Bargaining
Broadway Driving School – COVID-19, Bargaining, and Office Issues – Bargaining Update #3
March 18, 2020
To: All MoveUP members at Broadway Driving School
We write to provide an update to everyone after our discussion with your manager yesterday morning regarding a number of issues facing your workplace.
Most pressing was the current status of the COVID-19 pandemic and what your Employer is doing to support you during this especially stressful and difficult time. The health of you, our members, is most important. It was acknowledged by both the Employer and your Union that the situation is evolving rapidly and that communication is required almost constantly to keep up-to-date on the situation. Your manager advised that she has been in regular communication with you to advise of protocols in place to respond to the health concerns and orders from the authorities, which include:
-If Instructors are at risk, they are not required to come to work. At this time, the Employer will work to process Records of Employment for those off of work
-The Employer is committed to complying with all provincial and federal advisories. They currently are waiting to hear how the federal and/or provincial governments intend to provide financial aid to businesses and you, as employees, affected by the pandemic
-Instructions to sanitize vehicles and classrooms after each use were provided and supplies have been provided by the Employer for this purpose. If you have not received these supplies, you may contact your manager or you may purchase these yourself and submit the expenses for reimbursement to your manager. They have committed to reimbursing you for these expenses
-There are currently no plans to reduce operations. Instead, options are being given to clients in terms of rescheduling and/or providing online training in addition to in-car instruction
To update you on bargaining preparations, the parties are looking into meeting virtually, given the Employer’s current ban on travel and the fact that some of the Employer’s committee will be attending from Ontario. We will exchange dates that we are available to meet in order to begin negotiations. We have already prepared our proposed first Collective Agreement and have reviewed it with you and are taking your feedback to ensure that your bargaining priorities are taken forward. We will update you once we have set dates to commence negotiations.
To update you on the operational-related issues that were brought forward in the past weeks, we have the following updates for you, if you have not already been updated by management:
-A fridge will be delivered to the Victoria office this week
-Your manager has committed to reviewing the use of personal phones with her superiors this week
-There is no more petty cash at any locations any longer
-The PC issues in the Victoria office have been addressed
-Vacation coverage in the Victoria office will not be provided. The office will close while the employee is on vacation
-Courier service has been restored
-Your manager is taking care of all fleet issues that arise
Please continue to advise us if you have workplace concerns that management does not address satisfactorily.
Please feel free to forward this message to anyone who may not have received it. They should also contact myself to ensure we can add their email to our list for future communications. I can be reached via email at thansen@moveuptogether.ca or my cell 604-341-4899.
In solidarity,
Trevor Hansen
Union Representative