Bargaining Update: Week 2 (Oct 20-24, 2025)

Greetings fellow members! 

We hope this letter finds you all well as we get back into the swing of bargaining this fall. Our committee met with the employer this week to try and work through collective bargaining process, and it has been heartening to see all of our fellow union members in BCGEU still going strong and fighting the good fight on the streets of Victoria as their table moves to mediation. We stand with all of them as they work through that process, which seems to have gained them some progress over this past week. Coordination amongst all of the unions at the table right now is crucial to ensure that all of us across the province get the best deal we can possibly get, and in that light it has been invaluable to have our CUPE National Rep, John Gibson, join us at the table this week to help us with that type of coordination with other CUPE locals, BCGEU tables, Paramedics and all of the other workers in bargaining. 

As we speak of solidarity amongst all of the tables bargaining right now, we also want to keep our members apprised of our own progress. We know from previous rounds of Provincial Framework Agreement negotiations that collective bargaining is a process.  Your bargaining committee is making progress at the table to getting us to our ultimate goal – a fair collective agreement that acknowledges the vital role our members play in our success of our organization and address the challenges we are all facing with rising costs and unsustainable workloads. While we have made some progress this week, there is work still to be done at the table to ensure the priorities that our membership has set for this committee are realized in our next agreement.

Part of that progress that has been made this week is the 2025 Wellness Spending Account entitlement.  The Union and Employer have agreed to keep the amount flat to $430 in order to allow our members to claim for 2025. That request should be available to you in Workday starting Monday, October 27th. Should that not be the case then let your area reps know and we can work in the background to ensure that process is available.   For additional information, please review Article 28.06 of the CA and guidelines on insite.

Your support is crucial in our success.  Your bargaining committee greatly appreciates your engagement in our local, and the many messages of encouragement sent our way.  Make sure your contact information is up to date with your local area representative to continue receiving bargaining updates, as we expect progress to continue to be made in the coming weeks of bargaining.

GO BLUE JAYS!