Bargaining Update, April 2015

Bargaining Update, April 2015

This is a sneak peak of an article that will appear in the April 2015 edition of the FSA Voice.

The FSA and BCIT are moving toward the conclusion of collective bargaining just as the bargaining scene provincially is getting more complicated.

Negotiations took a winter hiatus due to leave time taken by key players on both sides of the table and the priority given to BCIT’s budget issues. Talks resumed on March 26 with the tabling of proposals arising from progress made on other matters.

The parties agreed that all proposals have been sufficiently surveyed that discussions should move toward what a settlement package will look like. For the employer, that requires further discussion with the Post-Secondary Employers’ Association (PSEA) the provincial body that oversees labour relations. Our hope is that bargaining will move quickly toward a settlement once the employer is authorized to table a package.

Beyond our bargaining table, things are happening which may have an impact on how our negotiations will conclude. Most notably, the BCGEU Vocational Instructors are holding a strike vote as the BCITFSA Voice is being produced. The FSA will support any effort by the BCGEU to get a fair settlement. The Faculty Association at the University of Northern BC (UNBCFA) went on strike on March 5. At the time of writing, they were back at work awaiting action on a recommendation to have an arbitrator settle the dispute. UNBCFA unionized in 2014 after failing to address serious salary deficiencies as an uncertified bargaining agent. Salaries at UNBC are among the lowest at any Canadian university and an arbitrator’s report shows that UNBC can afford to pay more. They have not, however, been able to break the provincially established wage mandate to address the problems.

Within the colleges and institute’s sector, the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators (FPSE) approved a common agreement covering wages and benefits for eight colleges. The settlement falls within the provincial mandate of wage increases totalling 5.5% over five years. As with other agreements, there were minor changes to the extended health benefits. Each member institution must now finalize a local agreement to go along with the common agreement.

At the time of writing, the Capilano Faculty Association (CFA) has suspended a strike to go into mediation. On top of serious unresolved issues regarding university governance, CFA is bargaining for layoff protections, improved regularization rights, and academic freedom. The Langara College Faculty Association (LFA) also approved a strike mandate with 91% voting in favour. The strong mandate reflects dissatisfaction with the common agreement and the failure of the college to address local issues, which are that much more significant when compensation becomes virtually non-negotiable. Unresolved issues at the time of writing relate to parking and facilities.

Most of the provincial public service, including almost all the major unions, has now signed on to the government’s wage mandate. We are reaching the hard part of the bargaining cycle when those unions whose important issues are not addressed by the mandate are trying to get what their members need. The one-size fits all approach adopted by the government in the last several rounds of public sector bargaining is approaching a crisis. Even if unions with claims as strong as those at UNBC are unable to break the mandate this time, there will be no escaping the huge challenges that will be left to fester for the next four years.