Bargaining
BC Hydro – All Members – Paper Copies of Union Bulletins
March 27, 2019
To: All MoveUP members at BC Hydro and Powertech
In anticipation of upcoming bargaining, your union requested from the employer that the MoveUP bulletin regarding the membership meetings that were held recently regarding bargaining, be sent to our members work email addresses. The employer denied our request by referencing language in MOU #8 of the collective agreement, which states that the email system shall not be used for mass distribution of union bulletins.
Despite the language in MOU #8, the union reminded the employer that in the last round of bargaining the parties signed off on an agreement that would have allowed your union access to the employer’s email system:
“The parties agree to create a joint labour management committee to discuss ways to facilitate COPE’s communication with their membership at BC Hydro. This may include use of the Employer’s email system and other ideas generated by the parties. The committee will consist of 2 representatives appointed by COPE and 2 BC Hydro representatives. The first meeting will be held prior to November 1, 2014.”
It is thereby the union’s position that by denying the union the ability to send the bulletin to our members work emails regarding the upcoming meetings, the employer was not recognizing the parties’ intent in 2014 when signing this agreement.
Sending our members updates on bargaining is extremely important to us and we will be sending job stewards, councilors and distributors paper copies of all bargaining bulletins to be distributed in the workplace. This was the union’s process in the past and we had shifted away due to environmental concerns. Unfortunately, with the employer not agreeing to grant the union the ability to send bulletins to members work email addresses, your union has no choice and has determined this is the best way to ensure that the majority of members receive updates on bargaining.
Job stewards, councilors and distributors will also be posting the bulletins on union bulletin boards where available. If you do not have a union bulletin board in your workplace, please contact your job steward to arrange to get one. If you do not know who your job steward is, please send an email to bchbargaining@moveuptogether.ca and we will arrange for a bulletin board to be placed in your area.
Powertech has requested to have paper copies sent to job stewards and distributors only and they will post them on the union bulletin boards in the workplace.
In solidarity,
Rysa Kronebusch, VP Utilities
Cheryl Popeniuk, Senior Union Representative
Barbara Junker, Lead Negotiator
Anderson Charles, Bargaining Committee Member
Calvin Jonas, Bargaining Committee Member
Bruce Sarvis, Bargaining Committee Member
Rajesh Singh, Bargaining Committee Member
Raul Urrutia, Bargaining Committee Member
