While the number of bargaining days for our three bargaining units has been uneven and Queen’s has continued to refuse to have a common bargaining table, all three of our units have completed negotiations on most or all non-monetary proposals. The remaining time in bargaining will be focused on wages and things that cost money.
Queen’s has offered the same basic wage package to both 229-0 and 1302: it has not yet discussed monetary proposals with 254.
Here’s what Queen’s has offered to CUPE 1302:
- 2.75% in the first year, 2%, and 2% in the following two years
- some movement on our common Tuition Assistance Plan proposals, but no offers to increase Tuition Support or Child Care Benefit plans
- no movement on our common proposals to increase health benefits like vision care, hearing aids, and massage
Here’s what Queen’s has offered to 229-0:
- some movement on market adjustments for some (but not all) Trades, but less than what we’re demanding
- NO movement on caretaker/custodian two-tier wage
- NO movement on contracting out proposals
Here’s what Queen’s has offered to 254:
- All non-monetary proposals have been resolved. Mini bargaining sessions in the past week have focused on possible changes to the job evaluation process, which we anticipate will result in an agreement to work on changes during the term of the next agreement.
- We anticipate focusing on monetary proposals for the remaining bargaining days.
In bargaining with 229-0 and 1302, this has been Queen’s position:
- NO compensation for the past three years of illegal 1% increases due to Bill 124, while inflation was at its highest in decades (our demand is 6.5%: what QUFA got)
- NO willingness to entertain proposals to hold or increase staffing levels
Does this sound fair to you? Would your wages come close to making up for the 10-15% drop in real wages over the past decade? Would services to students and researchers at the university be satisfactory if those terms were forced on you?
The only way to achieve your just demands is to build a credible strike threat that will make agreeing to your demands cheaper than the university’s costs of dealing with a disruption to its operations.
Talk to your co-workers about this! Volunteer to be a picket captain! Contact your Local’s CAT/picket leader to get involved.
CUPE 229-0: Sarah Allux sallux@gmail.com
CUPE 254: Brooke Belfall
CUPE 1302: Shaun Baddeley cupe1302vp@gmail.com