Category Archives: B.C. News

BCGEU calls on government to invest in public services and identifies new revenue sources

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The BCGEU/NUPGE submission calls for an investment in public services and provides ideas for new and increased sources of government revenue.

    

Vancouver (26 Sept. 2013) – Darryl Walker, President of the B.C. Government and Service Employees Union (BCGEU/NUPGE) presented a submission to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services in Port Coquitlam on September 24.

The submission calls for an investment in public services and provides ideas for new and increased sources of government revenue.

It also “challenges the government to take steps to support workers, families and communities, and to revitalize our province’s economy by making targeted investments in green infrastructure projects to prompt real and sustainable job creation and economic growth, and by investing in key public services that will assist British Columbians recovering from prolonged economic hardship.”

You can read the full submission here.

BCTF warns CUPE strike imminent

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CUPE Returns to the bargaining table Monday, but neither the union or the BCTF is optimistic a deal can be reached.

Sara Norman September 15, 2013    http://www.news1130.com

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) CUPE’s BC Education Sector has voted to strike if they can’t reach a deal in the next round of bargaining.

Now, the B-C Teachers’ Federation President Jim Iker is warning in the event of a strike, teachers will stand on the picket line in solidarity.

CUPE will be at the bargaining table Monday through Wednesday.

If the government doesn’t improve it’s latest two-year contract offer to CUPE, which the union claims will actually be less than their current contract, education assistants and support workers will take strike action.

In an email to members, the BCTF says CUPE is not optimistic a deal can be reached without a walkout.

But Iker says they’re still hopeful they can negotiate a fair deal for teachers and CUPE by working together.

Bargaining for the BCTF has been suspended until October while the union is in BC Supreme Court readdressing a 2011 ruling.

At that time, a judge found the provincial government violated constitutional rights when they took away some bargaining rights for teachers.

CUPE secures additional bargaining dates but government offers are net loss for education workers

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September 10, 2013       http://cupe.bc.ca

VANCOUVER—CUPE’s talks with the BC Public Schools Employers’ Association will continue on September 16, but a lack of progress on a reasonable wage increase for education workers in BC’s K-12 system threatens to shut down the public school system.

“We don’t have endless patience. Our members have been without a wage adjustment for four years. We are seeking an extremely modest raise with no concessions, but the government won’t even offer that,” said CUPE spokesperson Bill Pegler.

Other public sector settlements signed in the last year have included two percent wage increases in each year of the agreement. CUPE education workers’ demands are in line with these settlements.

“By refusing to offer education workers what has been offered to other public sector units, the government is inviting a province-wide strike that will shut down the whole public school system,” said Pegler. “The government’s negotiating position is irresponsible to parents and insensitive to the system’s lowest paid workers.”

In addition, the government is proposing to cut paid sick time by two thirds and cut sick day pay by 15 percent for the newest employees.

Recent polling conducted by Ipsos for the Canadian Union of Public Employees reveals broad support among British Columbians for a wage adjustment for education assistants and other education workers in BC’s K-12 system.

Survey highlights include:

  • 81% believe that education support worker wages should keep up with inflation.
  • When told the average annual earnings for CUPE education workers, 62% of British Columbians say these workers are under-paid.
  • 66% believe that BC’s schools need more government funding.

“CUPE education workers keep BC schools clean, safe, and inclusive. Our bargaining demand for 2 percent wage increase for each of two years is in-step with the public’s expectations of compensation,” said Pegler.

The survey was conducted online during August 30–September 4, 2013 with over 800 British Columbians from across the province. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within +/- 3.9 percentage points had all British Columbia adults been surveyed.

Virtually all of the CUPE locals representing education workers are in a strike position. CUPE locals will serve at least 72-hour strike notice before withdrawing labour and establishing picket lines.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees represents more than 27,000 education assistants, clerical staff, trades, Aboriginal workers, youth and family workers, custodians, and bus drivers in BC.

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Sept 10 CUPE secures additional bargaining dates but government offers are net loss for education workers.pdf

ACTION ALERT: Protect B.C.’s water from corporate freeloaders

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http://www.canadians.org/protect-bc-water       

Imagine a place where companies can take as much water as they want. They don’t need to ask permission from government or the community. And they don’t have to pay any fees for the water they use.

Sound unbelievable? Well, it’s not – at least not in British Columbia.

B.C. doesn’t require companies to apply for permits when they withdraw groundwater, nor to report how much water they are taking. This allows industries, such as bottled water and fracking, to use groundwater at no cost.

Nestlé alone withdraws 265 million litres of groundwater a year from Hope, B.C.

Tell the B.C. government that enough is enough. You want action now!

Go to: http://www.canadians.org/protect-bc-water   and send Premier Christy Clark an email that enough is enough. You want action now!

ACTION ALERT: Defend B.C. Municipalities from CETA

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September 6, 2013 http://www.canadians.org

From September 16 to 20, mayors and councillors from British Columbia will meet for the annual Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in Vancouver. At each year’s meeting since 2010, the UBCM has passed a motion asking the provincial government to negotiate “a clear, permanent exemption for local governments” from the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).

Local governments have to be excluded from CETA or they will lose the ability to put “buy local” or “Buy Canadian” conditions on public spending. Local preferences on big government purchases or major construction and other projects make a lot of sense a lot of the time. “Buy local” food policies, for example, are important food security measures globally. Local content quotas on green energy projects can foster innovation in renewable power technology.

But we know from leaked CETA documents that the B.C. Liberal government is ignoring the municipal request to be excluded from these CETA prohibitions, as are other provinces where local governments, school boards and municipal associations are passing CETA motions. So the City of Cumberland is putting the EU deal back on the UBCM agenda with yet another motion seeking a municipal carve-out (see B40 in the 2013 Resolutions document).

TAKE ACTION – Support the Cumberland motion, demand more of UBCM

With the CETA negotiations nearly concluded, according to the most recent news, we’ve got to make this Cumberland motion count. There are a few things you can do in your community to help:

1. Write or visit your councillors and mayor to ask them to support Cumberland’s CETA motion going to UBCM (B40 in the resolutions document). To find your councillor’s contact information, use the CIVICINFOBC website here: http://www.civicinfo.bc.ca/11.asp.

Sample message (or talking points if you visit in person):

Dear Councillor/Mayor ____________, I am very concerned about the impact that a Canada-European Union trade deal will have on our community if it includes a ban on “buy local” policies as demanded by the EU. I think we should be looking for ways to support local companies, workers and farmers when we spend public money. But CETA would make those policies illegal or else very difficult to put in place. That’s why I hope you will support a motion from the City of Cumberland asking the Union of B.C. Municipalities to request “a clear, permanent exemption for local governments from CETA.” Thank you, [Your Name]

2. Write UBCM executive members to ask what they are doing to make sure that the B.C. Liberal government listens to the repeated requests of B.C. municipalities for an exemption from CETA. Last year’s executive committee members can be found here: http://www.ubcm.ca/EN/main/about/executive/executive-members.html. You can use CIVICINFOBC again to easily find their contact information by searching for the city of each member.

Sample message:

Dear Councillor/Mayor _______________, I am very concerned about the impact that a Canada-European Union trade deal will have on B.C. communities if it includes a ban on “buy local” policies as demanded by the EU. That’s why I support the repeated calls of the Union of B.C. Municipalities for a “clear, permanent exemption for local governments from CETA.” As an executive member of the Union of B.C. Municipalities, I believe it is your role to do more to make sure the province listens to this widely held position. The UBCM cannot be satisfied with anything less than proof the B.C. government will exempt local governments from CETA’s overly restrictive rules on public spending. Thank you, [Your Name]

3. Write or visit your provincial MLA asking her/him to listen to UBCM on CETA. You can find your MLA’s contact information on the B.C. government website here: http://www.leg.bc.ca/mla/3-1-1.htm.

Sample message (or talking points if you visit in person):

Dear __________, I’m writing to express my strong concern with ongoing Canada-European Union trade negotiations and their impact on my community. The Union of British Columbia Municipalities has three times now requested “a clear, permanent exemption for local governments from CETA.” That’s because they can see that the EU agreement will ban “buy local” policies on public spending, and put other restrictions on local governments that don’t make sense. Around the world, local governments are trying to increase the amount of money they spend locally – for environmental reasons as much as to create jobs or support local farmers in the case of food purchases. I don’t see why pro-local policies should be made illegal by a trade deal. The B.C. government has a responsibility to listen to the UBCM by excluding local governments from these rules in CETA. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, [Your Name]

4. Draw attention to the UBCM motion on social media. Leading up to and including the dates of the UBCM convention (September 16 – 20), you can let people know about CETA and the UBCM motion by tweeting a link to the motion and saying you support it. Make sure you use the hashtag for the UBCM convention, which is #UBCM2013. If your councillor is on Twitter, you can also direct your message to her/him.

Sample tweets (@MarySjostrom is Mary Sjostrom, the current president of UBCM):

BC communities want to be excluded from Canada-EU deal. Tell your councillor you support @ubcm2013 motion B40 http://www.ubcm.ca/assets/Resolutions~and~Policy/Resolutions/Resolutions%20Book%202013.pdf

@MarySjostrom The @UBCM can do more to make sure communities are excluded from #CETA. Pls make sure @christyclarkbc listens! #ubcm2013

Good luck and please let us know what you hear from your councillors and MLAs. The provincial government has a responsibility to listen to its municipalities on CETA. They are the ones who will be the most impacted by this strange trade deal with Europe that would ban “buy local” policies.