NEWS & UPDATES
March 19, 2020
Component 3: COVID-19 update for members in child care programs - BCGEU
These past few days have been challenging for us all. We have heard from many of you as this situation has rapidly evolved. We have heard concerns about health and safety for the centres that are open, fear of the potential financial impacts on your families and future job security in the event of closures, and the need to provide critical child care for essential service workers (health care...
March 19, 2020
Component 3 COVID-19 Update: Implications in the Workplace - BCGEU
COVID-19 UpdateThe BCGEU is working with employer, union and government counterparts to respond and plan around the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on our workplaces and workers in this unprecedented time. We are working with all stakeholders to try to ensure that all of our members have clear, updated information to ensure their health and safety in their workplace and community and to also...
March 18, 2020
Component 3 COVID-19 Update: CSS Sectoral Agreement Members- Implications in ...
COVID-19 Update
The BCGEU is the lead union in the Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA) and met today with the Community Social Services Employers' Association (CSSEA) to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on our workplaces and workers in this unprecedented time. We are working with CSSEA to try to ensure that all of our members have clear, updated information to ...
March 17, 2020
Members at UBC Child Care Services Program - Ratification Meeting and Vote – ...
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the BCGEU has made the difficult decision to close our offices and have all staff work from home. While we will still be conducting business, albeit remotely, we will not be taking steps to ratify the tentative agreement reached at your worksite for the foreseeable future. The Employer has been informed of this. This does not change anything, it simply delays imple...
March 17, 2020
Hearing Aid Claim Top-Up - BCGEU
As part of our last round of bargaining, the parties utilized monies to increase coverage for hearing aids. Effective February 1, 2020, that coverage is at 100% of cost to a maximum of $1500 every 48 months for adults and $1500 every 12 months for children. Coverage was previously at a maximum of $1000.If you made a claim for hearing aids purchased between August 1, 2019 to January 31, 2020, we...
March 17, 2020
2020 BCGEU scholarships
The 2020 BCGEU scholarship deadline has passed and we are no longer accepting applications. We have received over 400 applications – thank you for all your hard work!
If you have submitted an application, we will be announcing the successful applicants once our Education and Scholarship committee has met and considered all of the applications. We expect to be able to advise applicants by the en...
March 13, 2020
BCGEU calls for suspension of rent and mortgage payments for sick/self-isolat...
Burnaby, B.C. – In response to the World Health Organization declaring COVID-19 a "pandemic" and public health experts recommending social distancing including self-isolation for exposed or symptomatic people, the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) is calling on federal and provincial governments to immediately suspend all mortgage and rent payments until the pandemic is over....
March 11, 2020
COVID-19 Pandemic Response - BCGEU
Today, the WHO declared that COVID-19 has escalated from public health crisis to pandemic. In plain language this means the public health priority has shifted from preventing the spread of the virus to slowing it down so that our healthcare system doesn't get overwhelmed by too many infections happening concurrently. In light of this, the Provincial Executive of the BCGEU unanimously passed the...
March 11, 2020
Strike action: stand with IBEW members on strike against Ledcor tomorrow - BCGEU
Our union encourages members in the Vancouver area to stand in solidarity with members of IBEW Local 213 on Thursday, March 12 at 3 pm in front of Ledcor's office at 1055 West Hastings Street downtown. These workers are fighting for their first contract with Ledcor. The strike began on Sept. 30, 2019. Their battle for a contract began more than two full years earlier on Aug. 31, 2017, when thei...
March 11, 2020
BCGEU calls on all employers to drop doctor’s note requirement amid COVID-19 ...
The B.C. Government Employees' Union (BCGEU) is encouraging employers to waive the requirement for employees to produce a sick note to access sick leave. The B.C. government announced last week employees no longer have to produce a sick note amidst concerns over the coronavirus. Read full article here UWU/MoveUP
March 10, 2020
B.C. employers must drop doctor’s note requirements to limit COVID-19 spread,...
B.C. employers must drop doctor's note requirements to limit COVID-19 spread, says BCGEU Burnaby, B.C.- In light of the ongoing concern regarding the COVID-19 virus, the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union is calling on all B.C. employers to waive the requirement for employees to provide a note from a doctor to access their sick leave. "We all must take appropriate steps to limit the s...
March 10, 2020
Members at University Hill Kinderclub - Bargaining Committee elected - BCGEU
Please be advised that the following members have been acclaimed for the positions of bargaining committee member for University Hill Kinderclub:
• Natalia Sa
• Jamie Nishihata
We want to thank Natalia and Jamie for stepping forward to represent you during this round of bargaining. We look forward to working with them.
The next step in the bargaining process is for you to let your Bargaining Co...
March 06, 2020
BCGEU celebrates International Women’s Day for an Equal and Enabled world
March 8th is International Women's Day (IWD), a time to recognize the remarkable achievements by women across the globe and stand in solidarity with calls for decisive action to promote gender justice and end gender-based violence and discrimination. The global theme this year is #EachforEqual An EQUAL World is an ENABLED World.
"As an out and proud feminist who has the privilege to be surround...
March 06, 2020
UBC Child Care Services Program - tentative agreement reached - BCGEU
After two long days of mediation and tough negotiations by your Bargaining Committee with the assistance of the Labour Relations Board mediator, we are pleased to advise that we reached a tentative collective agreement with your Employer last night.
We believe that this tentative agreement addresses your bargaining priorities within the economic realities of the provincial government's bargaini...
March 05, 2020
BCGEU calls on LRB to bring Retirement Concepts members under one bargaining ...
The B.C. Government & Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) has filed a common employer application at the BC Labour Relations Board (LRB) seeking to consolidate all nine of the union's bargaining units with Well Being Services/Retirement Concepts (WBS/RC) into a single bargaining unit. The move to a single bargaining unit would position the union and its members to address many of the issues th...
March 05, 2020
BC union shareholder proposal prompts RBC to confirm screening of U.S. privat...
(Burnaby, BC)Following a shareholder proposal by the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU), Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has confirmed that it will not provide lending or financing services to companies including GEO Group (NYSE: GEO) and Core Civic (NYSE: CXW). These U.S. private prison companies operate the majority of U.S. detention facilities currently detaining migrant familie...