Bargaining Bulletin #20

Feb. 28, 2012

To: Heads Up – Vancouver and Okanagan
From: Lisa Castle, AVP, Human Resources
Cc: HR Advisors & Associates
Re: Bargaining Bulletin #20 – Collective Bargaining Update

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide you with an update on developments in collective bargaining at UBC. An overview of collective bargaining (including information on the bargaining units) is available at http://www.hr.ubc.ca/collective-bargaining/.

As you know, we still have negotiations outstanding from 2010 for six collective agreements (all four CUPE agreements, BCGEU at the Vancouver campus and IUOE 882), and these agreements are required to be negotiated within the Provincial Government’s two-year net zero mandate (http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/psec/bargaining/index.htm).

The Provincial Government has provided a new mandate for agreements starting in 2012. It is called the Cooperative Gains Mandate, and it has been referenced in both the Throne Speech and last week’s Budget Speech. More detail can be found at: http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/psec/bargaining/index.htm.

We are well into our preparations for this mandate which has substantive new elements, including the production of a savings plan that would explain to the Provincial Government how we intend to fund compensation increases that must be modest given the confirmation by the Government that it will not provide any funding for salary increases. The plan requires the Government’s approval and that is not expected before the end of March or beginning of April 2012.

Negotiations commenced with the UBC Faculty Association earlier this month for a new agreement as the collective agreement expires on June 30, 2012. The first communiqué has been issued and is posted on UBC’s collective bargaining web page (http://www.hr.ubc.ca/collective-bargaining/) and the Faculty Relations website (http://www.hr.ubc.ca/faculty-relations/). The University will not be in a position to discuss any monetary matters until the savings plan approval is in place.

We expect to commence negotiations with AAPS in May. The timing of negotiations with BCGEU at the Okanagan campus is still to be determined.

Thank you for your interest. We anticipate there will be some confusion about the two Provincial Government bargaining mandates as the processes unfold in the coming weeks, and will do our best to provide clear information.

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