Dear Friend,

Next week, we're heading back to the bargaining table, with more talks scheduled for the following week. 

We're still working through key non-monetary issues-like modernizing our collective agreement and securing fair telework provisions. But we expect to exchange proposals on wages, benefits, and other monetary items soon. 

That's when we'll see if the employer is bringing an offer we can work with-or if we'll need to turn up the pressure to get a deal. 

We need to go into this critical round of talks with the most up-to-date information about your priorities and what you're ready to fight for. If our bargaining committee is going to take a strong stand at the table, we need to know that members are behind us. 

Will you fill out this quick poll before it closes on June 17? 

You might have noticed we're checking in with you more often during this round of bargaining-and there's a good reason for that. 

Collective bargaining is a democratic process where members like you help set the agenda and decide where to draw the lines. With economic conditions changing rapidly, we're checking back periodically to see if your views have changed. 

Your engagement is critical-because our bargaining power depends on a united, engaged membership that's ready to back up our demands with collective action. 

By participating in surveys like this one, you're helping shape the direction of bargaining and giving your committee the leverage to win real gains at the table. Click here to complete the survey before the June 17 deadline. 

In solidarity, 

Your Public Service Bargaining Committee 

Paul Finch, President and Committee Chair 
Maria Middlemiss, Treasurer 
Dean Purdy, Component 1 Vice-President 
Kusam Doal, Component 5 Vice-President 
Judy Fox-McGuire, Component 6 Vice-President 
Mona Dykes, Component 6 Second Representative 
DJ Pohl, Component 12 Vice-President 
Faith Johnston, Component 12 Second Representative 
Sebastian Kallos, Component 20 Vice-President
Linsay Buss, Lead Negotiator 
Larisa Mills, Staff Representative
Sumiko Marshall, Support Staff

UWU/MoveUP

MOU 1 and Your Job Security

In recent months, many BCGEU members working for B.C.'s public service have voiced concerns about job security. We understand the reasons for this concern and want to remind you of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) 1-an important provision in our collective agreement that safeguards regular civil service positions.

The current version of MOU 1 has been in effect since 2022, and in February, your bargaining committee secured the renewal of MOU 1. It was a significant step forward in this round of bargaining, particularly in light of the B.C. government's two hiring freeze announcements earlier this year and late last year.

What exact protections does MOU 1 provide?

The memorandum offers critical job protection for regular employees throughout the term of the collective agreement, with the exception of substantial workforce reductions. 

We encourage all BCGEU members working for the public service to review the full text of MOU 1 on page 155 of the collective agreement.

Knowing and understanding the contents of MOU 1 will help ease your job security concerns. We encourage you to discuss with your steward how it applies to you.

In solidarity,

Your Public Service Bargaining Committee

Paul Finch, President and Committee Chair
Maria Middlemiss, Treasurer
Dean Purdy, Component 1 Vice-President
Kusam Doal, Component 5 Vice-President
Judy Fox-McGuire, Component 6 Vice-President
Mona Dykes, Component 6 Second Representative
DJ Pohl, Component 12 Vice-President
Faith Johnston, Component 12 Second Representative
Sebastian Kallos, Component 20 Vice-President 
Linsay Buss, Lead Negotiator
Larisa Mills, Staff Representative 
Sumiko Marshall, Support Staff 

UWU/MoveUP

New lead negotiator:
We are pleased to welcome veteran negotiator Linsay Buss as the new Lead Negotiator for the Public Service Bargaining Committee. Linsay is widely regarded as one of the most skilled negotiators in the province, known for securing significant gains at the bargaining table.

She brings a wealth of experience, having served on the public service bargaining committee for four rounds, and seven additional rounds at the component level as component chair. Linsay has also led negotiations on several complex, large-scale provincial agreements involving thousands of members.

Linsay’s leadership and deep understanding of the bargaining landscape will be a powerful asset in our upcoming negotiations.

New Component 20 vice-president:
We also welcome Sebastian Kallos as the new Vice-President of Component 20, Environment, Technical and Operations. A long-time BCGEU member and wildland firefighter based out of Pemberton, Sebastian most recently served as Local 2003 Chairperson. We look forward to his leadership and continued advocacy for Component 20 members.

Finally, we offer our heartfelt gratitude to Rob Davis, the outgoing Component 20 Vice-President. Rob will be continuing in an advisory capacity to aid with the transition until he begins a well-deserved retirement in the coming months. Rob’s dedication, leadership, and service to the union have left a lasting impact, and we wish him all the best in this next chapter.

In solidarity,

Your Public Service Bargaining Committee  

Paul Finch, President and Committee Chair   
Maria Middlemiss, Treasurer   
Dean Purdy, Component 1 Vice-President  
Kusam Doal, Component 5 Vice-President  
Judy Fox-McGuire, Component 6 Vice-President  
Mona Dykes, Component 6 Second Representative  
DJ Pohl, Component 12 Vice-President  
Faith Johnston, Component 12 Second Representative
Sebastian Kallos, Component 20 Vice-President 
Linsay Buss, Lead Negotiator
Larisa Mills, Staff Representative 
Sumiko Marshall, Support Staff 

UWU/MoveUP

Being prepared for job action 

Bargaining update

In a new video update to members in the public service, Paul Finch, president of the BCGEU and chair of the Public Service Bargaining committee, discussed preparations for a potential strike vote and what to expect as we approach the upcoming bargaining dates in June. 

Watch the video here. 

The economic situation across the country 

Paul highlighted the impact of a 40-year inflationary cycle on labour costs and the affordability crisis in British Columbia, and criticized past government overspending on capital projects, leading to declining revenues.

He also spoke about public sector labour efforts happening elsewhere across the country, particularly as Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) members and Canada Post workers (CUPW members) are currently taking bold steps to demand fairness and respect at the bargaining table. BCGEU public service members are facing a pivotal moment in our own contract negotiations, and we need a deal that addresses members' affordability challenges.

Preparations for a potential strike vote

Finally, Paul added that our union is preparing for job action, and our organizers are currently mobilizing for strike votes. We remain committed to reaching a fair agreement at the table, but if talks reach an impasse, we need to be ready-ready to organize, mobilize, and stand up for a collective agreement that reflects the importance of the work we do. 

In solidarity,

Your Public Service Bargaining Committee

Paul Finch, President and Committee Chair
Maria Middlemiss, Treasurer
Dean Purdy, Component 1 Vice-President
Kusam Doal, Component 5 Vice-President
Judy Fox-McGuire, Component 6 Vice-President
Mona Dykes, Component 6 Second Representative
DJ Pohl, Component 12 Vice-President
Faith Johnston, Component 12 Second Representative
Robert Davis, Component 20 Vice-President 
Larisa Mills, Staff Representative 
Sumiko Marshall, Support Staff 
 

UWU/MoveUP

BCGEU President and PSBC Chair Paul Finch Shares Latest Bargaining Update

BCGEU President and Public Service Bargaining Committee Chair Paul Finch has released a new video breaking down the ongoing challenges at the bargaining table. The employer is refusing to move in any meaningful way on the issues you have told us are your priorities for bargaining-and they've said they won't be ready to begin monetary negotiations until June, despite our offer to meet in May.

Watch the video to get the inside story, including the steps our union is taking to prepare in case a strike vote becomes necessary.

Paul Finch Discusses Public Service Bargaining on CKNW

Paul Finch joined guest host Bruce Claggett on The Jas Johal Show (CKNW) to discuss the ongoing public service contract negotiations. The interview touched on a wide range of issues, including the province's economic outlook and the escalating cost-of-living crisis in B.C.

Listen to the full interview here.

In solidarity,

Paul Finch, President and Committee Chair
Maria Middlemiss, Treasurer
Dean Purdy, Component 1 Vice-President
Kusam Doal, Component 5 Vice-President
Judy Fox-McGuire, Component 6 Vice-President
Mona Dykes, Component 6 Second Representative
DJ Pohl, Component 12 Vice-President
Faith Johnston, Component 12 Second Representative
Robert Davis, Component 20 Vice-President
Larisa Mills, Staff Representative
Sumiko Marshall, Support Staff

UWU/MoveUP

UWU/MoveUP

Special greetings and solidarity from the Public Service Bargaining Committee (PSBC) to recognize Administrative Professionals Day!
 
BCGEU's Component 12 is the largest grouping of administrative professionals in our union and represents about 13,000 of the nearly 35,000-member strong BC Public Service bargaining unit. The PSBC continues to work on non-monetary proposals at the table including many important issues to administrative professionals including telework and classifications.
 
Today at the table, we invited the employer to acknowledge the day and while the size and importance of work being critical to government operations was acknowledged, no advancement or commitment to priority proposals for Administrative Professionals were acknowledged in the context of bargaining.
 

All five BCGEU components which are part of the BC Public Service acknowledge the invaluable work of administrative professionals that keep every worksite running in every office, in every ministry within the public service as well as alternative service delivery sites.
 
The work at the Public Service bargaining table continues to address issues of equity, fairness and respect. Your bargaining committee is dedicated to achieving the best possible deal for all members and stands in solidarity with each other today on Administrative Professionals Day and every day. 
 
Component 12 celebrated this year by asking members to share a bit about the important work being done across the province, check out their video here: Administrative Professionals Day 2025
 
In solidarity,
 
Your Public Service Bargaining Committee

Paul Finch, President and Committee Chair
Maria Bennett, Treasurer
Dean Purdy, Component 1 Vice-President
Kusam Doal, Component 5 Vice-President
Judy Fox-McGuire, Component 6 Vice-President
Mona Dykes, Component 6 Second Representative
DJ Pohl, Component 12 Vice-President
Faith Johnston, Component 12 Second Representative
Robert Davis, Component 20 Vice-President 
Douglas W. Dykens, Executive Director – Advocacy, Negotiations, Member 
Benefits and secretary to the PSBC 
Larisa Mills, Staff Representative 
Sumiko Marshall, Support Staff 

UWU/MoveUP

What’s Ahead in Bargaining? Paul Finch Breaks It Down In a new video update, BCGEU president and chair of the Public Service Bargaining committee, Paul Finch, shares what members can expect as negotiations with your employer resume on Tuesday. He highlights how recent polling has given the bargaining team a clearer picture of members’ top priorities—especially in light of growing economic uncertainty and the rising cost of living. Paul offers insight into how talks may unfold in the coming weeks, particularly with the employer expected to table their monetary offer soon. Once those proposals are on the table, the bargaining committee will assess whether there’s a viable path toward a deal. He also lays out what steps might be taken if the employer’s offer falls short and doesn’t meet members’ expectations.

UWU/MoveUP

Rapid Grievance Tribunal 

So far this round of bargaining, discussions have been focused on key non-monetary proposals. One of the most important to our committee is the Rapid Grievance Tribunal. Here's why:

ISSUE:  

The length of time it takes to settle grievances is too long – especially for simple grievances like:

• union leave denial
• vacation denial
• overtime bypasses
• other, simple, straightforward, time-sensitive matters

Grievances are taking as long as two years to resolve, even when it's a simple matter. Lengthy waits mean that – when they win – members don't actually get the leaves they've been denied, as the days requested have long passed. In these cases, justice delayed is justice denied. As a result, many members have lost confidence in the grievance system. 

PROPOSED SOLUTION:  

In our current system, all grievances follow the same process – whether they are simple or complex. So simple grievances get unnecessarily slowed down, as they don't need lengthy investigations or rely on interpretation of complex matters. 

Separating complex and simple grievances into two streams would help conclude both types more quickly. It is not effective to put costly and limited legal resources into very simple cases. That's why we have proposed a "Rapid Grievance Tribunal" process to facilitate quick settlement of simple grievances in the most informal manner possible.

We want to emphasize that the proposed Rapid Grievance Tribunal would only address grievances of a simple nature, not more complex issues that require investigation such as disciplinary grievances.

Our union's intention behind the proposed rapid grievance tribunal is to: 

• Resolve grievances of a straightforward nature in a timely fashion
• Restore confidence in the administration of our contract 
• Resolve disputes that are otherwise impacting productivity 
• Save the union and the PSA significant money spent in prolonged adjudication of disputes that could be settled more simply. 
• Realize cost-savings for government by addressing loss of productivity, reduced workload, reduced case conference and arbitrator time

In the following video, BCGEU president Paul Finch explains the proposed RGT is more detail: 

In solidarity,

Your Public Service Bargaining Committee
Paul Finch, President and Committee Chair
Maria Bennett, Treasurer
Dean Purdy, Component 1 Vice-President
Kusam Doal, Component 5 Vice-President
Judy Fox-McGuire, Component 6 Vice-President
Mona Dykes, Component 6 Second Representative
DJ Pohl, Component 12 Vice-President
Faith Johnston, Component 12 Second Representative
Robert Davis, Component 20 Vice-President 
Douglas W. Dykens, Executive Director – Advocacy, Negotiations, Member 
Benefits and secretary to the PSBC 
Larisa Mills, Staff Representative 
Sumiko Marshall, Support Staff 

UWU/MoveUP