Our online strike vote opens tomorrow (March 14) at 8 am. To ensure that you have all the information you need to make an informed vote, your bargaining committee has launched an online bargaining hub that includes a helpful strike FAQ, including what to expect after the vote. As your questions roll in, we will continue to add to the FAQ so keep this link bookmarked! 

Yesterday, the employer sent a communication to all staff, explaining the strike vote. To be clear, this is your strike vote – not Vancity's. It's an opportunity for you to flex your democratic muscles and exercise your union rights.

📥Please check your inbox for an online ballot from Simply Voting tomorrow morning. You have until March 19 at 5 pm to cast your vote!If you know of any coworkers that do not receive union emails, please tell them to update their contract information at my.bcgeu.ca. We will also be calling you and your coworkers throughout the vote to answer any questions you may have.

❗If you don't receive your ballot tomorrow at 8 am, please email [email protected]. Everyone should be exercising their right to vote. 

✅Your elected bargaining committee is recommending you vote YES, in support of achieving a fair deal that can provide you with real financial security in employment and retirement.

Refreshing your support for financial security:The reason we've taken this fair deal campaign from the bargaining table to the ballot box is so that you and all our coworkers can reaffirm your support for the wages and working conditions you said you need to keep clocking in at Vancity. 

A positive strike vote is also a way of showing solidarity with your lowest paid coworkers who are depending on this round of bargaining to pay their bills. As a financial institution committed to economic justice, Vancity should understand why you would want thehighest level of financial security possible.

Living paycheque to paycheque:We've heard directly from many of you that you're struggling, living paycheque to paycheque and managing unreasonable workloads because you don't feel there's another option. The Vancity Board is insulated from these stories; they need to hear from youhow dire the situation is so that they stop under-bargaining you. A YES vote is a powerful way to anonymously raise your voice and share this story of struggle.

A disconnect in Vancity's expectations:The employer speaks of how they are going to grow their business and their profits, specifically on the backs of staff, yet they expect you to settle for less at the bargaining table. The "shared success" that they speak of doesn't seem to include you and your coworkers, even though you're Vancity members and part of the communities that they claim to support.

By voting YES in our upcoming strike vote, you're asking the employer to bridge the gap between their words and their actions with an offer that represents the shared success they aspire to.

In solidarity,

Your bargaining Committee:

Samantha Moskie, Bargaining Committee
Susan Adams, Bargaining Committee
Andrew Becket, Bargaining Committee
Jason Lin, Bargaining Committee
Norman Mah, Bargaining Committee
Zoe Towle, Staff Rep, Negotiations 

UWU/MoveUP