E-voting kicked off Monday – what you need to know

Voting for your tentative agreement kicked off on Monday morning, and over 10,600 members have cast ballots! Thank you to those of you who have voted early – it's essential that every single member of our bargaining unit has their say on our agreement.
 
Voting is open until 5 p.m. on Monday, October 17, 2022.
 
For those of you who have not voted yet, you may do so at any time until then. The vote will be announced as soon as the votes are counted that evening.
 
All eligible members should have received their voting credentials by email and Canada Post by now – though some members in remote areas may experience a delay with the hard copy . If you haven't received yours or are having trouble using ones you have received, please visit the Voting section of our FAQ for details on who to contact.
 
It is critical that each member has their say and votes with confidence. To help make an informed decision, here are some resources:

• Check out the FAQs based on questions at the member education sessions
• If you missed the webinar sessions, you can view one here.
• You can find many more helpful resources, including the wage calculator and the ratification bulletin, on this web page.

 
Talk to your coworkers. Have they voted yet? Remind them to cast their ballot.
 
In solidarity,

Your BCGEU Public Service Bargaining Committee
 
Stephanie Smith, President and Committee Chair
Paul Finch, Treasurer
Judy Phipps, Executive Vice President
Dean Purdy, Vice President - Component 1
Kusam Doal, Vice President - Component 5
Judy Fox-McGuire, Vice President - Component 6
Kayla Woodruff, First Vice President - Component 6
Maria Middlemiss, Vice President - Component 12
Matt Damario, Component 12
Robert Davis, Vice President - Component 20
Michael Eso, Secretary and Lead Negotiator
Lisa Lane, Support Staff

UWU/MoveUP

Ratification update 
Over the last two weeks, your bargaining committee has hosted 13 Telephone Town Halls (TTH) and webinars, where nearly 10,000 members of your bargaining unit participated and had the opportunity to hear directly from the committee about your tentative agreement. Watch the webinar here in case you missed it.
 
We’ve developed an FAQ based on the questions from the TTHs and webinars, addressing everything from wages and benefits to leaves, the “me too” clause, classifications, pandemic pay, TMAs (temporary market adjustments), flexible work, Appendix N, ratification details and more. Read the FAQ document here.
 
Please vote and have your say
Voting for your tentative agreement will be conducted electronically through an independent, third-party, online voting platform called Simply Voting. You will receive your voting credentials by email as well by regular mail. Voting on the tentative agreement opens at 8 a.m. on Monday, October 3^rd and closes at 5 p.m. on Monday, October 17^th. Learn about all the details pertaining to the e-voting process, including eligibility, credentials and counting here.
 
Make an informed decision
Have you had a chance to read the ratification document yet? Download a copy here.
Inside you’ll find:

1. an online wage calculator
2. the full text of changes to the main agreement
3. the full text of changes to your component agreement
4. a form to request a printed copy of the ratification bulletin (You can also pick up a copy at your area office.)

 
Check in with your coworkers: are they receiving these updates?
Do you have co-workers who aren't getting these emails? Please tell them to sign up for the BCGEU Member Portal as soon as possible and make sure their personal email address is on file so we can email them their voting credentials.
 
This is your agreement: your vote, your voice.
 
 
In solidarity,
  
Your BCGEU Public Service Bargaining Committee
 
Stephanie Smith, President and Committee Chair
Paul Finch, Treasurer
Judy Phipps, Executive Vice President
Dean Purdy, Vice President - Component 1
Kusam Doal, Vice President - Component 5
Judy Fox-McGuire, Vice President - Component 6
Kayla Woodruff, First Vice President - Component 6
Maria Middlemiss, Vice President - Component 12
Matt Damario, Component 12
Robert Davis, Vice President - Component 20
Michael Eso, Secretary and Lead Negotiator
Lisa Lane, Support Staff

UWU/MoveUP

UWU/MoveUP

Since announcing the tentative agreement (TA) on September 6 and distributing the highlights of the TA, bargaining committee members have had many questions about how the general wage increase (GWI) in the TA compares to the employer's proposed GWI that was on the table at the time the strike vote was taken in the spring. We want to clarify that the employer's proposed GWI-the one that prompted your committee to declare impasse and conduct a strike vote-was 5.75% over three years.

After the strike vote results were announced in late June, your employer invited us back to the table with a GWI that would have offered an average of 10.99% over three years in addition to a signing bonus. In response to that offer, your committee declared impasse a second time and proceeded with plans to action our strike mandate.

The average GWI in the TA ranges from 11.94% to 14.38% over three years (depending on inflation)-more than double the 5.75% that triggered the first impasse and strike vote and a significant improvement over the offer that triggered the second impasse and actioning the strike mandate in August. 

Many members have also asked about what happened to the signing bonus. The signing bonus was converted into an equivalent portion of the General Wage Increase. Our committee has always prioritized increases to the wage grid rather than bonuses. This ensures that these increases are pensionable and compound with future increases.

Because wage protections are calculated on the cost of living data from the previous fiscal year, we already know that COLA (cost of living adjustment) in Year 1 of the TA is 3.4% (March 1, 2021-February 28, 2022). The average wage increase your bargaining committee negotiated was 3.24% + $.25 per hour, which is an average of 4.03% for members, and meets or exceeds the 3.4% COLA for that year 

The full ratification document (including explanatory notes for the GWI and other monetary and non-monetary aspects of the tentative agreement) will be distributed to bargaining unit members later this week, so keep an eye on your inbox. The timeline below gives an outline of key dates in bargaining leading to the TA.

Bargaining timeline: 

September 23, 2021: Bargaining survey sent to members
November 5, 2021: Member polling conducted (external polling)
November 26, 2021: Public Service bargaining conference
January 31, 2022: Component bargaining commences
February 7: Main table bargaining commences
March 14: talks stalled as employer does not have revised wage offer
March 25: BCGEU and PSA resume talks
April 7: Public service bargaining hits impasse over wage proposals
May 16: Strike vote begins
June 22: Ballot count and announcement of 95% strike vote
July 3: Bargaining resumes for one day, talks break down
Aug 12: Strike notice issued
August 15-30: Job action commences at LDB warehouses 
August 22: Job action escalates to include OT ban
August 25: Bargaining resumes as employer calls union back to the table
September 6: Tentative agreement announced

In solidarity,
 
Your BCGEU Public Service Bargaining Committee
 
Stephanie Smith, President and Committee Chair
Paul Finch, Treasurer
Judy Phipps, Executive Vice President
Dean Purdy, Vice President - Component 1
Kusam Doal, Vice President - Component 5
Judy Fox-McGuire, Vice President - Component 6
Kayla Woodruff, Member at Large - Component 6
Maria Middlemiss, Vice President - Component 12
Matt Damario, Component 12
Robert Davis, Vice President - Component 20
Michael Eso, Secretary and Lead Negotiator
Lisa Lane, Support Staff

As promised with the release of the tentative agreement highlights earlier this week, a comprehensive ratification document--including full text of the main agreement and component agreements as well as resources to help members understand the impact of those agreements—will be emailed out to every member of the bargaining unit by the middle of next week. The attached spreadsheet—which illustrates how the general wage increase (GWI) impacts step 1 of every wage grid in the agreement—is an example of the type of information that will be included in the ratification document.
 
The ratification document will also include a full schedule of member education forums and voting. Member education will start the week of September 19th.
 
Limited hard copies of the document will be available through area offices upon request.
 
Member education
Member education forums will be a mix of Zoom webinars and telephone townhalls. Some sessions will focus on the main agreement, others will be focused on specific component agreements. Timing is being finalized and details will be included in the ratification document.
 
Voting
As reported to you last week, the voting process will be conducted by electronic ballots. Each member will receive two ballots – one for the main agreement and one for their component agreement. Members will receive personalized voting credentials via email AND regular mail. Credentials can only be used to vote electronically and each member will only be able to vote once for the main agreement and once for their component agreement. Ratification is by simple majority (50% +1) of votes cast.
 
Details of the timing of the voting process will be included in the ratification document.

In solidarity,
 
Your BCGEU Public Service Bargaining Committee
 
Stephanie Smith, President and Committee Chair
Paul Finch, Treasurer
Judy Phipps, Executive Vice President
Dean Purdy, Vice President - Component 1
Kusam Doal, Vice President - Component 5
Judy Fox-McGuire, Vice President - Component 6
Kayla Woodruff, Member at Large - Component 6
Maria Middlemiss, Vice President - Component 12
Matt Damario, Component 12
Robert Davis, Vice President - Component 20
Michael Eso, Secretary and Lead Negotiator
Lisa Lane, Support Staff 

UWU/MoveUP

Highlights of tentative agreement
 
As promised in yesterday’s bulletin, here are the highlights of the tentative agreement. The full text of the agreement will be available early next week in a ratification document that will explain the details of the tentative agreement and how those changes will impact you and your co-workers.
 
Now that we’ve reached a tentative agreement with your employer, the ratification process begins. This is where you’ll have your say. Ratification of a tentative agreement involves two steps: member education and voting. Those steps are described below. 
 
Member education
During the education process your bargaining committee will be working hard to make sure every member of the bargaining unit understands how the agreement will impact their working lives. This will involve producing a ratification document that explains the tentative agreement as well as planning a series of member education sessions—telephone townhalls and webinars—where members will be able to ask questions about the agreement. The point of the education process is making sure every member of the bargaining unit has the information they need to vote with confidence.
 
Voting
Once the member education process is complete every member will have a chance to vote on whether to ratify the tentative agreement. Each member will receive two ballots – one for the main agreement and one for the component agreement.  The voting process will be conducted by electronic ballots. You will be emailed and mailed a copy of your personalized voting credentials. If a simple majority (50% + 1 of total votes cast) of votes are in favour of ratification, the tentative agreement is ratified and will become your new collective agreement. If the agreement fails to ratify, then the bargaining process continues.
 
 
REMINDER: It is important that your bargaining committee can contact members to communicate important information about the ratification process. Please check with your coworkers to ensure they are receiving these important updates. Log in to update information here. Please note: If you are adding an address that was previously unsubscribed from BCGEU emails, you must also resubscribe by filling out the form here. 

In solidarity,
 
Your BCGEU Public Service Bargaining Committee
 
Stephanie Smith, President and Committee Chair
Paul Finch, Treasurer
Judy Phipps, Executive Vice President
Dean Purdy, Vice President - Component 1
Kusam Doal, Vice President - Component 5
Judy Fox-McGuire, Vice President - Component 6
Kayla Woodruff, Member at Large - Component 6
Maria Middlemiss, Vice President - Component 12
Matt Damario, Component 12
Robert Davis, Vice President - Component 20
Michael Eso, Secretary and Lead Negotiator
Lisa Lane, Support Staff

UWU/MoveUP

Following seven months of negotiations and a historic job action lasting over two weeks, your bargaining committee has reached a tentative agreement with your employer – B.C.’s Public Service Agency (PSA). This agreement covers you and 33,000 other bargaining unit members working in direct government service.  
 
The committee worked through the weekend on the details and have signed off on the agreement this afternoon. Highlights of the agreement will be sent to members in a bulletin tomorrow with full text of the tentative agreement available early next week, with member education sessions to come. Timelines and details for the ratification vote haven’t been confirmed yet. We will provide more details soon.
 
We would like to acknowledge and thank the Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) workers whose solidarity on the picket line was instrumental in pressuring your employer to invite us back to the bargaining table in late August—more than five weeks after talks broke down in July. We would also like to acknowledge and thank the workers across components who turned down a significant amount of overtime work (therefore money) to support our job action.
 
This tentative agreement is the result of almost a year of work by your bargaining committee and members of the bargaining unit.  Last fall, we conducted the most extensive consultation for public service negotiations in BCGEU history. This included reviewing nearly 500 proposals from union locals, 5,800 bargaining survey results and polling results from over 5,000 members. Through these detailed preparations with you, we learned about your priorities for this round of bargaining. You told us that you wanted a contract that offered wage increases and wage protections that address rising costs and that recognized the critical importance of robust public services and the workers that provide them.
 
Here is what you need to know: In order to participate in the ratification process—to receive the ratification document via email, to participate in the meetings, to receive voting information—it is critical that your union has your contact information. 
 
So please, log in to the member portal and make sure we have your personal contact information—personal email, home mailing address, personal cell phone number. 
 
Click here to visit the BCGEU member portal to review and update your contact information. If you've forgotten your password, you can reset it here.  If you know of any of your co-workers who are not receiving these updates from our union, please ask them to update their information also. 
 
This will be your collective agreement, and ratification will be your opportunity to have your say! 
 
In solidarity,
 
Your BCGEU Public Service Bargaining Committee
 
Stephanie Smith, President and Committee Chair
Paul Finch, Treasurer
Judy Phipps, Executive Vice President
Dean Purdy, Vice President - Component 1
Kusam Doal, Vice President - Component 5
Judy Fox-McGuire, Vice President - Component 6
Kayla Woodruff, Member at Large - Component 6
Maria Middlemiss, Vice President - Component 12
Matt Damario, Component 12
Robert Davis, Vice President - Component 20
Michael Eso, Secretary and Lead Negotiator
Lisa Lane, Support Staff

Download PDF of notice here

UWU/MoveUP

Following a return to the bargaining table, the BCGEU's Public Service Bargaining Committee has stood down job action at BC Public Service worksites as a sign of good faith.

The committee returned to the bargaining table with the BC Public Service Agency (PSA) last Thursday and has made significant progress. The two sides will continue to meet throughout the week, hoping to finalize a tentative agreement.

The union's overtime ban has ended – effective immediately – and preparations are underway to stand down picket lines at BC Liquor Distribution Branch locations.

The two parties' media and member communications blackout will continue.

BCGEU accepts government offer to return to the bargaining table

(BURNABY, B.C.) Late last night the Public Service Agency (PSA) invited the BCGEU's Public Service Bargaining Committee back to the table to resume talks. The bargaining committee has accepted that invitation. Bargaining is expected to resume soon, but logistics are still being confirmed.

This is a significant development, and it is the direct result of the pressure BCGEU members have applied, which includes the current job action and shows solidarity from BCGEU members and allies.

In order to maintain that pressure, the union's current job action will remain in effect until further notice.

The parties have agreed to a media and member communications blackout so no further comment will be made.

For more information contact: BCGEU Communications, [email protected]

UWU/MoveUP