Date: January 22, 2024
Greetings Sisters, Brothers, and Colleagues,
Following the members’ rejection of the Employer’s offer two weeks earlier, your Bargaining Committee met again (January 19, 2024) with the membership to provide an update and take a job action (strike) vote. Simply Voting results showed a strong majority of members were in favour of taking strike action, should that become necessary.
Your committee did not think an impasse had been reached, as the Union and Employer committees have scheduled two additional dates to return to the bargaining table (February 20 and 21, 2024). As discussed during the January 19 meetings, we are anticipating a more positive response from the Employer when we resume bargaining in February.
Today, we received correspondence from the Employer indicating it had advised the Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety that an impasse had been reached. We have not received the actual application, as the legislation commands the Employer to provide, so we are unable to comment on the reasons for the Employer’s attitude. We will work with the Employer to reschedule our February bargaining dates for mediation, if necessary.
The Bargaining Committee thanks everyone for their engagement during the meetings and is looking forward to working with our members and keeping them informed of the next steps.
Keep posted for an update following the February meetings. All active and registered members are urged to continue monitoring their email for notification of the next meeting(s) date and times.
On behalf of the Committee, if you have questions about bargaining and/or your collective agreement contact the Member Resource Centre (MRC) by phone at 1-888-999-7348 ext 2298, by email at [email protected], or by using the contact form at www.seiuwest.ca.
Your participation in your Union makes us all strong!
In Solidarity,
The SEIU-West West Park Crossing Bargaining Committee
Justine Cherpin (Unit Chair) • Myrna Gehl • Staff: Sharon Farrell (Union Representative) • Larry Buchinski (Southern Negotiations Officer)
Click here for a printable version of this Bargaining Update