Return to Work Agreement

The Union and Union bargaining unit employees employed by the Employer will cease all strike-related activities against the Employer within 24 hours of the execution of this Agreement.

All Union bargaining unit employees employed by the Employer will return to work at their regular job and work location at their normal time on the day after this Agreement is executed, save and except that each bargaining unit employee will retain the right to be absent from work on that date and thereafter because of normal day(s) off; vacation; leave of absence; sickness or long term disability or Workers’ Compensation; or any other reason allowed by either the Collective Agreement or the Employer.

It is mutually agreed that return to work activities will include all occupational health and safety requirements, including but not limited to: worker reorientation to the workplace, resumption of joint committees and training, first aid assessments and facilities considerations.

The Union will communicate to its members of the date and time for return to work.

If an Employee fails to return to work, the Employee will be considered to have abandoned their position and deemed to resign per the terms of Article 10.10 of the Collective Agreement.

The Union and Employer agree they will not engage in any strike or lockout activity until the results of the ratification process is complete. For clarity, respecting the picket line of other unions will be treated as per Article 2.9 of the Main Agreement.

Notwithstanding the provisions of Paragraphs (1) and (2) above, the Union and the Union bargaining unit employees will retain the right to resume strike action against the Employer, and the Employer will retain the right to Lockout Union bargaining unit employees, in the event that either the Union or the Employer fails to ratify the Memorandum of Settlement signed by and executed by the parties on October 26, 2025.

Employees, including employees who engaged in a full withdrawal of work, will continue to accrue any earned entitlements for the duration of the Strike Period, unless otherwise indicated in this Agreement. This includes:

• seniority;
• sick leave;
• annual vacations and vacation pay;
• pay increments; and
• health and welfare eligibility.

Where an employee works shifts, as well as Auxiliary employees, and that employee engaged in a full withdrawal of work during the Strike Period, entitlements for those employees will be accrued based on the hours the employee was scheduled to work if not for the Strike Period.

An absence due to strike activity during the Strike Period will not be considered a break in service.

All earned time off schedules interrupted by the Strike Period will be resumed when the employee returns to work. For clarity, an employee will be able to access any earned time off accrued prior to the Strike Period.

An absence due to strike activity during the Strike Period will not restrict eligibility for STIIP or long term disability benefits.

Unless otherwise indicated in this agreement, for the times in which a bargaining unit employee was engaged in strike activity during the Strike Period that resulted in that employee not reporting for duty, the employee will not be eligible for salary, allowances, employer contributions to health plans or any other benefits normally available through employment with the Employer.

All probationary periods, trial assessment periods and other qualifyingperiods interrupted by the Strike Period and any unexpired portions will resume when the employee returns to work.

Each employee who engaged in a full withdrawal of work, except for employees who were already paid by the Employer, will receive compensation for the September 30 and October 13 designated holidays, even if the withdrawal of work does not make them otherwise eligible under the Collective Agreement.

Upon receipt of confirmation of the actual cost, the Union will pay the Employer an amount equal to the total of the Employer’s payment for the continuation of benefits during the Strike Period.

For those employees who engaged in strike action, the Strike Period will not be included in calculating the time-limits for the grievance procedure. No damages will accrue in any matter that proceeds to arbitration with respect to the Strike Period.

Employees who did not receive vacation pay for vacation which was scheduled during the Strike Period will have the opportunity to reschedule that vacation later in the year subject to the demands of the business. Vacation previously scheduled for a time which commences after the Strike Period will be taken as scheduled. The Employer and the Union will co-operate in encouraging employees described above to take vacation as soon as possible.

The October 31, 2025 date in the agreed to letter dated January 29, 2025, re Archived Vacation will be amended to reflect 60 days after the date of ratification.

The Employer will not bring any action against employees for any conduct related to legitimate strike activity during the Strike Period.

Upon execution of this Agreement, the Parties will jointly request that the Union Application pursuant to sections 5, 6, 11, 27 and 47 filed October 21, 2025, as amended October 22, 2025, be held in abeyance pending ratification. Following ratification, it is agreed that all applications, complaints, or proceedings now before the Labour Relations Board or before any other forum related to this dispute, will be discontinued and abandoned. No complaints, charges, actions, lawsuits, claims, grievances or other proceedings will be initiated, instigated, or supported relating to issues, action, or conduct arising up to the date ofratification in respect of the dispute between the parties.

Upon execution of this Agreement, the Parties will jointly request that the process ordered by the Labour Relations Board in 2025 BCLRB 206, at paragraph 59, be held in abeyance until further notice from either party requesting that process to proceed.

No provision will be interpreted or applied in a manner which interferes with the Employer's decisions based on its business requirements to manage and run their operations.

This Agreement forms part of the Collective Agreement and any disagreement concerning the interpretation, application or violation of this Agreement may be enforced through the grievance and arbitration procedure set out in the Collective Agreement.

This Agreement will not be included in the printed version of the Collective Agreement.