Bargaining Bulletin #21

March 12, 2012

To: Heads Up – Vancouver and Okanagan
From: Lisa Castle, AVP, Human Resources
Cc: HR Advisors & Associates
Re: Bargaining Bulletin #21 – 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/.

We are pleased to let you know that we have reached a tentative settlement with BCGEU, which represents unionized child care workers at the University’s Vancouver campus. The agreement is for the period May 1, 2010 – April 30, 2012, and is consistent with the Provincial Government’s mandate for 2010 bargaining (http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/psec/bargaining/index.htm#netzero). You may recall that the Union’s membership rejected the first agreement reached last November, as we advised in Bargaining Bulletin #15 (http://www.hr.ubc.ca/collective-bargaining/bargaining-bulletins/bulletin-15/). The results of the Union’s ratification process on this tentative settlement will be known by March 23. Should the ratification be successful, the University will engage its ratification process with the University Public Sector Employers’ Association (UPSEA) and the Board of Governors in late March/early April.

We returned to the bargaining table with CUPE 116 on March 8 and 9, and continued to make progress on non-monetary items. At this time, all non-monetary matters have been discussed. Prior to those days of bargaining, and following their membership meeting in February, CUPE 116 advised Human Resources that it will hold a strike vote of its membership on March 15. The parties have agreed to wait to schedule another meeting once the University is in a position to negotiate the 2012 Cooperative Gains mandate. CUPE 2950 has taken a similar position. That is not likely to be before early April as we (and other public sector employers) await our approvals from the Provincial Government.

CUPE 116 also represents staff in the Aquatic Centre in a separate agreement. The parties met on March 7. The Union has advised the University that they do not wish to meet again until the University is in a position to discuss the Cooperative Gains mandate.

Finally, we have not met with CUPE 2278 Component 1 (TAs, tutors and markers) since mid- February. The parties have a meeting scheduled for March 27. The Union’s website puts forward interesting comparisons with the University of Toronto, and appears to be building towards the proposition that if the Union’s members provide them with a strike vote, this will yield better results at the bargaining table. A significant difference between the collective bargaining situation at UBC and the University of Toronto is that UBC is negotiating under BC’s Provincial Government mandate: http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/psec/bargaining/index.htm.

We met with CUPE 2278 Component 2 (English Language Instructors in Continuing Studies) on February 28 and the Union tabled its monetary proposals. The parties are scheduled to meet again on March 29.

We look forward to continuing discussions at the bargaining tables over the coming weeks, and we will continue to dedicate our efforts to reaching collective agreements with the CUPE locals within the bargaining mandates set by the Provincial Government.

Thank you for your interest. We expect that we will be providing information more frequently in the coming weeks as this scenario unfolds.

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