Bargaining Update
Dear CS Group members and delegates to the 2018 CS Group AGM,
What has happened since the last AGM?
As you know, we signed the collective agreement on July 4, 2017. The employer had 120 days from that date to put all of the provisions of the agreement in place and had to abide by the new wording on outsourcing and technological changes. Has Departments fulfilled obligations in this respect? Ask Eva Henshaw, the officer responsible for outsourcing. She will tell you that no progress has been made and that the fight must go on through increased monitoring. This past fall, Eva and I helped the Executive establish the CS Group’s action plan to address outsourcing. On this point, I would personally like to thank Eva for the leadership she has demonstrated since the creation of her position. While the negotiations were instrumental in getting the wording changed, the action plan will be instrumental in enforcing it. It’s a logical next step that shows how much progress we can make when we work together.
Since the fall of 2017, a team led by Stan Buday and assisted by our negotiator Denise Doherthy-Delorme has been tasked with implementing the tentative agreement in Appendix I of the collective agreement on the developpement of some departmental contracting guidelines in regard to the duties of CS Group employees. Our job is to let the Employer know the position of the CS Group and of the Institute on these guidelines. At the time of writing this report, no significant progress had been made.
In late 2017, we began preparing for the new round of bargaining. There was no time to catch our breath! We launched the survey at the beginning of the year and I convened a meeting of the Contract Proposals Committee on March 15 and 16, 2018 in Québec City. The two days were very productive. We took stock of our achievements in the last round and looked at the demands that had not been met or that had been partially met. The Research division presented the initial findings of the member survey to us. Once again, outsourcing is clearly our primary concern. On May 1 and 2, the Executive met to continue the work started in March in Québec City. We discussed strategy at length and can conclude that, as in the past, the CS Group will take the time needed to negotiate the next collective agreement. We will remain committed to getting the fairest and most equitable contract CS Group members deserve, despite the federal election that could impede our efforts in the fall of 2019. So far, we plan to begin the next round according to the regular timelines and not to pursue an expedited process. We feel that several items are too important to be dealt with in haste.
In the next few weeks, a presentation will be delivered to CS members on the forms of dispute resolution available when an impasse is reached at the bargaining table. The presentation is in addition to a survey that will be sent to the CS Group members in September. The purpose of the survey is to find out which route you prefer for the next round—conciliation or arbitration—before the Executive makes its final decision. Watch for further information on this topic.
We still have plenty of work to do, including wrapping up commitments from the last round, enforcing the new wording, and of course, preparing for the next round of bargaining. In order to do so, the CS Group Executive has appointed its Bargaining Team, which I have the pleasure of introducing today. Allow me first to thank all of the members who have put their name forward. The team was chosen in accordance with article 5.4 of the Group’s By-Laws.
The members of the Bargaining Team are:
Denise Doherty-Delorme, PIPSC Negotiator
Robert Tellier, CS Group Bargaining Officer
Stan Buday, President of the CS Group
Lucille Shears, CS Executive
Eva Henshaw, CS Executive
Tony Goddard, CS Executive
Dean Corda, CS Executive
Yvonne Snaddon, CS Executive
Rob Scott, CS Executive
Karim Chaggani, CS Executive
Denis Caissy, CS Member
Michael Vincent, CS Member
In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a wonderful and safe summer. Summer is an ideal opportunity to spend time with family and friends and recharge our batteries.
Proudly CS,
Robert Tellier
CS Group Bargaining Officer