused our proposals regarding both matters even though examples of similar language in other agreements around the Province have been provided. At first, they declared the refusal was at the direction of the PSEC. When we provided proof of similar language in other collective agreements, they advised that the refusal was at the direction of the Board of Governors.
The employer’s positioning is that any sort of usage of Flexibility Allocation that would see you monetarily gain, or any sort of language that would require the parties to administer a work-from-home program reasonably where our members do not need to fear that an errant manager will pull the rug out from them and require them to work full time on campus, are trivial considerations.
We don’t think any considerations that make working in the public sector more tenable during an economic crisis are trivial.
The parties will get to a deal, one way or another. But the Employer thinks that they can ignore you, your priorities and your appointed representatives at the table while focusing on more important matters, such as CFA bargaining as evidenced by their communication today.
We will be seeking a strike vote from the membership shortly to let the employer know that we’re serious and we won’t be ignored. Meeting details will follow shortly. Please ensure your details are updated on the member portal to ensure you receive prompt and up-to-date details regarding bargaining and the upcoming strike vote.
In solidarity,
Darin Feist, Executive Councillor
Eric Roberts, Executive Councillor
Suzanne Perreault, Executive Councillor
Nathan Beausoleil, Union Representative
Christy Slusarenko, Vice-President of Combined Units