Now that all BCGEU members at Community Builders Group (CBG) are covered under the General Services Collective Agreement there is some important information that your Union wants to make sure that you are aware of.

This means that whether you work at a provincially funded site or non-provincially funded (NPF) site you all have access to the following:

• Right to Union representation
• Grievance Procedure
• Seniority
• Occupational Health and Safety Committee
• Joint Labour Management Committee
• Layoff/Recall rights
• Special Leave provisions
• and more

On June 18, 2020, the monetary aspects of the General Services Collective Agreement will come into effect for members at the provincially funded sites, this includes:

• Standardized wages
• Defined benefit pension plan (MPP)
• Extended health and dental benefits
• Increased vacation entitlement
• Paid sick leave for all regular employees
• Paid bereavement leave

Four of the CBG worksites receive no provincial funding (Yale, Skeena House, Powell Rooms and Metson Rooms) and therefore are considered NPF sites.

Due to the difference in funding models between provincially funded and non-funded sites, not all monetary benefits will apply to members employed at NPF sites immediately.

We understand that this may be disappointing news for members at NPF sites, but the circumstances surrounding the funding sources at these sites are beyond the control of the Union and the Employer.

Your Union will enter into a separate negotiation with the Employer regarding the monetary aspects of the agreement as they apply to workers at NPF sites. Our goal is to bring you as close as possible to the full levels of the collective agreement.

Preliminary talks with the Employer have resulted in assurances that members at NPF sites who have benefits will continue to have their existing benefits maintained.

Further, we are pleased that the Employer is open to discussing improvements in the following areas for the NPF sites, which may include:

• Wages
• Amount of sick days
• Vacation entitlement
• Pension plan or RRSP options
• Extended health and dental benefits

Your Union is working hard to negotiate the best possible terms for members at NPF sites.

If you work at a non-provincially funded site, it is helpful if we understand your priorities for monetary negotiations. Please email [email protected] to express your priorities.

Classifications Outreach

Everyone should by now have received emails from our classifications department regarding their proposed job descriptions and classifications. Our classifications rep has asked for feedback from all of you and will be reaching out to members to finalize the content of the job descriptions along with the classification ratings.

Please note, that some of the job descriptions and ratings may not be finalized by June 18th due to the feedback that was received and that must now be discussed with the Employer, however, we will continue to work with incumbents and the Employer to have duties and ratings finalized as quickly as possible.

Membership Townhall

We understand that many of you have some questions and concerns around what all of this means and how the collective agreement applies to you. Your Union wants to ensure that you have an opportunity to ask these questions so that you understand your rights as Union members. Details of this telephone townhall will follow. It is important that we have the email of all members so that we can contact you with this information.

In solidarity

Edward Mishra, Staff Representative
Jendon Cumigad, BCGEU Steward
Andrea Duncan, Vice-President, Component 3 – Community Social Services

Download PDF of notice here 

UWU/MoveUP