2021-08-26
We continue to be fully engaged in our efforts to bargain with the employer. We had an ‘at the table’ session with the employer a couple of weeks ago and it went well.
As for the recent election call, we do not have any specific details from the employer to share; however, at this point, Bargaining has certainly not stopped.
The employer likely would not be able to sign a contract during the campaign period but that was not going to happen within the next month anyway. In the meantime, we are continuing all our bargaining work.
We did not have an ‘at the table’ meeting scheduled with the employer in September due to previous scheduling conflicts so there’s no effect there.
Certainly, a new party gaining power could affect things moving forward but it’s unlikely to affect the work that has been done up to now. We do a ton of work in between ‘at the table’ sessions. As articles are tabled back and forth, we are still working on responses / rationale / counter proposals / research / etc.
It’s hard to update on bargaining because the only thing we can really say at this point is that bargaining is going well, it’s a slow process and we need to get it right. Salaries are a crucial component of our negotiations and there are many other important items in our first contract as well – all our benefits and terms and conditions of employment.
Please continue to reach out directly to your local Steward or Regional Chairperson at any time. We would much rather interact with you personally than rely solely on publicly posted updates.