Bulletin
ICBC – GCC Picket Line Update: Importance of Respecting a Picket Line
September 19, 2025
To: All MoveUP members at ICBC - GCC and Guildford DLO
Hi all,
I want to first acknowledge and thank our members who work out of the Guildford Corporate Centre (GCC) and Guildford Driver Licensing Office for your understanding and support as we navigate the ongoing BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) and Professional Employees Association (PEA) picket lines.
Picket lines are still active; Be sure to respect them
Although ICBC now has the Common Site Order which allows our members to enter and exit the building for work purposes, it is critical to remember that the picket lines are still active.
To reiterate, MoveUP members are asked to:
- Enter and exit the building only through the prescribed entrances: the back beige doors which lead directly into the lobby, and the DLO entrances. The picket line is active between 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Even if you arrive prior to picket lines going up or leave after the picket lines have come down for the day, to be respectful we ask that you only use the prescribed entrances.
- Do not park in the GCC Underground. The parkade is behind a picket line.
- Do not park at the Sheraton Vancouver Guildford parking lot/garage. The hotel is also currently behind a different picket line.
Crossing a legal picket line may lead to discipline by MoveUP (not ICBC). You can learn more on our Respecting Picket Lines webpage.
Why strikes matter
I know we are in new territory and most of us have not faced a picket line until earlier this month. A strike is an important tactic that workers can use to force employers to negotiate a better deal. Union members must vote to approve strike action, and it is not a decision taken lightly.
Solidarity is important
When we respect a picket line, it is a show of support and respect. Strikes are not easy for workers, especially the longer it goes. When workers see us respecting their picket lines, it empowers them to continue their fight.
This is a reciprocal relationship as well. We may one day need the support of another union’s members if we need to take our own job action.
In this specific case, right now the BCGEU and PEA members are fighting for us as well. They are also public sector workers, and they are leading the charge to get a framework agreement for wages. What they achieve is what our next collective agreement will be based on, so it’s important that we do everything to ensure their success.
Back in 2022, you may recall that BCGEU members similarly went out on strike. Because of that strike, public sector workers were ultimately able to achieve a historic wage framework that provided a cost-of-living wage increase adjustment.
Other famous public sector strikes that led to significant gains for workers included the Canadian Union of Postal Workers in 1981 winning paid maternity leave.
Strikes are disruptive and for good reason
Strikes are effective because they are disruptive. They are meant to show the employer how fundamental workers are to any organization. When this disruption can be felt by other businesses by workers respecting a picket line, it is even more powerful. It puts more pressure on the employer to return to negotiate.
I know that some of this disruption affects us individually as well, such as not being able to park in the GCC underground even though we have members who have already paid for long-term parking. That is a sacrifice, but it is a critical one for our larger shared goal.
We will always work to reduce any disruptions to our members as best as we can, but it’s important we don’t take actions that undermine the members of the BCGEU and PEA.
Thank you for your understanding
We are stronger united than divided. By continuing to support and respect the BCGEU and PEA members and their picket line, we are all contributing to ultimately getting a better deal for ourselves when we are at the bargaining table with ICBC.
If you have any questions about this matter, please reach out to me at dossinsky@moveuptogether.ca.
In solidarity,
Dimitri Ossinsky, Vice-President