Dear BCGEU,

Things are moving quickly in our union's public service strike. From escalating job action to our response to government's update on the provincial economy, below is a roundup of week three of the strike. 

On Monday the provincial government announced that B.C.'s economy has shown resilience despite disruption and uncertainty from the global trade conflict. This confirmed what we've been saying all along: investing in public service workers – and all workers across the public sector – is critical for sustaining the services British Columbians rely on, and to driving B.C.'s economy forward. 

This week, we escalated job action in several key areas: 

• Public service workers who support B.C.'s mining operations joined the strike. 
• An overtime ban was announced in corrections and sheriff services. 
• Workers in citizens' services and gaming also joined picket lines, adding strength to week three of job action. 

📣 Here are a few news stories from the week: 

BCGEU strike nearly into its third week – CBC 
BCGEU strike extends to province's mining operations - CityNews 
Escalation of B.C. public service strike hits citizens' services and gaming branch - CTV 

Now, more than 8,500 public service workers are engaged in job action: on picket lines, through overtime bans, and even in virtual picketing teams. Every day 400–600 virtual picketers reach out to their communities to explain the strike, gather signatures for our letter-writing campaign, and share stories online. In fact, this is the first BCGEU strike in history to include virtual picketing - enabling struck workers who live more than 30 km from a picket line, or who need an accommodation, to fully participate. 

So far, our escalation strategy has targeted critical areas of government operations rather than inconveniencing the general public. Each day, affected services slow, backlogs build, and decision-makers feel the pressure. But if government refuses to return to the table with a revised wage offer, we will soon be forced to escalate sharply - expanding strike action to a broader group of members and creating greater impacts on the public. 

We don't want to create delays or inconvenience British Columbians. We want a fair collective agreement. We want to return to the bargaining table and end this strike. 

With your help we can get government back to the bargaining table. Send an email to your MLA calling for a fair deal for public service workers. And if you're near one of these picket lines, please stop by to show your support! 

In solidarity,
 
Paul Finch 
BCGEU president 

UWU/MoveUP