The first round of bargaining talks with the employer have just wrapped up, and we want to provide an update to members.

Bargaining kicked off on March 14 with a powerful show of solidarity. Across the province hundreds of LifeLabs members wore buttons to send a message to the employer that we're united and ready to fight for a fair deal.

Special thanks to all the members who stepped up as leaders to help distribute buttons, talk to co-workers, and make the button-up action a success. We’re looking forward to continuing to work with you through the bargaining process.

We opened bargaining talks by tabling a comprehensive package of non-monetary proposals – including improvements to scheduling, hours of work, workload, and health and safety – and met with the employer for four additional days last week to discuss our proposals. While progress has been slower than we hoped, we did take care of some housekeeping issues, and your bargaining committee laid out compelling arguments in support of our proposals.

Our next bargaining dates with the employer are scheduled for April 22-26. We'd hoped for earlier dates but between spring break, Easter and other scheduling conflicts these were the earliest dates available. We'll keep you updated as talks progress.

If a member at your worksite didn't receive this email, please encourage them to go to the BCGEU member portal at my.bcgeu.ca to sign up for an account and update their contact information.

In solidarity,

Your BCGEU LifeLabs Bargaining Committee

Mandy DeFields, Bargaining Committee Chairperson 
Kelly Jeffs, Bargaining Committee member 
Maryam Baghalha, Bargaining Committee member 
Tony Ly, Bargaining Committee member 
Rosario Viray, Bargaining Committee member 
Wendy Cummer, Bargaining Committee member 
Linsay Buss, Staff Representative - Negotiations 

Download PDF of bulletin here

UWU/MoveUP