NEWS & UPDATES
May 31, 2017
British Columbia’s Fastest Growing Union Breaks Ground for New Office in Terr...
The B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU) hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday to begin construction on their new office in Terrace B.C.
The new building will replace the existing office building and will serve over 2,100 members from across northwest B.C. Over 1,400 of BCGEU members in Northwest B.C. live within a two hour drive of the new office, making this office a ke...
May 31, 2017
Courses for Labour Code OHS Committee Members in the Williams Lake Area - BCGEU
"Joint OHS Committee Training" will be held on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 and "Incident Investigations" will be held on Wednesday, July 12, 2017. These courses will be held at the BCGEU office at 107A North First Avenue, Williams Lake from 9:00 am - 4:30 pm.
In the Joint OHS Committee Training course you will learn:
Worker OHS rights, including the refusal of unsafe work procedure
OHS legislation
...
May 31, 2017
BCGEU congratulates BC Greens and BC NDP on historic agreement - BCGEU
VANCOUVER -
We welcome yesterday’s historic agreement between the BC NDP caucus and BC Green caucus. “Three weeks after B.C. went to the polls we now finally have a clearer idea of what the next government’s priorities are going to be going forward.” said Stephanie Smith, BCGEU President. “The Green and NDP Confidence and Supply Agreement sets the stage for four years of stable government tha...
May 26, 2017
Strike Vote Results for members at Douglas Care Community - BCGEU
To: All BCGEU Members at Douglas Care Community Re: Strike Vote Results
Thank you for the great turnout at our drop-in meetings on May 25, 2017.
The membership have voted unanimously (100%) in favour of a strike. This will send a clear message to your Employer that you're prepared to stand up for a fair deal.
We will be communicating with you regularly regarding next steps. Please m...
May 26, 2017
Michael Hudson on the Vancouver Affordability Crisis - BCGEU
On April 14, over 400 people packed the sold-out Rio Theatre to hear economist Michael Hudson talk about the Vancouver affordability crisis in an event organized by the BCGEU and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
His presentation and the following Q&A touched on the links between global financial systems and the real estate market. His talk explores the ways in which rising real ...
May 26, 2017
Canada’s mayors call for speedy approval of proposals to address overdose cri...
Canada’s big-city mayors are calling for the expedited approval of new supervised drug-consumption sites, improved data collection and the expansion of unconventional therapies, such as heroin-assisted treatment, to address a national overdose crisis that shows no signs of abating.
The formal recommendations from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ task force on the opioid crisis come as...
May 26, 2017
Blistering VPD report calls for drug treatment on demand - BCGEU
At least three Vancouver police officers have been exposed to fentanyl during the opioid crisis.
That's just one statistic revealed in a Vancouver Police Departmnet report released Wednesday, which says the force feels "an ethical obligation to call for change" in how the crisis is being dealt with.
Read more...
May 25, 2017
Vancouver hosts public forum focused on opioid crisis - BCGEU
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Fighting back against the deadly opioid epidemic gripping the province will be the discussion topic at a public forum tonight hosted by Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson.
“It’s going to be an update on where we’re at right now. Vancouver of course is hardest hit by this crisis in BC. So it’s going to be local service providers and the mayor talking about what we have done...
May 24, 2017
Tentative Agreement - Ratification Vote Scheduled for members at The Wellesle...
To: All BCGEU Members at The Wellesley Re: Tentative Agreement - Ratification Vote Scheduled
Following negotiations that began in January, the Union and the Employer were able to reach a tentative agreement.
Copies of the ratification agreement will be available at the ratification meeting which will be held as follows:
DATE: June 2, 2017 TIME: 12 p.m. – 4:...
May 24, 2017
OHS Courses for Labour Code OHS Committee Members in the Victoria Area - BCGEU
"Joint OHS Committee Training" will be held on Tuesday, July 18 and "Incident Investigations" will be held on Wednesday, July 19. These courses will be held at the BCGEU office at 2994 Douglas St, Victoria from 9:00 am - 4:30 pm.
In the Joint OHS Committee Training course you will learn:
Worker OHS rights, including the refusal of unsafe work procedure
OHS legislation
Roles and responsibilitie...
May 19, 2017
Ratification Vote Deadline for LifeLabs members - BCGEU
To: All BCGEU Members at LifeLabs Re: Ratification Vote Deadline
Thank you to everyone who attended our recent membership meetings and called in to the Town Hall conference call regarding the tentative settlement agreement. The Bargaining Committee appreciated the opportunity to receive your feedback and answer questions.
Balloting will continue until May 26th. Every member, with a ...
May 19, 2017
Strike vote called for care centre workers in Victoria seeking modest improve...
BURNABY – BC Government and Service Employees Union (BCGEU) members working at Douglas Care Community in Victoria may soon find themselves behind the picket line. Following an impasse in negotiations for modest improvements to wages and benefits, the union has called a strike vote for Thursday May 25th.
“An agreement has been made with the employer on all non-monetary proposals, however their r...
May 18, 2017
Progress on opioids, incoherence on marijuana - BCGEU
The move toward marijuana legalization is … still not as coherent as it could be, let’s say. The Liberal legislation, unveiled last month, would establish rules around THC-impaired driving that may well prove unconstitutional: science has yet to establish a solid link between a given level of THC concentration in a driver’s blood or saliva and his level of impairment. Frustratingly, there are s...
May 18, 2017
Douglas Care Community - Notice of Strike Vote - BCGEU
To: All BCGEU Members at Douglas Care Community Re: Update on Bargaining – Notice of Strike Vote
Further to our bulletin dated May 11, 2017, the Union and the Employer reached an impasse when we met again on May 16th.
At the end of our negotiations on May 11th, after the parties had agreed to virtually all non-monetary items, we told the Employer that their responses to the Union's mone...
May 16, 2017
Provincial Government Awards Contract for Asbestos Inventory - BCGEU
The B.C. Government has taken a step forward in its commitment to create an inventory of asbestos in government buildings built before 1990 by awarding the contract to Pinchin West.
There are over 750 government buildings that must be inspected as part of this initiative and it is estimated the inventory will take about 18 months to complete.
Until the inventory has been completed, there will b...
May 15, 2017
Post-election message from Stephanie Smith - BCGEU
While we wait for the final results of recounts and absentee ballots, it’s become clear just how important your vote can be: one party is currently leading Courtenay-Comox by just 9 votes and another is leading in Richmond-Queensborough by only 263 votes.
Regardless of the outcome, we will continue to work with government as we advocate for improved public services and supports across BC – inc...
May 15, 2017
Overdose calls spike in Vancouver — again — during first week of May - BCGEU
A barrage of overdose calls marked the first week of May in Vancouver.
For the second time in less than a month, Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services (VFRS) reported more than 150 overdose calls in one week — responding to 168 calls last week. Vancouver Police reported seven suspected overdose deaths for the same period.
Read more...
May 12, 2017
Douglas Community Care - Update on Bargaining - BCGEU
Your Bargaining Committee met with Employer representatives on April 24, 25, and May 11, 2017.
We have reached agreement on virtually all non-monetary items, including language and housekeeping changes which will make your Collective Agreement make better sense.
However, the Employer's responses to the Union's monetary proposals have been unacceptable.
We are scheduled to meet again on May 16th...
May 11, 2017
Nanaimo Seniors Village (NSV) - Wage Increases/Retro - BCGEU
Your Employer recently contacted the Union and advised that recently agreed to wage increases and retro payments owing to members in your new collective agreement, WILL NOT BE PAID until the new agreement is formally signed off by both parties. This is disappointing, as your Employer had indicated that the wage lifts, and retro payments would be paid either on April 18th or May 12th.
The Union ...
May 11, 2017
Lifelabs- Town Hall Conference Call - BCGEU
A town hall conference call has been scheduled for members unable to attend any of the ratification meetings listed below. The conference call is scheduled for May 17th, between 6:00pm and 7:00pm. This is your opportunity to review all of the changes and improvements in the tentative agreement, and have any of your questions answered by LifeLabs bargaining committee members and BCGEU staff neg...
May 08, 2017
Happy National Nursing Week! - BCGEU
This week – May 8 to 14 – we celebrate National Nursing Week. The BCGEU would like to recognize the valuable work of the nurses we represent in our union.
“I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to all nurses across Canada, and acknowledge them for their dedication, professionalism and the essential role they play in Canada’s health care system,” said Stephanie Smith, BCGEU president.
This y...
May 05, 2017
Have your say! - BCGEU
In March, BCGEU President Stephanie Smith sent a letter to the Board Chair of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) outlining her concerns about the violent working conditions our members are faced with at Forensic Psychiatric Hospital.
The letter referenced the 102 Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) inspection reports that have been filed, the 54 WCB orders that have been written in ...
May 05, 2017
Sodexo members at George Pearson Centre Bargaining Questionnaire – We Need yo...
To: All BCGEU Members at Sodexo at George Pearson Centre, Local 403 Re: Bargaining Questionnaire – We Need your Input!
As bargaining committee nominations are now underway, we will soon be preparing proposals that we will present to the Employer. All members are encouraged to take the time to provide input by completing the attached bargaining questionnaire.
Please return the comple...
May 05, 2017
B.C. Election 2017: Horgan speaks out on fentanyl crisis, more must be done -...
With deaths from illicit drug overdoses continuing to climb in the Lower Mainland, NDP Leader John Horgan said Thursday that the B.C. Liberals aren’t doing enough to mitigate the crisis.
Read more...
May 04, 2017
BC Employment Standards Coalition releases report: Why BC Employment Standard...
Today the BC Employment Standards Coalition released a powerful report called Workers’ Stories of Exploitation & Abuse: Why BC Employment Standards Need to Change. The report is based on a series of Workers’ Forums the coalition hosted over the past few months in the Lower Mainland and Victoria to give voice to BC workers who have been treated unfairly. The report brings the inadequacies of...
May 04, 2017
Day of Mourning honours lives lost on the job - BCGEU
About 25 people gathered at City Hall Friday afternoon to march in honour of those who lost their lives in the workplace.
The annual Day of Mourning recognizes the need for safe work practices and those who died on the job.
Kurt Langdon, an equipment operator with the city of Fort St. John and local chair for the BCGEU, said he was pleased to see the number of people that came out.
Read more...
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