Photos: picket signs at BCGEU headquarters are ready to be distributed to

While your bargaining committee waits for the provincial government to call us back to the bargaining table, our union is continuing to work with our legal team in final preparations to action the 95 per cent strike mandate. We will be in a position to issue strike notice to your employer soon and we will update you as we have details to share.
 
The government's most recent wage proposal, tabled last month, failed to meet the needs and priorities that you – 33,000 members in the public service bargaining unit – identified, including cost-of-living protection.
 
Instead of trying to reach a deal, the government has not budged on their "take it or leave it" approach. In fact, you may recall that the Deputy Minister’s response to us was that although the employer is ready to return to the table at any time, “That should not be construed to imply that we have reconsidered our position at the bargaining table.” As of today, they still haven’t countered our last offer or shown any sign that they’re ready to get back to the table in a meaningful way.
 
Resources
For those of you who have questions pertaining to strike action, please check out our Strike FAQ. It’s updated regularly so even if you’ve read it before, we recommend that you review it again. Also, this infographic is a helpful visual reminder of where we are at in the bargaining process.
 
Direct deposit
We plan to issue strike pay by direct deposit in the event of job action. To register for direct deposit, our union must have your personal email address on file. It is important to note that in the event of job action you may not have access to your work email address. So please confirm your personal email address is up to date in the Member Portal to avoid delays in receiving strike pay. 
 
More information on the steps you will need to take to register for direct deposit strike pay will be included in future bulletins. 
 
Do you have your COLA button yet?
We encourage members to wear a COLA (cost-of-living adjustment) button to show support of your bargaining committee. If you haven’t received your button yet, contact your BCGEU area office or your local chair.

In solidarity,
 
Your BCGEU Public Service Bargaining Committee
 
Stephanie Smith, President
Paul Finch, Treasurer
Judy Phipps, Executive Vice President
Dean Purdy, Vice President - Component 1
Kusam Doal, Vice President - Component 5
Judy Fox-McGuire, Vice President - Component 6
Kayla Woodruff, Member at Large - Component 6
Maria Middlemiss, Vice President - Component 12
Matt Damario, Component 12
Robert Davis, Vice President - Component 20
Michael Eso, Secretary and Lead Negotiator
Lisa Lane, Support Staff