As a BCGEU member of the new Component 14 – Indigenous Services , you have the important responsibility of nominating and electing members to run your local. You can learn all about your participation here. I encourage you to read below for some helpful Q&As about your new component, raised by your fellow Component 14 members at last week's town halls: 

Q: Why is this new component important for members? 

A: This new component brings together members of similar work and interests (i.e., members who work for organizations that serve Indigenous populations) and immediately gives you a certain degree of political autonomy and power inside the union to specifically deal with unique issues facing you as a community group of interest. This includes: 

• An autonomous political structure including an elected and accountable leadership 
• An annual budget 
• An elected voice (your component vice-president) amongst the BCGEU's highest governing body (the provincial executive) 
   

Q: Will the new component have any effect on current collective bargaining?

A: The creation of this new component will not change any bargaining tables. Regardless of your move to Component 14, your unit will continue collective bargaining - whether that's being done independently or as part of the Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA). Once your component executive is established (after local elections are complete), changes to collective bargaining can be analyzed and recommended, and resources allocated, to better represent your collective interests.

Q: Is this component going to follow some sort of traditional Indigenous values?

A: The opportunity to form culture as a component will be up to your component executive. The co-chairs of the Indigenous Advisory Council - Coralie Gregoire ([email protected]) and Tristen Wybou ([email protected]) - will assist your component executive in navigating the democratic structure of our union to create such a culture for Component 14 and to impact and influence all other BCGEU components. Note: The membership of Component 14 is not exclusively Indigenous but does exclusively work for employers who exist primarily to serve Indigenous populations.

Q: Is there an elders' council that is able to represent the BCGEU, that could speak with elders from communities, when it comes to bargaining or dealing with grievances? 

A: Currently, the BCGEU is implementing a pilot project to make elders available through various aspects of internal BCGEU processes. This project is a result of a resolution passed at the BCGEU convention in 2024. Like convention, your component executive can also create resources (like an elders' council) using its decision-making abilities and budget. In addition, your new component executive will be able to put forward motions at the provincial executive for union resources more broadly and bring ideas to the Indigenous Advisory Committee (IAC), which is currently training shop stewards to assist Indigenous members and all members on Indigenous issues.

Q: What is Indigenous Advisory Committee and how do we contact them? 

A: The BCGEU's Indigenous Advisory Committee (IAC) is a committee of the BCGEU provincial executive, the highest governing body of our union. The IAC is separate from Component 14. It was formed in 2021 and has 12 members from across the union, including from Component 14. It examines and advises the provincial executive on various matters, including the idea of creating this component. To connect with the IAC, contact the co-chairs: Coralie Gregoire ([email protected]) and Tristen Wybou ([email protected]).

Q: Will stewards and occupational health and safety (OHS) reps need to be re-appointed because of the new component?

A: No. Although local executives and component executives will be new, stewards and occupational health and safety (OHS) reps will remain as they are.

Q: How/when will the Component 14 executive be established?

A: Once you've elected your local executives, the chairs of your locals (and additional representatives from larger-population locals) will form your component executive. The first component executive meeting will include training and education about component bylaws and the roles and responsibilities of executive officers. After that, the component executive will elect its officers (vice-president, treasurer, etc.) and, with some heavy assistance from BCGEU president Paul Finch and executive vice-presidents Coralie Gregoire and Tristen Wybou, get down to work establishing a finance committee, its annual budget, meeting schedule and anything else needed to set the component up for success.

Q: What outreach is being done to areas with small numbers of Component 14 members? 

A: Outreach to Component 14 members will be the responsibility of the component executive. Once established, your component executive will have a few tools available: a budget (including a member-to-member leave of absence budget for worksite visits), and shared union resources such as communication and organizing support.

Q: What kind of things could the component do with its budget and autonomy?

A: A component executive can do virtually whatever it wants if it adheres to the financial policies, constitution and bylaws of our union, and upholds its primary job of meeting at least four times a year as leaders to make collective decisions on your behalf. With a starting budget of about $350,000 per year, there are incredible possibilities including meeting in any corner of the province using whatever appropriate format, organizing activities to talk with members and the communities in which you work, purchasing communications equipment and advertising, running campaigns, publishing materials, and attending labour events, memorial services and picket lines. Your component's elected representative to the BCGEU provincial executive (your vice-president) can also advocate for Component 14 members' ideas and needs to all other components.

Q: What kind of time commitment is required of each local executive role? 

A: Time commitment varies by role and how involved you get in the work. Being a local chair is a significant time commitment: you're expected to hold local meetings at least once every quarter and attend component executive meetings at least once every quarter, as well as use your leave of absence days, though they will not cover the amount of time you spend working on behalf of your local (coordinating the work of stewards, preparing meeting agendas, etc.) Local chairs do union work every week, usually off the side of their desks, and usually after their employed work is done for the day. The time commitment of other local executive roles can be sometimes quite minimal. For members at large, your time commitment depends on the projects you take on. To get a further insight to the time commitment of each role, reach out to a fellow member currently doing that role.

Find more Q&As about your new component here. Please respond to this email with further questions.

In solidarity, 
Paul Finch, BCGEU President 

UWU/MoveUP