Business Manager's Corner
Greetings Brothers and Sisters! It has almost been one year since I made the transition into the Business Managers office and as the saying goes, I am still trying to find my desk, in some cases.
It has been very busy with bargaining winding down with one employer only to have it start with another. The Local delivered steward training along with celebrating its 50 year anniversary. The events gave many people time to reflect on our past and the sacrifices people made to get us where we are today.
In the near future, there will be a transition in the Business Office as our current Assistant Business Manager, Doug Pittman, will be moving on to other endeavors come December.
Meaghan Olmstead, will be coming on board to fill the Assistant Business Managers role as of the 1stof June to ensure a smooth transition. Meaghan comes to us from Nav Canada where she occupies the position of a CNS Technologist in Winnipeg. Meaghan has been involved in many union-related activities both at the unit level and on the Nav Canada Negotiating team. Sister Olmstead will bring a wealth of experience and a new dynamic to our office. We look forward to her arrival.
The Local would like to thank Brother Pittman for all his hard work over and unwavering dedication over the years and wishes him well in his future adventures.
Our full-time representatives are busy as always enforcing the collective agreements as well as taking part in such committees as the Nav Canada Joint Council (NCJC) and the Federal Government’s National Joint Council (NJC). Participation on these councils helps ensure hard-fought benefits remain in force and are delivered in a fair and equitable manner.
Nav Canada News
I'm pleased to report that our NAV CANADA bargaining unit has ratified the tentative agreement reached on February 1, 2018.
This agreement could not have been reached without the hard work and professionalism of both negotiating teams.
The settlement, in my personal opinion, is about as fare a deal as we could get considering the Local and the bargaining team did not make any concessions and sold nothing to get it when almost every other bargaining agent either rented or outright sold long-standing provisions to get an increase for only their current membership.
I extend my thanks to the negotiating team for their hard work and perseverance in the face of adversity. A job well done.
Federal Government News
The Local filed Notice to Bargain on the 27thof April 2018, therefore, all terms and conditions of work shall be frozen until such time we reach a new agreement.
Our previous government negotiator has moved on from the Treasury Board and as such, I am waiting for a reply from our new negotiator on the wage comparison study. The previous negotiator and I spoke in March of this year and the Treasury board was preparing to put out a call or a Statement of Work at that time.
I have had discussions with the employer regarding what bargaining will look like this round and from what the employer has told me they will not have a mandate until early autumn so it appears that it will be business as usual with respect to the commencement of bargaining.
The National Steering committee for is scheduled to meet the week of the 10thof June. They will scrutinize all the proposals and decide which ones shall be carried forward for bargaining. The President will select the bargaining team from the national steering committee and will post the team participants shortly after the National Steering committee meets.
Phoenix:
The federal government's so-called system still continues to be a source of stress and heartache for many employees in the federal public service. Thankfully the Local has very few members affected comparatively.
The Local continues to put pressure on the employer in a collective manner through the National Joint Council along with the majority of
other bargaining agents. The NJC now has a committee debating with the employer as to what appropriate compensation in the form of damages would look like.
Given the information we receive through the NJC about this failed project, the end is not in sight, regardless of what you see in the papers.
The Way forward
The Local has set up teleconference accounts for each of our active units so they may be more inclusive of members in remote locations. We have yet to investigate video conferencing capabilities however it is still on our to-do list. The Local is striving to pull our national membership together one step at a time.
The Local is actively engaged in organizing campaigns in several areas of the Country. Given the sensitivity of the topic, I cannot be more detailed on the subject.
We have had many new stewards’ sign up over the past few months so I will be tasking a few of the Local’s full-time representatives with delivering a training course possibly in the late 2018 or early 2019.
Local Union 2228 is on solid ground and continues to defend and provide vital services to the membership
Respectfully Submitted