NEWS & UPDATES
December 13, 2018
LDB members call for increased consultation in review of distribution system ...
Following the B.C. government's announcement of a review of liquor distribution in the province, BCGEU members employed at the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) retail stores and warehouse locations are emphasizing the importance of worker perspectives in any review. The review stems from recommendations included in Mark Hicken's report on British Columbia's liquor industry earlier in the y...
December 12, 2018
BCGEU welcomes the provincial government's Rental Housing Task Force report a...
In July 2018 the BC Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) made a submission to the provincial government's Rental Housing Task Force recommending measures to expand and better protect the supply of rental housing in the province. Today, the Task Force released its report and 23 policy recommendations that will help to improve life for tenants in B.C. The BCGEU's submission focused on ...
December 12, 2018
Casino workers negotiate new contracts - BCGEU
(Burnaby/New Westminster) Over 1,200 members of the BC Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) working at Gateway's Grand Villa Casino in Burnaby and Starlight Casino in New Westminster voted to accept new collective agreements putting them among the highest paid casino workers in the province. "These workers stuck together to set the industry standard," said BCGEU Treasurer Paul Finch....
December 11, 2018
BCGEU presents member’s recommendations to the National Inquiry into missing ...
Tomorrow, I will proudly represent the 77,000 members of the BCGEU at the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous women and girls. We are the only union in Canada to have legal standing at the Inquiry and I'll be sharing your recommendations directly with the commissioners.
My journey here to Ottawa began on the convention floor in 2014 when a resolution was passed to call for a n...
December 10, 2018
BCGEU commends report calling for overhaul of system to support children with...
The BC Government & Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) commends the report Alone and Afraid: Lessons learned from the ordeal of a child with special needs and his family released by the Representative for Children and Youth (RCY) today, and their 11 recommendations to overhaul British Columbia's system of services to support children with complex needs.
The report details the difficult and he...
December 06, 2018
Members need your help on the picket line - BCGEU
As you may know fellow BCGEU members working at Comox Valley Seniors Village or Casa Loma are currently on strike in Courtenay. Today I received reports that our members' safety has been threatened on the picket line and we are quickly mobilizing to provide additional support to ensure their continued safety.Can you help?Picket captains will review safety protocols with all members on the picke...
December 06, 2018
STAFF REPRESENTATIVE KELOWNA AREA OFFICE - BCGEU
STAFF REPRESENTATIVE KELOWNA AREA OFFICE
INTERNAL POSTINGDecember 6, 2018
The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union requires a staff representative to work in the Kelowna Area office, effective date to be determined.
DUTIES:
Assist officers, stewards and membership in the day-to-day administration of their union by attending membership meetings; assisting in union elections, preparin...
December 06, 2018
ADMINISTRATIVE REPRESENTATIVE 2 FINANCE DEPARTMENT - BCGEU
ADMINISTRATIVE REPRESENTATIVE 2 FINANCE DEPARTMENT
INTERNAL POSTINGDecember 6, 2018
The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union requires an Administrative Representative in the Finance Department, effective date is to be determined. The position reports directly to the Financial Controller.
DUTIES:
Preparation of monthly financial statements; preparation of year end audit working paper...
December 06, 2018
STAFF REPRESENTATIVE LOWER MAINLAND AREA OFFICE - BCGEU
STAFF REPRESENTATIVE LOWER MAINLAND AREA OFFICE
INTERNAL POSTINGDecember 6, 2018
The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union requires a staff representative to work in the Lower Mainland Area office, effective date to be determined.
DUTIES:
Assist officers, stewards and membership in the day-to-day administration of their union by attending membership meetings; assisting in union election...
December 06, 2018
STAFF REPRESENTATIVE (Temporary) LOWER MAINLAND AREA OFFICE - BCGEU
STAFF REPRESENTATIVE (Temporary)LOWER MAINLAND AREA OFFICE
INTERNAL POSTINGDecember 6, 2018
The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union requires a temporary staff representative to work in the Lower Mainland Area office for 3 months or to return of incumbent, effective date to be determined.
DUTIES:
Assist officers, stewards and membership in the day-to-day administration of their unio...
December 06, 2018
Review suggests no reason to discipline guards in death of prisoner, union sa...
The vice-president of the union that represents B.C. prison guards says his members followed policy the day an inmate died in the back of a corrections van. Dean Purdy of the B.C. Government and Service Employees Union said in a memo to his members that a government review has already determined that "no discipline is required" in the death of Alex Joseph. Read more... UWU/MoveUP
December 05, 2018
BCGEU applauds bold, inclusive plan for emissions reduction and clean growth ...
The BC Government & Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) applauds the B.C. government's release today of CleanBC which outlines plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent compared to 2007 levels by 2030.
Through a sector-by-sector approach focusing on transportation, buildings and industry, government seeks to work collaboratively with stakeholders to foster economic growth and cre...
November 29, 2018
Stand with postal workers this Saturday in support of labour rights - BCGEU
The protected rights of all unionized workers in Canada are being challenged right now in the Canadian Union of Postal Workers' (CUPW) current struggle to achieve a collective agreement. Canada Post workers have taken action over health and safety issues, exhaustive and unsustainable workload issues, and inequities between urban and rural mail carriers.
Entering their second month of rotating ...
November 29, 2018
The BCGEU congratulates Cronk and Skidmore on election to lead BC Fed - BCGEU
VANCOUVER – The BC Government & Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) congratulates Laird Cronk and Sussanne Skidmore on their election today as the new president and secretary-treasurer of the BC Federation of Labour (BC Fed) at the federation's 58th convention.
Cronk and Skidmore bring extensive experience from both the private and public sectors of the labour movement to their roles. And as a...
November 28, 2018
BCGEU offers multi-million dollar loan to CUPW - BCGEU
The leadership of the BCGEU has approved a $3-million interest-free loan for the Canadian Union of Postal Workers to call on if needed to support their ongoing struggle to achieve a collective agreement. Thousands of postal workers were ordered back to work earlier this week following more than a month of rotating strikes.
"We condemn the unconstitutionality of the federal government's back to ...
November 23, 2018
Submission to provincial Legal Aid Services Review - BCGEU
A robust public legal aid program is essential for realising the fundamental right to justice for all British Columbians, and the BCGEU has long advocated for improvements to the province's legal aid services. The B.C. government is currently conducting an independent review of B.C.'s legal aid service delivery system, and your union has made a submission to this process.In this submission we c...
November 23, 2018
New resources for Residential Tenancy Branch a good first step - BCGEU
Union sees need to enhance online resources with added walk-in service
The recent announcement by the B.C. government of improved staffing and service levels at the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) is a welcome improvement and a good first step, but should not completely replace walk-in services, the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union said today.
The B.C. government reported that at l...
November 16, 2018
Economic Stability Dividend (ESD) announced for 2019 - BCGEU
The Public Service Agency has calculated the Economic Stability Dividend (ESD) for 2019. The BCGEU has confirmed these calculations. Under the terms of our Memorandum of Understanding with public sector employers, the ESD will produce a 0.75 per cent increase beginning in February 2019. For members in the direct government this amounts to $0.2392 per hour or $16.74 bi-weekly. The ESD was nego...
November 14, 2018
Shop Stewards at LDB VDC Warehouse - BCGEU
We would like to welcome the following, who were recently acclaimed as Shop Stewards at BCLDB Vancouver Distribution Centre, and Delta Distribution Centre Warehouses:
Day Shift
Afternoon Shift
Mitchell Cadlick
Erica Cardarelli
Sukhwinder Chib
Harkirat (Herman) Cheema
Amandeep (Aman) Kambo
Orson Choy
Sheena Lisberg
Carlton Edwards
Ronald (Alex) McCallum
Harbinde...
November 13, 2018
Casino workers go back to work after achieving wage increases, improved benef...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 9, 2018Casino workers go back to work after achieving wage increases, improved benefits (Thompson-Okanagan) Nearly 700 members of the BCGEU working in Gateway Casinos in the Thompson-Okanagan voted to ratify a new contract with their employer ending a 19-week strike."I am so impressed by the solidarity and courage of our members" said Stephanie Smith, president of...
November 08, 2018
BCGEU welcomes new legislation aimed at improving working conditions for heal...
The BC Government & Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) welcomes the B.C. government's announcement today that it will repeal both the Health and Social Services Delivery Improvement Act (Bill 29) and the Health Sector Partnerships Agreement Act (Bill 94). Enacted in 2002 and 2003, the bills led to the deterioration of working conditions for health and social-sector workers by stripping workpl...
November 07, 2018
Local 503 Members at BCLDB (VDC Warehouse) Re: Temporary Workers - UPDATED -...
UPDATED: The email for Kusam Doal provided was incorrect and should be kusam.doal@bcgeu.ca.
Due to a significant backlog of work at VDC, the Employer has hired workers for limited employment as per the Article 36.1 of the Collective Agreement.
Download PDF of notice here
UWU/MoveUP
November 07, 2018
Local 503 Members at BCLDB (VDC Warehouse) Re: Temporary Workers - BCGEU
We understand that the presence of temporary workers at VDC has been the cause of serious concern for some members.
Due to a significant backlog of work at VDC, the Employer has hired workers for limited employment as per the Article 36 of the Collective Agreement.
These workers cannot be employed for greater than 30 days.
A meeting will be held with the Employer on Thursday, November 8th and...
November 02, 2018
BCGEU welcomes action plan to mitigate wildfire and flood risks in B.C. - BCGEU
The BCGEU welcomes this week's release of Government's Action Plan: Responding to wildfire and flood risks ('The Action Plan') by the provincial government, and applauds the actions outlined in the report to better prepare British Columbians for extreme wildfires and floods. At the same time, more will need to be done to mitigate the effects of what now appears to be the new normal in our provi...
October 31, 2018
Elections for Local 505 Executive - BCGEU
The interim nomination period closed on October 31, 2018. The BCGEU is holding an election for the following position of the local 505 executive:
Member-at-Large:
Rachel Jones
Talon Vaillancourt
Ballots are available from your stewards and contacts at the worksite. You may also vote at the area office, (158 Oriole Road Kamloops, BC).
Ballots are due back to the BCGEU Kamloops Area office no...
October 26, 2018
Recommended Changes To Provincial Labour Code A Good Start – But Don’t Go Far...
The BCGEU supports many of the recommendations put forward yesterday by the independent, three-person Labour Relations Code Review Panel appointed by Labour Minister Harry Bains earlier this year. "Our submission to the panel asked that balance and fairness be restored to the B.C. Labour Relations Code and Labour Relations Board," said BCGEU president Stephanie Smith. "We believe the recommenda...
October 25, 2018
280 transition housing units to be built for women fleeing violence - BCGEU
The BC Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) welcomed today’s announcement by the provincial government to initiate the first steps towards establishing 1,500 new supportive housing units for women and children fleeing violence. As part of government’s Building BC: Women’s Transition Housing Fund, 280 transition housing units will be built province-wide.
This news follows their commit...
October 23, 2018
President Irene Lanzinger won't seek re-election as BC's top labour leader - ...
Sister Irene Lanzinger has announced that she will not be running for re-election next month at the 58th Convention of the BC Federation of Labour. As the largest affiliate union of the BC Fed, the BCGEU would like to thank Irene for her contributions to the labour movement in British Columbia during her time as president.
As the first woman president of the Federation, Irene redefined what is ...
October 22, 2018
Proposed legislation will lay foundation for improved professional reliance s...
The BC Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) is pleased with the provincial government's introduction today of the Professional Governance Act aimed at improving B.C.'s professional reliance system in the natural resource sector. If passed, the new legislation will lay the foundation for a series of much-needed changes to better protect and manage the province's natural resources for ...