Our collective agreement with your employer – B.C.'s Public Service Agency (PSA) – will expire in March 2025, and bargaining preparations to negotiate a new collective agreement are well underway. 
The negotiation (or bargaining) process has several stages which are outlined below. Every stage is driven by BCGEU members like you working for B.C.'s public service sector.
 
BCGEU members covered under the public service "Main" agreement are represented in bargaining by the Public Service Bargaining Committee – comprised entirely of elected representatives from the BCGEU, along with the lead negotiator. Our role as your bargaining committee is to lead you through each stage of the bargaining process, with the final goal of ratifying your collective agreement: a contract that outlines our wages, working conditions and more.
 
We are currently in stage 1 – determining our bargaining priorities.

The bargaining process:

1. 1. Determine our bargaining priorities: Our bargaining committee leads members through a process to identify the most important workplace issues to tackle in bargaining. It's important that our committee receives input from a majority of members so we can be confident that the issues identified are representative. We look for the most widely and deeply felt concerns, patterns in grievances and trends compared to previous bargaining rounds.
      
      Thousands of public service members provided input via our bargaining survey, poll, submitted proposals, and direct conversations with the bargaining committee. Together, we identified meaningful wage increases and improvements to benefits as the top issues and flagged issues in several other areas which we will review in greater detail in the coming weeks.
      
      The Public Service Bargaining Committee will be meeting through the weekend of November 30^th to December 2^nd to begin the heavy lifting on proposal preparation, ultimately finalizing the proposal package in mid-January.
      
      
   2. Bargain with the employer: Our bargaining committee prepares proposals based on your input, and the employer prepares proposals of their own. Bargaining officially begins when the two parties exchange proposals. Negotiation continues until one of two things happen – either an impasse or a tentative agreement (see below for more). You can learn more about the bargaining process in this infographic. 
      
      
   3. If impasse is reached, escalate pressure: An impasse is when the two parties are unable to reach an agreement through negotiation. If an impasse is reached, our bargaining committee may call for us all to take a strike vote. Sometimes the threat of a strike is enough to force the employer back to the table. Sometimes we can avoid a strike by entering mediation. And sometimes it's necessary to take job action – such as an overtime ban, work-to-rule and/or a strike. Before taking any job action, our bargaining committee will hold discussions with members to make sure everyone is ready to act together. By engaging in collective action, we show the employer that we are united.
      
      
   4. Vote on a tentative agreement: Eventually we will reach a tentative agreement – whether through negotiation alone or after mediation or job action. Once the two parties reach a tentative agreement, you will receive a package of information outlining the details of the tentative agreement, and our bargaining committee will hold ratification meetings to make sure everyone understands what's in the deal. Then you and your co-workers will vote on the tentative agreement. If a majority of members vote in favour, the agreement is ratified as our new collective agreement. If members vote down the tentative agreement, the bargaining process resumes until a new tentative agreement is reached. 

P.S.
It's important to note that tens of thousands of other BCGEU members who work in five other public sectors of British Columbia will also be negotiating new collective agreements in 2025. Because all six agreements are negotiated with essentially the same employer – the B.C. provincial government – our union is taking a coordinated strategic approach to ensure our employer knows we are aware of our collective power and are prepared to use it if needed. We will keep you informed of any coordination efforts as they are made. 
 
In solidarity, 
Your Public Service Bargaining Committee

Paul Finch, President and Committee Chair 
Maria Bennett, Treasurer 
Dean Purdy, Component 1 Vice President 
Kusam Doal, Component 5 Vice President 
Judy Fox-McGuire, Component 6 Vice President 
Mona Dykes, Component 6 second representative 
DJ Pohl, Component 12 Vice President 
Faith Johnston, Component 12 1st Vice President 
Robert Davis, Component 20 Vice President
Douglas W. Dykens, Executive Director – Advocacy, Negotiations, Member
Benefits and Secretary to the PSBC
Sumiko Marshall, Support Staff

UWU/MoveUP