Election – District of North Vancouver – Union Inside Representative – 2023 – Zoom

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Municipal Bargaining 2022

The CUPE 389 Committee met with the District of North Vancouver on a number of occasions through the Summer and the Fall. The Employer requested we participate in an expedited process out of what they said were concerns for the welfare of their employees, given the escalating cost of living, which we took to mean a desire to reach a fair collective agreement quickly.

The Employer made a proposal that we believed fell short of what our members expected under the existing economic conditions. When the Union countered this proposal, the Employer decided to end the process and stop the discussions. They advised us they would be engaging Metro Vancouver labour relations negotiators and were not available until at least January of 2023, and possibly later.

While we were not surprised that the Employer rejected the Union’s proposal, we were surprised that they decided to end the dialogue altogether, rather than to continue bargaining, given their previously-stated concerns about concerns about the welfare of the employees. We urged the Employer’s negotiators to continue the discussions and to put our heads together to arrive at a renewed collective agreement that worked for both parties, to no avail.

Many of our members cannot afford to live in the community in which they work. They spend additional hours of their lives commuting from the suburbs through gridlock traffic. The costs of their mortgages are skyrocketting. The financial strain is impacting their health and welfare, and those of their families. As we have shown in Ontario, for our K-12 members, we are not a Union that shies away from a fight if necessary, and neglects our duty to assure our members, who work in the wealthiest community in British Columbia, receive a fair wage increase based on the economic realities.

We ask you to support us by continuing to dilligently perform your duties and to keep an eye on future announcements. We are hopeful at achieving a deal that works for all, without the necessity for job action, but we will not shy away from doing whatever we need to, in order to reach a fair contract for our members. However, we can only do this if we have your support.

We thank our management partners, our elected leaders, and all those who work to make life better. As builders, we recognize how hard it is to build, and how easy it is to tear down. We do not view the world as an “us vs. them” and we value and respect the contributions of managers and excluded staff whose work is often thankless and challenging. However, we believe this moment needs courageous leadership and we call on our elected officials to extend to the workers the same rationalle they extended to their own wage increases.

We are still available and willing to talk to the Employer at any time, and to consider any and all proposals. However, unless the Employer reverses on their stated intentions, we do not anticipate a new agreement until well into the Spring of 2023.

School District Bargaining

We are continuing to meet with the employer and working on the best outcome for our members.

The Provincial Framework Agreement was reached between the K-12 Presidents’ Council and the BC School Employers’ Association on behalf of the Province of British Columbia reached a fair collective agreement that includes a three-year contract with the following wage adjustments:

2022: $0.25/hr + 3.24%

2023: 5.5% adjustment + 1% if cost of living exceeds 5.5%

2024: 2% + 1% if cost of living exceeds 2%

In the event the cost of living remains high, the agreement will have adjustments of 6.5% in the second year and 3% in the third year.

The Province has also provided approximately $1.2 mil over three years for our Local negotiations, which is to be allocated to local priorities through negotiations between your bargaining team and the Employer. We have had a number of meetings and are hopeful to be able to reach an agreement soon. All pay adjustments will be retroactive to July 1, 2022.

District Bargaining Committee:
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Yvette Mercier, President

Tony Volpe, 2nd Vice-President

Brian Warman, Secretary-Treasurer

Kolton Smith, Dinesh Kapoor, Ryan Wood, Unit Representatives

Dan Todd, CUPE Staff Negotiator

School District Bargaining Committee:
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Yvette Mercier, President

Brian Warman, Secretary-Treasurer

Dawn Gabert, Anthony Sevilla, Rob Carter, Unit Representatives

Dan Todd, CUPE Staff Negotiator