NEWS & UPDATES
June 06, 2017
Update on Bargaining for Sherwood House in Duncan - BCGEU
Your Bargaining Committee met with the Employer on March 22nd, 2017, at which time we tabled all of our language and monetary proposals. Unfortunately, we were not able to reconvene until June 2nd due to a medical absence on the Employer's side. When we met on June 2nd, we made considerable progress on our non-monetary items, however the Employer's response to our reasonable monetary proposals...
June 05, 2017
BCGEU commends extended apology from head of the B.C. Public Service on 2012 ...
The BC Government & Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) commends last week's extended apology from Deputy Minister to the Premier and head of the B.C. Public Service Kim Henderson to those affected by the terminations of Ministry of Health employees in 2012. In the April 2017 report Misfire: The 2012 Ministry of Health Employment Terminations and Related Matters, the B.C. Ombudsperson document...
June 05, 2017
The Wellesley - Ratification of Collective Agreement - BCGEU
Your Bargaining Committee is very pleased to announce that your collective agreement was ratified today. The agreement was approved with a 70% vote in favour. Your Bargaining Committee would like to thank everyone who participated in the ratification vote, and all members for their support throughout this round of collective bargaining. In solidarity, Diane Belliveau, Bargaining Committee Cha...
June 05, 2017
Collective Agreement ratified for BCGEU members at Halcyon Assisted Living So...
To: All BCGEU Members – Halcyon Assisted Living SocietyRe: Collective Agreement Your bargaining committee is pleased to report that on Friday, June 2, the tentative agreement between the BCGEU and Halcyon Assisted Living Society was ratified by the membership. We would like to thank you for your support through this round of bargaining. As well, we would like to thank you for taking the ...
June 02, 2017
Tentative Agreement Ratifies for LifeLabs - BCGEU
To: All BCGEU Members at LifeLabs Re: Tentative Agreement Ratifies Your bargaining committee is pleased to advise that the tentative LifeLabs collective agreement has been ratified. Members throughout the province participated in this important vote, either by attending ratification meetings, or by mailing in their ballots. Your involvement and support has been greatly appreciated. In the comi...
June 02, 2017
Vancouver Talmud Torah Teachers Association joins BCGEU - BCGEU
Today the BC Government & Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) welcomes 47 teachers into its membership from the Vancouver Talmud Torah School, one of the largest Jewish Schools in Western Canada. The Vancouver Talmud Torah Teachers Association (VTTTA) voted to merge with the BCGEU in order to secure a more stable labour relations environment and increase leverage in negotiations with the emplo...
June 02, 2017
WEB DEVELOPER (Temporary) EXTERNAL POSTING - BCGEU
The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union requires a temporary Web Developer to work in the IT Services section of the Administration Department, effective date to be determined. The term of assignment is for six months. DUTIES: Website Development – Plan, develop and create websites to achieve the goals of the Union; work with development team to deliver state of the art websites tha...
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...
BCGEU Headquarters is on the unceded and shared traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skxwú7mesh (Squamish) & Səlí̓ lwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples.