On Sunday February 14th, the CUPE 3903 Bargaining Team met with mediator Chris Albertyn at 1pm. The Bargaining Team would like to thank members in the room for attending as observers, as per our open bargaining practice.
Mr. Albertyn met with the Employer the day before, on Saturday, February 13, at 10am. These separate mediated sessions with both the Employer and the Union were dedicated to preliminary discussions on job security programs for Unit 2. Members can see the Union’s latest proposal package here. The remaining two weekends in February (Feb 20-21, and Feb 27-28) will be utilized to continue the mediation process. During these sessions, we will focus on the job security measures and equity provisions tied to them. Our preliminary session provided Mr. Albertyn with clarity regarding the differences between the Union and the Employer. We also had an opportunity to discuss what the mediation process would look like going forward, including how our legal counsel would support the process.
The Bargaining Team asked Mr. Albertyn to communicate to the Employer that job security proposals should cover a number of dimensions. The package needs to be attractive to long standing members, including a decent severance package so that long standing members can move on accordingly. This will allow people to move steadily up through their respective units. We also reiterated that since conversions are small, job stability for members remains crucial, which will help pensions grow and enable people to move on. We also answered Mr. Albertyn’s questions related to the Continuing Sessional Standing Program (CSSP). Finally, we emphasized our commitment to enhancing equity for racialized members who experienced systemic barriers to accessing seniority.
For next weekend, the Employer and the Union will meet with Mr. Albertyn for a joint session together where the Employer will present the Union with new proposals on job security. The implications of Bill 124 will also be discussed during mediation as it relates to the costing of job security proposals.
Members are welcome and encouraged to attend this and all meetings of the Bargaining Team. The meeting calendar and the registration information can be found here.
During registration, you will need to provide your employee number, which will be kept confidential. Your employee number is on your monthly pay stub. If you still don’t know what your employee number is, please click here for instructions.
After registering, members will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.