Bargaining Team Meeting Report – June 13

The Bargaining Team (BT) for Units 1, 2, and 3 met for the seventh time on Tuesday June 13.

AGENDA ITEMS:

  1. Quorum Rules
  2. Report back from BT/Exec meeting; a round of report backs
  3. Approval Procedure for Bargaining Team Proposals
  4. Vote on the staff proposals we want to include.
  5. The Steward’s Council approved an event on Monday June 26 at the Fox and the Fiddle at St. George and Bloor at 7:30pm. The theme was a bargaining social.
  6. Communications Committee Liaison

Bargaining Proposals and Procedures

Background

During this week’s BT meeting, quorum rules were established, and the main points from our last joint BT and Executive meeting were discussed to get all members up to date. Members also discussed autonomous and collective voting, working towards a consensus based approach, alongside staff proposals and upcoming social events. All members unanimously appointed Murray Cooke, as the communications Committee Liaison.

The meeting was composed of 7 representatives from the union’s BT.

Ongoing Issues and Conversations

  • For Quorum, it is essential to have representation of members from every unit.
  • We need to agree on whether people are okay with telephone and Skype voting.
  • Members need to decide who will be our spokesperson for media representation.
  • There needs to be more discussion around how we mobilize our membership.
  • We need to be doing as much outreach as possible, and as effectively as possible.
  • Need to think through objectives and timelines (Summer/Fall) for specific items.
  • We do have an unfair labour practice that exists with the employer; should file it.
  • For socials, we need a variety of events, some should be at York. Not everyone goes to bars, not everyone lives downtown; it becomes an accessibility issue.
  • With regards to staff proposals, we can further strengthen them through different language that holds the employer accountable.

Bargaining Priorities

At the end of each BT meeting, members will make sure to appoint a chair person for the next meeting and members will send agenda items beforehand in order for upcoming meetings to be as efficient and focused as possible. At the next meeting, agenda items that were missed at this week’s meeting will be addressed. The BT agreed that at our next meeting, unit specific proposals will be discussed as an agenda item.

Upcoming Meetings

The bargaining team will be meeting again on Tuesday June 20th for our next BT meeting, so that we may discuss remaining agenda items that are pending prior to the GMM that will take place on Tuesday June 27th.

Reminder that all bargaining team meetings are open to the general membership and more effort will be made to publicize these meetings on the events section of the website.