Next week, your Bargaining Committee meets again with our Employer. This will be the 4th and 5th days of negotiations for this contract and you’re all probably wondering how it’s going.
At this point, we can’t release details about particular proposals but we are hopeful with the level of dialogue that we are experiencing and that our Employer has shown some interest in a few of our proposals. Both sides are interested in seeing some changes to language around seniority, hiring practices and postings so that has been the recent focus. Monetary items will likely be addressed last and that will include the discussion on our wage and term.
Last week the bargaining committee sent Alex and myself to a meeting of Lower Mainland municipal and library locals. This meeting was called so that CUPE locals can keep each other informed about particular bargaining issues and to confirm our commitment as a group to achieving a wage increase that matches the cost of living and to jointly tackle issues around seniority, job security and improvements for part-time and casual workers.
We’ll try to keep you informed as we move through the fall. Also, don’t forget to check your CUPE email for additional bargaining updates and if you have any question please submit them, to askbargaining@cupe391.ca.
And finally, if you’re interested in keeping up with bargaining and labour news, here are a couple sties for you to explore:
CUPE BC Bargaining Updates
http://www.cupe.bc.ca/cupe-sectors/bargaining
The Industry/Labour Blog from theTyee
http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/Labour-Industry/
In solidarity,
Laura, for CUPE391 Bargaining Committee