Dear Members,
We are writing to provide an update following today’s mediated bargaining session at the BC Labour Relations Board offices.
This morning, the Union presented a counterproposal to the Employer as a genuine effort to move the bargaining process forward.
After several hours, Metro Vancouver responded with its own counterproposal. Unfortunately, the Employer’s position remains largely unchanged and continues to fall short on many of the key issues repeatedly identified by the membership as important and crucial to the Union. These include, but are not limited to, health and safety, contracting out work, and the wage adjustments required to address recruitment and retention concerns.
Before the end of the day, the Union’s Bargaining Committee provided a further counterproposal to the Employer in an effort to keep the process moving. The Employer has taken the proposal away and is expected to respond at tomorrow’s scheduled mediated bargaining session on July 12th.
Although the process is not moving at the pace we had hoped for in order to conclude this round of negotiations, the parties continue to work toward reaching a tentative agreement. We remain cautiously optimistic that the Employer will return tomorrow with a packaged proposal that addresses our members’ demands, particularly given their repeated statements that it remains committed to reaching a fair and reasonable agreement.
We will advise the membership as soon as reasonably possible whether a tentative agreement has been reached or whether the Union will need to escalate further job action to secure a contract that contains the improvements our members rightfully deserve.
In solidarity,
GVRDEU Bargaining Committee
