Normally I would wait until the end of a week of bargaining to post an update, but I know you are all waiting patiently for word of the employer's wage offer and....drumroll please........

On average they are offering 1.5% per year for a two year contract with lower wage increases for positions lower in the pay scale (1% up to grid 5), and higher wage increases higher in the pay scale (up to 2% for SA's). The Union's position is that we must achieve at least the cost of living which last year was 2.3%. We had been asking for that as the minimum at Step 2 and going up from there to as much as 10% based on the Mercer report and external job data surveys we have done.

This offer is under the "cooperative gains" mandate imposed by the Liberal government and yet there is nothing cooperative at all about the process. The employer's process of identifying savings is very secretive and they do not intend to share with you their calculations leading to this offer but encourage us to identify other savings withing the BC Assessment budget. Share with us your ideas and we'll bring them to the bargaining table!