VANCOUVER – CUPE 4078 members at Vancouver International Airport have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action. The 225 members join more than 1,500 Air Transat flight attendants across the country in returning a 93 per cent strike mandate to their bargaining team. The vote results come after the airline workers rejected the employers’ last offer by 95 per cent.

Local 4078 president Julie Roberts said she is extremely proud of how solidly the local is behind the bargaining committee.

BURNABY—After eight months at the bargaining table, members of CUPE Local 1816 at Pacific Blue Cross have ratified a new four-year collective agreement. 

The package includes reinforced language on benefits, wage increases of 1, 2, 2 and 2.5 per cent respectively and a $500 lump sum payment in the first year.  Language has been included to help mitigate lay-offs in the event of a reduction in the workforce.   The contract runs until July 31, 2014.

“We are very pleased to have carried out the mandate of our members by staying strong on protecting our benef

BURNABY —CUPE Local 3787 members working for the BC New Democratic Party have ratified a new collective agreement. The agreement expires June 30, 2013.

CUPE 3787 represents organizational, fundraising, IT and communications staff at BC NDP headquarters in Burnaby.

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Unions call on province and employers to protect community jobs and services

BURNABY—Frontline community social service workers across British Columbia have given their bargaining committee a strike mandate of 85 per cent in Community Living and 77 per cent in General Services.  The vote follows more than 18 months of protracted contract talks that broke down on March 30.

“This strike vote comes at a time of deepening crisis in community social services,” says bargaining committee member Michael Lanier.  “We are seeing group h

GRAND FORKS—CUPE library workers and the Grand Forks Public Library have ratified a new three-year collective agreement after only one day of negotiations .

The seven members of CUPE Local 2254 at the library signed a new agreement with wage increases of 2.5 per cent in each of the three years ending June 30, 2014.

VANCOUVER —CUPE 1816 has reached a tentative four-year agreement with health benefits provider Pacific Blue Cross after seven months to the day of hard bargaining.

The agreement-in-principle still needs to be ratified by the 610 members of the local.

COURTENAY – CUPE municipal workers and the City of Courtenay have ratified a new collective agreement.

The 80 members of CUPE Local 556 have approved a four-year package that includes wage increases of 2 per cent, 2 per cent, 2.75 per cent and 2.25 per cent respectively and improvements to the fair distribution of work.

Terry Allen, Michelle Waite, Colleen Garbe and Lois Rugg.VANCOUVER—CUPE college and university bargaining committees met this week with the chair of the CUPE K-12 Presidents’ Council to talk issues and strategy.

COMOX—CUPE Local 556 and the Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) have reached a tentative collective agreement. The parties have been in negotiations since December of 2010. The agreement must still be ratified by 70 members of CUPE 556 and the Comox Valley Regional District board. Details will not be released until both sides have ratified the tentative agreement. 

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BURNABY — CUPE’s community social services workers have completed their strike votes and added them to the CSS Bargaining Association sector-wide vote.

The Community Social Services Bargaining Association Negotiating Committee is scheduled to meet to tabulate the votes on May 27-28. The committee will also be discussing strike actions, campaigns and member involvement. The committee expects to notify the Labour Relations Board (LRB) of the results of the strike vote on Monday, May 30. 

Meanwhile, the Unions continue working on setting essential services levels.