BCGEU members employed at The Salvation Army – Comox Valley have selected a bargaining committee. The bargaining committee will soon begin working with a staff representative to establish bargaining goals and develop bargaining proposals in preparation for negotiations with your employer.

Negotiating a first collective agreement is a multi-step process. Depending on the bargaining goals of members and the approach by an employer, negotiations can take days, weeks or months.

Your bargaining committee is prepared to work hard to achieve a collective agreement. A committee that is supported by an engaged membership is most likely to succeed in achieving the goals of members.

In preparation for bargaining, the Union is providing a half-day meeting so that all members, not only members of the bargaining committee, will be able to have a comprehensive overview of the collective bargaining process. Although it is your committee members who will be directly engaged in negotiation, it is important that all members have the opportunity to be knowledgeable about the process so that you can be as engaged as possible.

Discussion at the meeting may include any or all of the following topics:

· Understanding the structure of a collective agreement;

· The oath of office (copy below);

· Identification of issues for a bargaining unit;

· BCGEU policy decisions made by delegates at the BCGEU convention that affect the negotiation of collective agreements;

· Review of other collective agreements;

· Adoption of language from other collective agreement as bargaining proposals;

· Drafting of language that would be unique to the particular first collective agreement;

· Member activism before, during and after negotiations;

· Bargaining committee communications during bargaining;

· Mediation (Section 55 of the Labour Relations Code);

· Voting processes (ratification and strike votes).

 Please make every effort to attend this important meeting. Attendance at the meeting will be an indication to your bargaining committee of the level of support it has from the membership.

Breakfast refreshments will be provided.