Over 40 delegates from communities across the province, representing the 33,000 BCGEU members who work for the BC Public Service, gathered in Burnaby last Friday to discuss priorities and strategies for bargaining our next collective agreement early next year.

BCGEU president and Public Service Bargaining committee chair Paul Finch welcomed delegates to the Public Service Bargaining Conference with opening remarks. 

"We're looking three rounds out in bargaining, and we're going to be coordinated. This is how we'll get all members to where they need to be in terms of wages and working conditions. This requires us all to understand past achievements and current challenges, and what our priorities will be this round," said Finch. "We are going to be bold, open, honest and forthright with members about our bargaining goals, and members want to be engaged in the process and ready to mobilize. This is how we are going to get the absolute best agreement that we possibly can."

Members have been incredibly engaged this round so far, through surveys, polls, small group discussions and nearly a record number of submitted proposals. It's clear that members know what they want and what they deserve. The Public Service Bargaining committee thanks each member who took the time to share their ideas and help the committee evaluate the top priorities for this round of bargaining. 

BCGEU research staff reviewed the high-level results from the bargaining survey that nearly 7,000 members completed. Members shared a variety of concerns, but their input underscored the same common theme: they want a fair and equitable collective agreement that reflects the importance of the work they do.

Well-known Vancouver pollster Mario Canseco presented delegates with a detailed summary and analysis of the recent poll of our union's public service members. Canseco walked through the benchmarks from polling from the last round of bargaining, including members' motivations and willingness to take job action. 

The Public Service Bargaining committee will continue to meet in the coming weeks to review proposals and ultimately finalize our bargaining package to bring to the table. We will keep members informed every step of the way.

See photos of the Public Service Bargaining Conference here.

In solidarity,

 
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 1st Vice-President 
Robert Davis, Component 20 Vice-President
Douglas W. Dykens, Executive Director – Advocacy, Negotiations, Member
Benefits and Secretary to the PSBC
Sumiko Marshall, Support Staff

UWU/MoveUP