Friends,

Further to our January 11 and 12, 2023 updates that we have a tentative settlement for our first collective agreement, we are providing this bulletin outlining the highlights of the settlement. We will be distributing a comprehensive report next week. Membership meetings will also be held to present the tentative settlement and provide you with an opportunity to ask questions.

Wages. We have standardized and incorporated into the tentative settlement all wage rates. Please see the attached document to determine what you will be paid providing the tentative settlement is accepted. 

Teachers will now be paid based on years of employment with Sikh Academy meaning that if you are a teacher who has worked for the Sikh Academy for five years you will be placed on Step 4 of the grid and paid the Step 4 rate under the column "Effective September 1, 2022", if you are a Teacher in your first year of employment with the Sikh Academy you will be placed at Step 0 of the grid and paid the Step 0 rate under the column "Effective September 1, 2022", if you are a teacher who has worked for Sikh Academy for eight years you will be placed at Step 7 of the grid and paid the Step 7 rate under the column "Effective September 1, 2022" and, so forth.

We were also able to level out the unequal bonus between Certified Teachers ($5,000) and Letter of Permission and Independently Certified Teachers ($1,000) to $3,000 for each teacher. That amount was then added to your wages.
Bus Drivers, Office (Support) Staff and Special Education Assistants will no longer have a 10-step salary grid. The grid has been collapsed into a probationary rate of $22 per hour and post-probationary rate of $24 per hour. No current employee is on probation.

We have attached a document that shows what your new wage will be if this tentative agreement is ratified. Members will be paid the September 1, 2022, wage rate for their classification upon ratification.

Retroactive payments to September 1, 2022. Your new negotiated wage rate will apply as of September 1, 2022, but because you will be paid your old rate until the new rate comes in effect, you will receive the difference between your old rate and your new rate from September 1, 2022 to the day before your new wage rate takes effect in the pay system. This is called the retroactive period.

Sick Leave. Employees will accumulate one day's paid sick leave per month to a maximum of 20 working days. Unused sick days will be carried forward. Employees who are below the 20 day cap will accrue days until they reach the cap.

Improved Benefits. Regular Employees who work 20 hours a week or more will be eligible for vision care of $250 every two years for glasses and $75 every two years for eye exams; dental benefits have increased to 100% coverage for basic services such as fillings, 75% coverage for restorative services such as crowns, and 60% coverage for orthodontia for a maximum lifetime payment of $3,000 per member, spouse or dependent child; prescriptions will be 100% reimbursed and a direct pay card will be implemented; cost of seeing a paramedical professional such as physiotherapists will be reimbursed up to $1,000 per year per professional; group life insurance increases to 2X your annual earnings. Unlike the current benefit plan which is 100% employee paid, the Employer will pay 50% of the premiums.

Vacation. Vacation remains at three paid weeks each year. But Regular Employees will also be paid for the workdays between Christmas and New Year's days.

Tuition Waiver. Children of employees will have their tuition waived if attending Sikh Academy.

Class Size. Class size has been capped at 32 students. Currently there is no cap on class size. A joint committee consisting of equal Union and Employer representatives will be tasked with determining appropriate class size considering a number of factors. Failure to agree will be submitted to a third party for a binding decision.

Three Year Collective Agreement. The ratified collective agreement will be from June 17, 2021, to June 30, 2024.
A ratification date has not yet been set. We will be holding information meetings to allow each of you to ask us questions. We will also send out a copy of the tentative agreement in its entirety.

THE HIGHLIGHTS WE HAVE SET OUT IN THIS BULLETIN ARE TENTATIVE. THE MEMBERS WILL NEED TO RATIFY THE TENTATIVE AGREEMENT BEFORE ANY CHANGES KICK-IN. OUR RECOMMENDATION WILL BE THAT THE MEMBERS VOTE YES TO THE TENTATIVE AGREEMENT.

We want to express our heartful thank you for your trust in us. We were able to do this with your unified support. We are stronger together! We would also like to acknowledge your Employer's good faith and good will efforts.

If you know a BCGEU member who didn't receive this bulletin, please forward it to them. If you are a BCGEU member who didn't receive the bulletin directly, please update your email address with your Union by logging into the Member Portal here. 

In solidarity,

Lorena Henriquez-Zamorano, Bargaining Committee
Jagbir Kaur, Bargaining Committee
Tatiana Zamorano, Bargaining Committee
Andii Stephens, Servicing Representative
Zoe Towle, Spokesperson, Staff Rep Negotiations

Download PDF of notice here 
Download Punjabi translated version here

UWU/MoveUP