In 2016, your employer implemented a policy that prohibited wildfire members from wearing crew patches. 

Since then, at every worksite that your treasurer Paul Finch and I have visited, we have heard how much the 30-year tradition of crew patches means to you.

Crew patches not only build team spirit and show pride of place, they also help clearly identify members of different crews fighting the fires alongside each other. Most patches are designed by crew members, including some designed by Indigenous crew members using Indigenous imagery.

Our initial solution resulted in a grievance that has just reached resolution. We are happy to tell you that you will once again be able to wear your crew patches. 

In the coming weeks and months, per the terms of the settlement, your union will work with the employer to roll out crew patches and stickers by March 2020, including resurrecting historical patches on ball caps and stickers that can be worn on helmets. 

It was a long road to reach this resolution, and we made it by sticking together. I can't wait to see wildfire members proudly wearing their patches again in 2020.

In solidarity,

Stephanie Smith
BCGEU president

UWU/MoveUP

Today's introduction of legislation by the provincial government to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) is a significant and important step towards reconciliation in B.C.

"Thanks to the leadership of our members, the BCGEU has long been an active participant in the national project of reconciliation and decolonization," says BCGEU president Stephanie Smith. "I'm proud that our government is committed to the full implementation of UNDRIP in B.C. And I'm excited for what this legislation will mean for our ability to build stronger relationships with Indigenous communities and create a better, more just society for all."

The BC Government & Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) is committed to supporting the full implementation of the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the recommendations of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
UWU/MoveUP

In accordance with federal election laws requiring employers to allow employees three consecutive hours to vote, BCGEU offices will be closing at 4PM Pacific Daylight Time on Monday, October 21. Offices will reopen for standard hours (8:30AM - 5:00PM) on Tuesday.

Most B.C. polls are open until 7PM.

Questions about time off for voting? Click here to visit Elections Canada's FAQ on the subject

Course listings and registration for the Canadian Labour Congress Winter School (January 12 to February 14, 2020) at Harrison Hot Springs is now available.

Active union members are encouraged to apply online. Applications will be forwarded to your Component executive to make their selections on who will attend the school. Not all courses are pre-approved by your Component. For example, courses available through the BCGEU and courses intended for bargaining committees are unlikely to be approved.

We will make every effort to register you in your first choice however we do recommend you make an alternate selection. Note that the CLC may cancel courses with low demand.

The BCGEU registration deadline is November 15^th for all courses.

** Click here for course descriptions

** Click here to register 

UWU/MoveUP

On Tuesday, B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) president Stephanie Smith announced a $3-million interest-free loan to support striking hotel workers

Read the full article here

VANCOUVER-Today Stephanie Smith, president of the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU), and a group of BCGEU members, joined UNITE HERE Local 40 members on the picket line at the Westin Bayshore to announce that the BCGEU-one of BC's largest and fastest growing unions-is supporting the strike with a $3 million interest-free loan.

In September more than 1,200 UNITE HERE Local 40 members initiated the first strike at downtown Vancouver hotels in two decades. Members voted overwhelmingly in favour of job action after 14 months of bargaining with the Hyatt Regency, the Westin Bayshore and the Pinnacle Harbourfront and eight months of bargaining with the Rosewood Hotel Georgia failed to result in collective agreements that would address workplace safety, job security and fair compensation for hotel workers.

Since the beginning of the strike UNITE HERE Local 40's high energy, high visibility picket lines have attracted support from the general public, attention from the media and complaints from hotel management about the noise and disruption caused by striking members. But the union's contract demands remain unmet and their fight for a better future for all hotel workers continues.

With almost 80,000 members, the BCGEU is one of the largest and fastest growing unions in the province. The BCGEU's provincial executive-which is the union's governing body between policy conventions-voted unanimously in favour of making an interest-free loan in the amount of $3 million available for UNITE HERE Local 40 to access to support the hotel strike.

Quotes

Stephanie Smith, President, BCGEU
"Strikes are powerful tools-they disrupt employers' operations, they get the public engaged in workers' rights and they build solidarity-but they cost money. This loan will help make sure that UNITE HERE Local 40 members can afford to stay out on strike as long as it takes to achieve collective agreements that give them the safety, stability and fair compensation they deserve."

"The BCGEU, like other unions, has supported this strike from the beginning by joining the picket lines and by cancelling bookings and refusing to attend events at these four hotels. I'm proud to be here on behalf of 80,000 members of the BCGEU as the first union to offer financial support to UNITE HERE Local 40 as their fight for a better future continues. I know we won't be the last."

Zailda Chan, President, UNITE HERE Local 40
"We are overwhelmed by the level of support BCGEU is extending to our 1,200 striking hotel members. This will send a strong message to the real estate developers and U.S. corporations who own and operate the hotels our members work for in this city. We are determined to make change in the hospitality industry, and BCGEU's support will only redouble our fight to improve the lives of Vancouver's hotel workers." 

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Contact:
Danielle Marchand, BCGEU
Cell: 778-968-4509
 
Sharan Pawa, UNITE HERE Local 40
Cell: 604-725-0053

UWU/MoveUP

On Tuesday, October 8, members of the BC Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) working on the Francois Lake, Arrow Lake and Adams Lake ferries will resume bargaining with the ferries' operators-WaterBridge Ferries and Waterbridge Equipment.

The entity that owns both WaterBridge Ferries and Waterbridge Equipment has invited the union back to the bargaining table to present a proposal on behalf of both companies that it says will address the union's concerns. The negotiations will take place in Kelowna.

"I think this is a good sign that these employers have heard our members' concerns," says Stephanie Smith, BCGEU president. "I'm hoping the new proposal puts the sustainability of the ferry service and the needs of our members and ferry-dependent communities ahead of profits. That would set a new bar for other operators of inland ferry routes."

BCGEU inland ferry workers on routes operated by WaterBridge Ferries, Waterbridge Equipment and Western Pacific Marine have been without a contract since March 2019. Negotiations broke down on June 5 when all three employers rejected the union's proposal for industry standard compensation and investment in recruitment and succession planning.

"Our members' objective hasn't changed throughout this process. They want a collective agreement that ensures the long term sustainability of the ferry service through investments in the workforce," says Smith. "They have never wavered from that, and their solidarity is strong."

The invitation to resume negotiations with Waterbridge Equipment and WaterBridge Ferries comes just as the labour board is expected to issue a ruling to set essential service levels for the Francois Lake, Adams Lake and Arrow Lake ferries in the event of job action. Essential service hearings began in September and ended late Wednesday, October 2.

The BCGEU has not received an invitation to resume bargaining from Western Pacific Marine (WPM), which operates the ferries on Kootenay Lake. As with Waterbridge, the union seeks to establish a collective agreement through bargaining and not arbitration or mediation. 

All three employers maintain service contracts with the Ministry of Transportation. The inland ferry services were initially contracted out under the previous BC Liberal government. As operating costs have increased, the employers have failed to retain workers with industry standard compensation and adhere to guidelines around successorship and training that would ensure safety requirements are met and local knowledge of the lakes are passed down.

The BCGEU is one of the largest and fastest growing unions in B.C. with more than 79,000 members working in almost every community and economic sector in the province.

UWU/MoveUP

VANCOUVER-In September UNITE HERE Local 40 members initiated their first strike at downtown Vancouver hotels in 20 years as part of their ongoing fight with their employers-the Hyatt, the Westin Bayshore, the Rosewood Hotel Georgia, and the Pinnacle-for collective agreements that would provide safety, stability and fair compensation.

Since the beginning of the strike UNITE HERE Local 40's picket lines have attracted support from the general public, attention from the media and complaints from hotel management. But their fight to transform the way the hotel industry treats its workers continues.

On Tuesday, October 8, BCGEU president Stephanie Smith-along with other members of the BCGEU-will join the picket line at the Westin Bayshore to make an announcement that demonstrates how one of BC's largest and fastest growing unions stands in solidarity with UNITE HERE Local 40 members in their historic strike against the real estate developers and corporate giants who control some of the most profitable hotels in Metro Vancouver.

Date: Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Time: 9:00 am
Location: Westin Bayshore, 1601 Bayshore Drive, Vancouver

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Contact:
Danielle Marchand, BCGEU
Cell: 778-968-4509

Sharan Pawa, UNITE HERE Local 40
Cell: 604-725-0053

UWU/MoveUP

October 3, 2019

BCGEU members working on the Kootenay Lake ferry will support a community rally to raise awareness for the unsustainability of the inland ferry service.

The "Unity Sailing & Rally" will take place on Friday, October 4 at 3 p.m. at the Kootenay Bay ferry landing. The organizers' goal, according to a media release posted on Facebook, is to "take a stand for a safe, reliable, sustainable ferry service over the long-term" by gathering ferry users to cross the lake together. Ferry workers will accommodate the rally by providing additional sailings as needed to ensure all rally participants are able to return home.

"I can't overstate how much our members appreciate this show of solidarity from the community," says Stephanie Smith, president of the BC Government and Service Employees' Union, the union representing the ferry workers. "Our goal is the same as it has always been-to get a fair collective agreement with the employer that addresses the long term sustainability of the ferry service. It's really gratifying to have the community supporting us. Together we can bring the employer back to the bargaining table."

Ferry workers implemented a restriction on overtime on September 16th to highlight the chronic staffing issues putting the service in crisis. Since then up to 70 per cent of regular sailings per day have been unable to run, negatively impacting ferry users. Community members have spoken out about the impacts by submitting letters to Western Pacific Marine through the BCGEU's website, ferries.bcgeu.ca, as well as by organizing OurFerryMatters.ca, the grassroots group organizing Friday's rally.

"The employer has spent years making profit their priority, refusing to invest in their workforce, and ultimately creating the current crisis where there is a lack of local, qualified staff to operate the Kootenay Lake ferry," says Smith. "That means the ferry is heavily reliant on extreme amounts of overtime and is at high risk of regular cancellations. Our members have had enough. And we're hearing the same from the community."

"Our members live in ferry dependent communities so they understand how their job action is affecting the daily lives of their friends, families and neighbours," says Smith. "This rally shows that the community understands why our job action is necessary so we want to say thank you by making sure all the participants can get home."

Ferry workers have been without a contract since March 2019. Negotiations ceased on June 5th when the employer, Western Pacific Marine, would not consider the union's proposal for industry standard compensation. Despite the restriction on overtime, ferry crews are committed to delivering the three essential service crossings on weekdays as ordered by the Labour Relations Board.

The BCGEU is one of the largest unions in B.C. with over 79,000 members in almost every community and economic sector in the province.

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UWU/MoveUP

It is with deep sadness that I inform you of the sudden loss of one of our members and good friends, CJ Conroy, to cancer this week.

CJ was a long-time workplace union activist. He served the membership at the Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre (VIRCC) as a shop steward for 20 years and as the first vice-chairperson of Local 101 for 15 years. 

CJ was dedicated to supporting, representing and advocating on behalf of his fellow members in Corrections, as well as all members of the BCGEU, in the fight for fairness and healthy, safe workplaces. Through his work on political campaigns, he helped improve working conditions and wages, and make changes in his community and society.

On behalf of all our members in Component 1, we send our sincerest, heartfelt condolences to CJ's wife and daughter and to all his family, friends and fellow officers at VIRCC. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.

We will miss CJ's gentle nature, good humour and the compassion he had for others.

A service for CJ will be held on: 

Date:           Thursday October 3, 2019
Location:    St. Anne's Church in Duncan at 1 pm followed by a reception at the Craig Street Brew Pub

A GoFundMe page has been set up by the union today to raise money for CJ's wife and young daughter.

Click here for the GoFundMe page

In solidarity and condolences,

Dean Purdy
Component 1 Vice-President & Local 101 Chair

UWU/MoveUP