The BCGEU is pleased to support our 2020 scholarship recipients in their continuing education.

2020 Scholarship Winners List

(Winners will be mailed a letter with instructions on how to claim their scholarship).

This year, applicants were asked to write an essay on one of three topics:

1. One job should be enough! How does precarious work impact workers and why is decent work so important?

2. What are the impacts of work on the mental health of workers and what can employers and unions do to support workers' mental health?

3. What does Reconciliation between Indigenous and settler peoples mean to you?

You can read some of the top winning essays below:

• Siobhan Harvey
• Lance Coloma
• Robert Kennedy
• Fira Pierce

UWU/MoveUP

Since the beginning of the Coronavirus outbreak in January, your union has been closely monitoring the situation and acting decisively based on the best available science and expert recommendations to keep members and staff healthy, safe, and informed while maintaining core services and supports for our 80,000+ members across the province during this critical time.

Yesterday, I convened the first meeting of the BCGEU COVID Response Team-which is made up of me, Treasurer Paul Finch, our four Executive Vice Presidents, the BCGEU's three directors and our press secretary. The team will be meeting daily (by phone) throughout the pandemic to identify urgent issues for members and staff and streamline the resolution of those issues.

The first issue we tackled was the decision to close BCGEU offices to the public and require all non-essential BCGEU staff to work from home effective as soon as it is operationally possible. We expect all offices to be closed by the end of this week-hopefully many will be closed by Wednesday.

We took this decision to ensure our members have access to core services and supports of their union during the pandemic while also supporting the ability of our staff to practice social distancing. Allowing non-essential staff to work from home and restricting public access to BCGEU buildings we are making sure staff whose work requires them to be in an office to practice social distancing in their workplace. 

I want to make two things clear:

• BCGEU buildings are safe-we implemented deep cleaning protocols in every facility last week. This decision to have non-essential staff work remotely is simply our commitment to the recommended practice of social distancing.
• The office closure will not impact members' ability to access the core services and supports of their union. During this period of remote work, local chairs will continue to have direct access to staff representatives and members with questions or issues related to COVID-19 or regular labour relations can contact their steward or local chair as they usually would. In addition, members with questions or concerns specific to COVID-19 in their workplace can email those questions to health@bcgeu.ca 

Going forward your union will continue to protect the health, safety, and rights of our members and staff as well as all working people based on the best available science and expert advice and to keep our members and staff informed of our decisions and actions. I encourage all of you to follow the science, listen to the experts and take care of yourselves and your loved ones. Thank you for all that you do.

In solidarity,
Stephanie Smith

UWU/MoveUP

BCGEU HEADQUARTERS OFFICE

INTERNAL POSTING
August 4, 2020

POSITION: SECRETARY – RESEARCH AND INTERACTIVE SERVICES

GRADE: LEVEL 3 - MoveUP AGREEMENT (Temporary)

A full-time support staff is required to perform secretarial and word processing functions for Staff Representatives in Research and Interactive Services. Term of assignment is up to 12 months or return of incumbent.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Duties will include: posting and maintaining the BCGEU website and calendar, maintaining the photo filing system, familiarity with the BCGEU's mass email system, processing a variety of documents such as news releases, minutes, meeting notices, reports, memoranda, forms, schedules, questionnaires, leaves of absence and general correspondence; making travel and hotel arrangements; arranging appointments; making logistical arrangements for conferences and training sessions; liaising with BCGEU activists and employer representatives; setting up and maintaining departmental filing systems; maintaining a daily bring forward system; responding to telephone inquiries and walk-in visitors; preparing and coding purchase orders; preparing cheque requisitions for signature; sorting and distributing mail; other related duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

Applicants must have 2-4 years' secretarial experience: high school graduation supplemented by secretarial training; excellent keyboarding (60-70 wpm); word processing skills essential; Word and database experience required; an aptitude for organization and detail; good telephone manner; and the ability to set priorities and work within time limits.

Hours of work are 32 per week, four days.

General aptitude tests will be administered to all applicants. Keyboarding tests will be administered to regular/temporary employees who are not presently working in or have not previously worked in a secretarial position.

The BCGEU supports employment equity. Workers of colour, women, aboriginal workers, LGBTQ2SI+ workers and workers with disabilities are encouraged to apply for positions with the BCGEU.

Apply in writing with resume to Sharon Penner, Human Resources Administrator, Headquarters by 5:00 pm, Monday, August 10, 2020.

Resumes will be accepted by e-mail to: human.resources@bcgeu.ca.

UWU/MoveUP

STAFF REPRESENTATIVE (Temporary) (2 Positions)

ADVOCACY DEPARTMENT

INTERNAL POSTING

July 31, 2020

The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union requires a temporary staff representative to work in the Advocacy Department, effective date to be determined. Term of assignment(s) is up to 6 months.

DUTIES:

The successful applicant will work as part of a team providing a wide range of advocacy services to the union and its members. Duties will include, but may not be limited to, representing the union and its members at formal arbitration hearings, at the Labour Relations Board, and other adjudicative tribunals.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Applicants must have demonstrated abilities to analyze and identify grievance file issues, conduct merit assessments and either informally resolve outstanding issues and/or prepare and present a case at formal arbitration; deal with senior management and their counsel; prepare concise oral and written submissions; work effectively with union officers and stewards; handle a large volume of correspondence and speak effectively in public; demonstrated ability in problem solving and dispute resolution; an understanding of the goals and values of the labour movement; demonstrated ability to develop activists' skills and to maintain effective working relationships with activists.

Experience and training in the specific area of responsibility is preferred, in particular, experience in preparation and presentation of cases referred to full arbitration.

Salary and benefits are offered under a collective agreement. The BCGEU supports employment equity. Workers of colour, women, aboriginal workers, LGBTQ2SI+ workers, and workers with disabilities are encouraged to apply for positions with the BCGEU.

Travel is required; therefore, applicants must hold a valid B.C. Driver's Licence.

Submit applications no later than 5:00 pm, Monday, August 10, 2020.

Resumes will be accepted by e-mail to: human.resources@bcgeu.ca, attention to:

Stephanie Smith, President, c/o Lisa Trolland.

UWU/MoveUP

QUALITY ASSURANCE TEST LEAD
ADMINISTRATIVE REPRESENTATIVE

ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT

INTERNAL / EXTERNAL POSTING July 29, 2020

The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union requires a Quality Assurance lead and tester to work in the IT Services section of the Administration Department, effective date to be determined.

DUTIES:

The Quality Assurance Test Lead is accountable for the overall quality of the software applications and integrations at the BCGEU, conducting software testing and quality evaluation of a broad variety of moderately complex applications, or most areas of considerably more complex applications. Duties include: create and document standard processes for QA in a collaborative agile environment; oversee and implement best practices relating to quality of the software; work collaboratively with Development team to validate requirements and technical designs; Create detailed, comprehensive and well-structured test plans and test cases; Estimate, prioritize, plan, and coordinate testing activities; perform functional, performance, cross browser and OS compatibility testing of user stories for internal and external applications; report on meaningful test results; Design, Build, review and maintain automation system

QUALIFICATIONS:

• University degree (or equivalent combination of skills and experience) in computing science or related discipline with good knowledge of SDLC and experience with Agile and Scrum development methodologies.
• 5+ years' experience in a QA role.
• Thorough knowledge of structured test methodology, test techniques and test processes as well as a strong understanding of QA best practices and testing fundamentals including creating test plans, writing test cases and best practices.
• Hands-on experience with automated testing of UI, Java based backend and REST APIs, integration testing and adept abilities in manual testing of REST APIs, desktop, mobile web and native mobile applications across multiple browsers and devices.
• Preferred hands-on experience with debugging/ tracing bugs through logs using command line/other tools.
• Strong analytical, problem solving, organizational, communication and time management skills.

The BCGEU supports employment equity. Workers of colour, women, aboriginal workers, LGBTQ2SI+ workers, and workers with disabilities are encouraged to apply for positions with the BCGEU.

Travel may be required; therefore, applicants must hold a valid B.C. Driver's Licence.

Submit applications no later than 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, August 18, 2020.

Resumes will be accepted by e-mail to: human.resources@bcgeu.ca

Attention to: Stephanie Smith, President, c/o Lisa Trolland

UWU/MoveUP

PROJECT MANAGER (Temporary)

ADMINISTRATIVE REPRESENTATIVE

ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT

INTERNAL/EXTERNAL POSTING

July 29, 2020

The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union requires a temporary project manager to work in Administration Department. In this role, you will be working with senior management to manage a large records management system implementation as well as other smaller projects as required.

The term of the assignment is to December 31, 2021, and the effective date of this position is to be determined.

DUTIES:

• As a part of the Administration team, directly manage and be responsible for the overall success of a large complex implementation project with many stakeholders, as well as other smaller projects as required.
• Conduct project management activities and produce project management artifacts and deliverables as per the agreed to methodology;
• Manage the work to be delivered by ensuring that vendor and internal resources are made available and that the work is developed and is fully operational within previously agreed time, cost and performance parameters;
• Determine the composition, roles and responsibilities, budgetary requirements and terms of reference for the work to be delivered;
• Develop and maintain project work breakdown structures (WBS) and schedules, identifying project scheduling and dependency issues;
• Coordinate integration/customization activities involving data integration and/or common components with vendor SMEs;
• Coordinate infrastructure setup activities with vendor SMEs;
• Report progress of the Work to be delivered on an ongoing basis using a project dashboard tracking overall scope, cost, schedule and risk statuses of ongoing projects, Post Project Reviews.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 8+ years hands on experience as a project manager on both technical and non-technical projects, working on all phases of the project management lifecycle. 
• Knowledge of project management tools & techniques.
• Strong experience with organization change management.
• 2+ years of Agile experience.
• Excellent communication skills, written and verbal, including strong presentation skills.
• Experience managing stakeholder groups and balancing diplomacy and tact with assertiveness.
• PMP or CAPM designation an asset.

The BCGEU supports employment equity. Workers of colour, women, aboriginal workers, LGBTQ2SI+ workers, and workers with disabilities are encouraged to apply for positions with the BCGEU.

Travel may be required; therefore, applicants must hold a valid B.C. Driver's Licence.

Submit applications no later than 5:00 pm, Tuesday, August 18, 2020.

Resumes will be accepted by e-mail to: human.resources@bcgeu.ca

Attention to: Stephanie Smith, President, c/o Lisa Trolland

UWU/MoveUP

ADMINISTRATIVE REPRESENTATIVE

ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT

INTERNAL POSTING

July 29, 2020

The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union requires an experienced business analyst to work in the Administration Department, anticipated start date is September 1, 2020. The successful candidate will be working to understand the stakeholder and user groups at the BCGEU, gather organizational feature requests and help prioritize them in terms of their relative return on investment with respect to improving the BCGEU's ability to service its members. Key job accountabilities include conducting appropriate analysis, engaging internal teams and managing changes leading to successful outcomes. Work will include software development and implementation projects as well as non-technical projects delivering value for members and staff of the BCGEU.

DUTIES:

As a part of the Administration department, the successful candidate will be responsible for:

• Assessing initial requirements and working to understand the big picture through discussions with the organizational stakeholders and presenting those to internal technical teams for discussion, solution identification and estimation. This may include working with poorly described requirements or unclear project scope.
• Conducting business analysis and detailed requirements definition activities relating to organizational change requests for the development, modification or enhancement of products and services.
• Translating requirements into specific, well-phrased business requirements and/or pragmatic solutions.
• Defining scope in Statements of Work (SOWs).
• Turning software feature requirements into a set of user stories for development team and/or configuration tasks for various technical teams.
• Producing documentation to fit a wide range of organizational needs, including detailed user-facing requirements documents and corresponding statements of work.
• Following a standard document lifecycle.
• Taking on a lead role on initiatives, as required.
• Ensuring software development project user stories are kept accurate and up to date in the ticket management system.
• Managing own workload, with minimal supervision, for a multitude of diverse organizational change requests or projects a focus on efficient throughput and excellent stakeholder satisfaction.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• A knowledge and understanding of business analysis principles and methodologies is required, with an emphasis on the ability to think analytically and conduct effective, thorough reviews of stakeholder requirements and the ability to take ownership of steering the associated changes to final delivery.
• Experience working in an agile environment writing user stories is required.
• A university degree in computer science or other related discipline with an IT focus (or equivalent) and a minimum of 6 years related experience.
• A clear understanding of how to manage product and project risk, the ability to plan multi-phase implementations and the ability to identify and document assumptions, dependencies and constraints are key attributes of the role is required. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• The incumbent is expected to display a high degree of personal integrity and credibility to influence at all levels of the organization and to deal with external parties on behalf of the organization. 
• General understanding of browser-based applications along with supporting technical infrastructure is an asset.
• Knowledge of or experience with unions or the labour movement is an asset.

The BCGEU supports employment equity. Workers of colour, women, aboriginal workers, LGBTQ2SI+ workers, and workers with disabilities are encouraged to apply for positions with the BCGEU.

Travel is required; therefore, applicants must hold a valid B.C. Driver's Licence.

Submit applications no later than 5:00 pm, Friday, August 7, 2020.

Resumes will be accepted by e-mail to: human.resources@bcgeu.ca

Attention to: Stephanie Smith, President, c/o Lisa Trolland

UWU/MoveUP

Proposed changes to Workers Compensation Act marks beginning of restored balance

After years of advocacy by workers and their unions – including your union's submission to the B.C. workers' compensation system review last year and the courageous testimonies at public hearings by dozens of current and former BCGEU members who had been injured on the job – the provincial government has begun to restore balance to BC's workers' compensation system.

On July 14, the B.C. government tabled Bill 23, the Workers Compensation Amendment Act, 2020. If passed, the bill will increase WorkSafeBC's powers and the amount of compensation workers can receive. These amendments prioritize the needs of injured workers and undo some of the damage done by the previous BC Liberal government in creating a compensation system that favoured employers and failed workers. 

I'm glad to see our government tabling legislation to repair some of the damage done since 2002. I believe the proposed changes will strike a better balance between the interests of workers and employers and will rebuild workers' confidence in the system.

If passed by the legislature, Bill 23 will allow WorkSafeBC to:

• Return to the dual system of assessing pension entitlement. This is a major improvement because it essentially restores what the BC Liberals took away in 2002 and more fairly reflects the loss experienced by BCGEU members injured on the job.
   
• Wait until an injured worker turns 63, when the effects of their injury are more established, to assess their retirement date. This change negates the present policy where the Board assumes the worker's retirement date at the time of injury. This change is fairer to the injured worker, especially young workers who may not yet know their retirement date.
   
• Authorize preventive medical treatments before a claim is accepted. This is most significant for psychological injuries for which timely intervention could mean quicker recovery and for which the cost of treatment is often not covered by our province's health care system. Furthermore, the injured worker would not be required to reimburse the Board for pre-paid treatment should their claim be denied.
   
• Increase the maximum insurable earnings from $87,000 to $100,000. This is a significant, welcome and long overdue change and will help protect the full annual earnings of many members. 
   
• Correct obvious errors after 75 days, rather than within 75 days. This is a new power and gives more flexibility, will reduce demand on the appeal system and benefit workers who would otherwise have to appeal.
   
• Implement a regulation related to an occupational disease that is an infection caused by a communicable viral pathogen (such as COVID-19) in less than 90 days. This change in timeline will allow the Board to more rapidly respond to and effectively deal with prevention and compensation issues like pandemics. In the potential case of a second wave of COVID-19, this change will be critical to ensuring workers who contract the virus can access benefits faster.
   
• Collect unpaid premiums and other monies owing the Board, including holding directors personally liable if their company fails to pay. This new power will ensure owners cannot hide behind their corporation status to avoid paying premiums or fines.
   
• Ensure the court considers victim impact statements when considering a penalty or punishment. This is an important change for members as it will enable them to have their experience influence the degree to which an employer is reprimanded.

Of course, there is more that we want to achieve in our workers' compensation system, and we will continue to push for those changes. In the meantime, your union is encouraging the government to pass Bill 23 as soon as possible, and ensure the Board regularly reviews and updates these policies and powers to maintain balance between the needs of workers and employers. 

We will keep you informed of any further progress on these changes.


In solidarity,
Stephanie Smith, President

UWU/MoveUP

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 17, 2020 

BCGEU calls on government to protect renters by extending eviction ban
 
Burnaby, B.C. – The BCGEU is calling on the provincial government to extend the ban on evictions for non-payment of rent—today the government announced that ban will be lifted on September 1st.
 
“This decision is utterly baffling to me,” said Stephanie Smith, president of the BCGEU. “COVID-19 has caused a public health crisis and an economic crisis and we are nowhere near the end of either. Renters are facing the same uncertain future they were when the ban was put in place—this is not the time for government to be leaving renters vulnerable to eviction.”

The union has been a leading voice in the fight for secure, affordable, accessible housing in British Columbia—from the ongoing Affordable BC campaign for the implementation of Land Value Capture Tax, to more focused efforts to outlaw demovictions, reduce the annual rent increases allowable under the Residential Tenancy Act, and support affordable housing project proposals in communities across the province. In March, the BCGEU expanded its housing advocacy to call for a freeze on rent and mortgage payments for the duration of the pandemic. 

“We knew the eviction ban was not a good solution because, while renters who couldn’t pay couldn’t be evicted, they would still be on the hook for the money someday,” said Smith. “And now—with the economy in the extremely early stages of recovery, and no treatments or vaccines on the horizon—the government has decided “someday” is September 1st.”  

Policy analysis and public opinion research overwhelmingly shows that British Columbians want the government to protect renters from incurring additional debt due to this crisis. And, with public health officials warning that a second wave of COVID-19 could be coming in the fall, renters will become vulnerable to evictions potentially at a high point of the pandemic, creating an increased risk of homelessness as well as an unnecessary additional risk to public health.

“I am the first to say that BC has done some great work on pandemic response and our government has made the difference in our province’s success so far,” said Smith. “But the eviction ban should be extended, not lifted—renters deserve better than this.”

The BCGEU is one of the largest, most diverse and fastest growing unions in B.C. with more than 80,000 members working in almost every community and economic sector in the province.

For more information please contact, communications@bcgeu.ca 

UWU/MoveUP