The new SP Group Bargaining Team met in person and has started planning for the upcoming round of negotiations, which will start in the fall of 2026. Plans include a rough timeline for bargaining and an exciting new bargaining concept.
Your bargaining team
The new SP Group Bargaining Team has been selected. Here are the members:
Bargaining chair: Enzo Barresi
Member: Leslie Nasmith
Member: Sarah Marcil
Member: Xiaohui (Phil) Wang
Member: Andrea Raska
Member: Marcel Beaudoin
Member: Bryan Van Wilgenburg
Member: Arlene Agno
PIPSC Negotiator: Yvonne James
PIPSC Negotiator: Jason Manchester
More information on the Bargaining Team, including contact details, can be found here.
Timeline for bargaining
We understand members want to know what their team will do in the short and medium term. The following is a tentative schedule. The dates and order may change as we proceed.
- June 2025
- National PIPSC bargaining survey
- SP Bargaining Team training
- Summer 2025
- Develop roles and responsibilities for the bargaining team
- Development of SP Group bargaining survey
- Fall 2025
- Bargaining training
- SP bargaining survey sent to members
- Town halls
- Lunch and learns
- Bargaining conference
- Winter 2026
- Meet with members who have significant experience in areas where changes are being proposed
- Prepare a list of proposals
- Begin pay analysis
- Summer 2026
- Send notice to bargain to employer
- Fall 2026 onward
- Bargain
The case for open bargaining
Open bargaining is a collective bargaining approach that seeks to engage as many members as possible throughout the bargaining process. In open bargaining, negotiations between a union and an employer are conducted in a transparent and inclusive manner. Unlike traditional bargaining, where communication can be vague and member participation low, open bargaining strives to include a larger group of union members throughout the bargaining process
The goal of open bargaining is to increase member engagement, ensure transparency, and build collective power by giving everyone a clearer understanding of what is being discussed and how decisions are being made.
This approach can help create a sense of shared responsibility and solidarity among members as they witness and co-develop the bargaining process. Open bargaining is often used to build trust within the union, apply pressure on the employer through visible support, and ensure the final agreement reflects the priorities of a broader group. While it can make negotiations more complex, many unions see it as a democratic and empowering way to conduct collective bargaining.
Unions working together
Your SP Group Bargaining Team spent two days discussing concepts in open bargaining, member engagement, and how unions can increase overall participation in the bargaining process. We were grateful to participate in a conversation with the Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE) team, consisting of CAPE President Nathan Prier, Suzelle Brosseau, Director of Negotiations and Research, and Darrah Teitel, Organizer.
Left to right: Bryan Van Wilgenburg, Sarah Marcil, Darrah Teitel (CAPE), Suzelle Brosseau (CAPE), Andrea Raska, Nathan Prier (CAPE), Leslie Nasmith, Arlene Agno, Yvonne James, Phil Wang, Marcel Beaudoin, Enzo Barresi, Jason Manchester, Justin Vossenberg (PIPSC staff)
Open bargaining at PIPSC
Open bargaining ultimately aims to increase member participation in the bargaining process. The SP Group already uses several practices with this goal in mind. Decades ago, the bargaining team was hand-picked by the bargaining chair. Now, a call for interest goes out to all 11,000 and more members of the SP Group. Members participate through two bargaining surveys (SP and PIPSC national), their sub-groups, lunch and learn discussions, one-on-one conversations with stewards, and the SP bargaining conference. We post proposals from member priorities and the employer’s proposals on the PIPSC website. A bargaining update is sent every time the bargaining team meets before bargaining and after every bargaining session with the employer.
Despite these engagement tactics, the bargaining team thinks more can be done, and we are working on a plan to maximize member participation in the bargaining process. We aim to ensure that SP Group members have as much ownership as possible over the bargaining process and the collective agreement that we will eventually achieve.
How you can help
I ask you to consider what gives public sector unions power at the bargaining table and to answer the following questions:
- Think about your job's pain points. Read the SP Group collective agreement and ask yourself if there is something that could be changed, added, or removed to eliminate or reduce the pain point.
- How can we increase member participation in the bargaining process?
Email your responses to the sub-group president, if you have one, and the bargaining team at spbargainingteam@pipsc.ca.
In solidarity,
Marcel Beaudoin
SP Group Bargaining Team Communications Officer, PIPSC