Employer Unprepared to Discuss Job Security Issues
On June 28, Unit 2 members of the CUPE 3903 Bargaining Team met with the Employer in a penultimate discussion of job security proposals mediated by Chris Albertyn.
The bulk of the session involved a sidebar discussion between Albertyn, counsel for both parties, Union staff representatives, and the Employer’s lead negotiator Dan Bradshaw. While this was ongoing, Unit 2 members of the CUPE 3903 Bargaining Team worked through Albertyn’s latest draft on Article 12.04, on equitable hiring, and identified areas for further clarification and movement.
When the Union’s sidebar participants returned, members of the Bargaining Team were frustrated to learn that the Employer seems wholly unaware of the details of our existing job security programs. This is unacceptable at this late stage of the bargaining process. The Employer has articulated an interest in expediting negotiations since the start, and has accelerated the timeline by filing for conciliation, requesting the no-board report, and setting a lockout deadline–and yet they arrive at our sessions totally unprepared to do the work to bring us closer to an agreement.
These job security sidebar discussions with Albertyn are set to continue and possibly conclude on July 3. What may be the final sidebar on equity will also take place on the morning of July 1. We hope that the Employer arrives properly equipped to engage on these critical issues.
Members are welcome to attend any and all upcoming bargaining meetings and to vote yes in the upcoming Strike Mandate Vote.