Negotiations for the next common collective agreement for post-secondary instructors kicked off this week, in person in Vancouver, approximately one month before the current agreement is due to expire.

This agreement, which took affect April 1, 2019 and expires March 31, 2022, covers you and 900 other BCGEU members at five B.C. institutions.
 
As your elected Post-Secondary Instructors Bargaining Committee (IBC), we negotiate with your employer’s bargaining agent – the Post-Secondary Employers’ Association (PSEA). The PSEA represents all public colleges, special-purpose teaching universities, and institutes in B.C. and therefore negotiates with other bargaining committees from the BCGEU and other unions. We are the first bargaining committee to negotiate with PSEA during this round.
 
We are a strong committee experienced in negotiations and ready to work on your behalf. Your committee includes:

• Cam McRobb (committee chair) – Okanagan College, Local 707
• Daryl Pushor – Vancouver Island University, Local 702
• Al Paterson – Camosun College, Local 701
• Dave Briggeman – Selkirk College, Local 709
• Rob-Roy Douglas – Northern Lights College, Local 710
• Seth Downs – Coast Mountain College, Local 712
• Linsay Buss – BCGEU Staff Negotiator
• Jitesh Mistry – BCGEU General Counsel

We negotiate two kinds of agreements with the PSEA – the common agreement which spells out wages, terms, and conditions for all members of the five bargaining units, and local agreements which address issues that are very specific to your institution. 

Negotiation dates for the common agreement are currently set for February 28 to March 4 and March 28 to March 31. Dates to negotiate local agreements are still to be determined.

Since last fall, we’ve been hard at work preparing a comprehensive package of proposals to present to the employer. Our preparation included consideration of proposals from your BCGEU locals and member responses to a bargaining survey.

Your input has been clear and consistent: you want a fair and equitable contract that addresses the rapidly rising cost-of-living, working conditions and much-needed instructor support, builds on the gains we achieved in the current agreement, and recognizes how critically important the post-secondary sector and workers are to British Columbians.  

We know well the extraordinary risks and challenges you’ve faced from the pandemic, especially having to rapidly “pivot” from in-person instruction to online instruction with minimal support from the employer. 

We also know you’ve gone above and beyond working towards lasting reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, eliminating racism and discrimination from your workplaces, and making our province’s post-secondary sector a more diverse, equitable and inclusive place.

You’ve demonstrated commitment, perseverance, and professionalism. Through all of this, you’ve learned your value and grown your solidarity. 

Our bargaining proposals are based on all of this. Addressing your demands in your next collective agreement is one way your employer can show respect for everything you’ve done.

We understand financial issues are key to a tentative agreement. With inflation currently running at well over four per cent annually, the challenges in these negotiations are clear to your committee. 

We will update you as negotiations proceed and keep you informed every step of the way.

To learn about the bargaining process, check out this infographic.

In solidarity,
Your Post-Secondary Instructors Bargaining Committee (IBC)
 

PS. If you know a co-worker who is not getting these emails, forward this email to them and tell them to update their information with the BCGEU here: https://members.bcgeu.ca/signup If they aren’t getting emails, we don’t have their contact info! 

UWU/MoveUP