NEWS & UPDATES
June 17, 2020
Who is included in the pandemic pay program – COVID-19 update, June 17 - BCGEU
On May 7, 2020 the federal government announced it was working with the provinces on a cost-shared, temporary "pandemic pay" program to top up the wages of select essential frontline workers. Through this program more than 250,000 frontline workers will receive a lump-sum payment of about $4 per hour for a 16-week period, starting on March 15, 2020 and ending July 5, 2020. To be eligible, emplo...
June 16, 2020
Petition for forensic pay - BCGEU
Thank you to everyone who signed the petition for forensic pay and came last week to support one another as we delivered the petition to management. It's great to see how our members are uniting! You work diligently on the frontlines of a challenging work environment and should be compensated with forensic pay, just as our counterparts the nurses do. In fact, our role in implementing relational...
June 15, 2020
Message From President Stephanie Smith - BCGEU
The last several months have been indescribable in so many ways...but the last few weeks have been absolutely devastating. Like many of you, two weeks ago my social media feeds were completely filled with the video of the senseless murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. Mr. Floyd is not alone-Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, the list goes on and seems to grow by the day-but Mr. Floyd has b...
June 08, 2020
Janitorial Duties for Members at Fraser Health: New Westminster Mental Health...
The Union has become aware that during the pandemic the Employer has been asking administrative staff to participate in cleaning of washroom areas including toilet seats, faucets, sinks and sanitary disposal containers. The Employer has advised the Union that they are not requiring employees to perform this work but are asking employees to volunteer. While we understand the Employer wishes to ...
June 08, 2020
Save the Date: A conversation with Minister of Health Adrian Dix – June 10 - ...
BCGEU Telephone town hall with Minister of Health Adrian DixTomorrow – Wednesday June 10 – at 6pm
We hope you’re able to join us tomorrow for our conversation with B.C. Minister of Health Adrian Dix to talk about your experience during the pandemic and to look ahead at the coming months.
Thousands of BCGEU members in health services have been on the frontlines and in support roles throughout th...
June 05, 2020
Hazard Alert: Hand sanitizer at worksites - BCGEU
Hazard Alert: Hand sanitizer at worksitesYou are receiving this hazard alert as an OHS representative of BCGEU members. Please inform your colleagues of the following information. Due to supply issues, some manufacturers of hand sanitizer are substituting food-grade ethanol with technical-grade ethanol – which contains toxicological properties including carcinogenicity and should NOT be used on...
May 28, 2020
LifeLabs COVID-19 Action Team Update - BCGEU
Your LifeLabs COVID-19 Action Team met this week to follow up on earlier discussions and move towards finding solutions to the urgent issues you and your co-workers are facing during the pandemic. The Action Team has struck three sub-committees to focus our efforts on specific areas of concern. The new sub-committees are: Occupational Health and Safety – there have been a number of ongoing heal...
May 28, 2020
Nanaimo Seniors Village - Bargaining update #7 - BCGEU
Your bargaining committee and employer met via videoconference on May 27, 2020. The parties have now concluded bargaining on all non-monetary proposals and have made good initial progress on monetary matters. The parties are scheduled to meet again on June 10 and 11, 2020, and we will provide a further update after that.
Thank you again for your patience and support throughout the bargaining pr...
May 28, 2020
Glass Lewis endorses shareholder motion questioning Thomson Reuters’s (NYSE, ...
Burnaby – One of the world's leading independent proxy advisory firms, Glass Lewis, has recommended that Thomson Reuters (NYSE, TSX: TRI) shareholders vote FOR a proposal filed by the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU). The proposal calls on the Thomson Reuters board to produce a human rights report that addresses the impacts of contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforceme...