Bargaining Update

As you know from our recent bargaining update bulletin, negotiations have broken down.

Vantage has made highly concessionary proposals that would take employees backwards, including:

• Clawing-back the new National Day for Truth and Reconciliation paid holiday and not automatically adding new federal holidays to the contract
• Taking away 11 days off in lieu of paid holidays currently included in PTO calculations, where you would still get the pay but no longer get the time off
• Eliminating five days of paid time off for employees in their first five years of employment—both the pay and the time would be cut

Vantage refuses to provide wage increases that would allow those at Lakeside Manor not covered by government wage levelling to keep up. Instead, with the cost of living skyrocketing, the Employer’s wage proposal of 6% total over the life of the agreement is equivalent to a pay decrease of roughly 5%. In other words, since the Employer’s wage proposal would not keep up with the rising cost of living, you would be falling further behind.

Vantage has also refused many of our demands that would benefit employees at both worksites. Vantage has said “no” to health and welfare benefit improvements, “no” to adding a pension plan, “no” to a working short premium and workload language, “no” to a new category of special leave for family illness or household emergency, “no” to a laundry allowance for those who wash their own uniforms, “no” to a shoe allowance for those who must wear non-slip or safety footwear, and more.

Vantage’s proposed minor improvements to the night shift premium, the cost of criminal record check renewals, mileage rate, claims for resident damage to personal property, and overtime meal allowance are not enough to get a deal done. You told us you need to get ahead, but Vantage’s proposal would see you fall further behind.

We know you are united behind your bargaining committee, and prepared and motivated to do what it takes to get a fair deal. Your bargaining committee strongly encourages you to vote "yes" for a strike. We are fighting for more than the employer is prepared to give, and the only way to get it is with a strong “yes” vote to show the employer you are ready to go on strike.

Strike Vote Meeting Details

Date:     Tuesday, October 25, 2022
Time:     7:30 PM to 9:00 PM
How:     Zoom Videoconference or Teleconference
Check your email or speak with a member of your bargaining committee for meeting participation details

If you are new to using Zoom, we encourage you to learn more about Zoom well in advance. If you access the meeting online, you will have the option of seeing whoever is speaking (if they have a webcam enabled) and the option of being seen. If your computer is not equipped with a webcam, speakers and microphone or if you have difficultly joining the meeting online, then the teleconference option may be best.

The meeting will begin with a brief report from your bargaining committee, strike administrative and logistical information from your staff representative and an opportunity for you to ask questions and have a discussion before voting commences.

Strike Pay and Related Information

BCGEU policy requires information about strike pay and more to be presented to members during a strike vote meeting during which members will be able to ask all questions they may have about the process. We are providing this summary of strike pay information in advance for members’ convenience. Please raise any questions you may have during the strike vote meeting.

General

Strike pay provided by the BCGEU is amongst the highest available from any union. However, strike pay is not intended to provide total income replacement; at best it augments other income and savings to reduce the financial impact of a strike. Most members will experience some degree of financial duress during a strike.

Rate

Strike pay is 70% of regular gross earnings up to a maximum of $100 per day or $500 per week.

For members without regular fixed weekly hours of work, earnings are calculated as the average of three consecutive pay stubs for hours worked prior to the strike. These members should start saving their paystubs or print your last three and continue to do so, for if and when job action occurs.

Eligibility

To be eligible for strike pay a member must perform strike-related duties—usually picketing—as required. A picket schedule would be established by the picket captains and approved by the rep and participation would establish eligibility for strike pay.

Benefits

The BCGEU ensures that health and welfare benefits normally provided by the employer are continued during a strike. More details will be provided at the strike information meeting.

Expenses

Provincial Executive Policy K-08 addresses the topic of strike expense reimbursement and is mostly relevant to members designated to administer the strike, e.g., picket captains. Reasonable picket line infrastructure support, e.g., signs, flags, canopies/shelters, heaters, toilets, water, etc., as approved by the staff rep(s), would all be eligible expenses. Note that BCGEU policy does not allow Headquarters to reimburse the cost of food and beverages. Sometimes a Component will authorize reimbursement for food and beverages from a “good and welfare” fund.

Essential Services

While all jobs at Vantage Living Inc. are important, by law an essential service is one that, should it be denied, might negatively affect the health, safety or welfare of a person receiving the service. The union and employer would negotiate what is considered essential and how many hours our members may have to work or may apply to the Labour Relations Board to establish essential service levels. Note that while there may be some overlap, “essential services” has a different meaning for a strike than it does for the current COVID-19 pandemic. We would expect there to be some level of essential services at Kiwanis Manor since it is an assisted living facility that provides healthcare services. We would expect there to be no essential services at Lakeside Manor as an independent living residence.

Voting Information

This strike vote will be conducted using secure electronic voting. At the end of the strike vote meeting, you will receive an email with a link to vote online and your unique voting credential. Voting will open on Tuesday, October 25, 2022 at 9:00 PM and will close on Thursday, October 27, 2022 at 9:00 PM. 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 the BCGEU Negotiations Department at [email protected] or by calling 604-291-9611 or toll-free 1-800-663-1674, ASAP after voting opens and by no later than October 26, 2022 at 4:00 PM. This will allow enough time for problems to be addressed before voting closes. Alternately, you may contact the Returning Officer—see the formal notice of poll for their contact info. Note that phone support is available only during regular BCGEU office hours.

A member without a personal email address may request the assistance of a bargaining committee member to help set one up.

All employees of Vantage Living Inc. in the bargaining unit represented by the BCGEU are eligible to vote regardless of whether you have completed a BCGEU membership application.

Again, we strongly encourage you to vote “yes” for a strike.

In solidarity,

Spencer Bigford, Bargaining Committee Chair (Lakeside Manor)
Luz Dionela, Bargaining Committee Member (Kiwanis Manor)
Chrystal Halvorson, Bargaining Committee Member (Lakeside Manor)
Ryan Stewart, Staff Representative, Negotiations Department

Download PDF of notice here

UWU/MoveUP