Committee Recommends You Vote "Yes"
We are pleased to present a tentative agreement that will provide major gains for members. By standing together in solidarity with one another, we won the respect of the employer, and reached the fair and reasonable deal we all deserve. Your bargaining committee strongly and unanimously encourages you to vote "yes" to accept the agreement and make these major gains a reality!

Ratification Document
The ratification document can be found here. When you vote, you will be voting on whether to accept all of the changes shown in this entire document. New language that would be added to the collective agreement is bolded, underlined and highlighted in yellow, like this. Old language that would be deleted from the collective agreement is struck through, like this.

The ratification document is more than 30 pages long and we will only speak to the highlights in the meeting. It is very important for you to read the entire ratification document in advance so you can understand everything you are voting on, and so you can ask any questions you might have at the meeting.

Tentative Agreement Highlights

• Length of Agreement: 27 months, from July 20, 2019 to October 31, 2021. All changes to the collective agreement take effect on the date both parties have ratified.
  
  
• Wage Increases: Increases of between 5.5% and 20.1% at the 3900 hours grid steps. This puts our wages on par with other Retirement Concepts locations. Wages take effect on paper on October 31, 2021, or sooner if wage levelling ends. However, as government has promised to make wage levelling permanent, this wage grid is best thought of as a backup just in case pandemic-related wage levelling ends before the permanent fix is in.
  
  
• Lump Sum Payment: Each employee will receive $0.60 per hour worked for approximately eight months, from when the old agreement expired on July 20, 2019 until wage levelling kicked in.
  
  
• Half-Matching Group RRSP: The employer will half-match your voluntary contributions to the group RRSP to a maximum of 1%, i.e. if you contribute 1%, the employer will contribute 0.5%, and if you contribute 2% the employer will contribute 1%. (There is currently no matching by the employer.)

• Vacation Improvements: 

• Up to two years' employment: 12 workdays / 4.8% pay (currently 10 workdays / 4.0% pay)
• Three to five years' employment: 15 workdays / 6.0% pay (currently 12 workdays / 5.0% pay)
• Six years' employment: 17 workdays / 6.8% pay (currently 15 workdays / 6.0% pay)
• After six years' employment, an additional workday and 0.4% pay per year to a new total maximum of 20 workdays / 8.0% pay (maximum is currently 15 workdays / 6.0% pay)

• Additional Paid Sick Day: Six paid sick days per year (currently five)

• Better Shift Differentials: Weekend differential tripled to $0.75/hour (currently $0.25/hour); night differential increased two-and-one-half times to $1.25/hour (currently $0.50/hour).

• Better Overtime Pay: Double-time rate starts after three hours of OT at the time-and-one-half rate. (Currently after four hours.)

• Scrubs: New reimbursement for employees required to wear scrubs to maximum annual receipted purchase of $100, and $10 biweekly maintenance/laundry allowance.

• Criminal Record Checks: Employer will pay for criminal record checks required for existing employees working with vulnerable people. (Currently employees pay.)

• Paid Holiday Pay for Casual Employees: New at 4.4%.

• Workload: New process to address workload when significantly impacted by absences.

• Human Rights, Harassment and Bullying: Improved protections and complaint process.

• Occupational Health and Safety: Improved protections and processes.

• New or Significantly Changed Positions: Improved dispute resolution process for rates of pay when the employer introduces new or significantly changed classifications.

• Inclusive Language: Language of the collective agreement made gender-neutral.

Note: This is only a summary of the highlights. You will be voting on the entire tentative agreement available via the link above. Please read the entire ratification document before you vote. 

Ratification Information Meeting Details
 
Date: Wednesday, March 24, 2021
Time: 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
How: Zoom Videoconference or Teleconference
         Check your email or speak with a member of your bargaining committee for meeting participation details”

 
Voting Information 

At the end of the ratification vote meeting, you will receive an email with a link to vote online and your unique voting credential. Voting will open on Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at 8:30 p.m. and will close on Friday, March 26, 2021 at 5 p.m. Please participate and vote. This is the only method for casting a ballot. 

A member who does not receive a voting credential (likely because the BCGEU does not have their personal email address), or who experiences problems casting their vote, should contact [email protected], or Staff Representative, Ryan Stewart, by calling 604-291-9611 or toll-free 1-833-837-5223, ASAP after voting opens and by no later than Friday, March 26, 2021 at 12 p.m.. This will allow enough time for a credential to be issued by 1 pm. that day, and other problems to be addressed, before voting closes. Note that phone support is available only during regular BCGEU office hours of 8:30 a.m.to 5 p.m.

A member without a personal email address should notify a member of the bargaining committee before voting opens. The committee member could help you set up an email address and request a credential for you.
 
We will announce the ratification result on Monday, March 29, 2021. Again, your bargaining committee strongly encourages you to vote "yes" to accept the tentative agreement!

In solidarity,
 
Karen Dalton, Bargaining Committee Chair
Edith Eggimann, Bargaining Committee Member
Randi Halliday, Bargaining Committee Member
Ryan Stewart, Staff Representative, Negotiations

Download PDF of notice here
Download PDF of ratification document here

UWU/MoveUP