Civil Service Bargaining Update: E-Vote to Authorize Bargaining Committee to File for Interest Arbitration

Vote on Mon. May 15 – Tue. May 16

Your Bargaining Unit Negotiating Council and your Union Negotiating Committee are asking for your support.

With two days of conciliation behind us and two more days ahead, your Committees are asking for a strong vote from you, the membership, authorizing the union to proceed to Interest Arbitration if they declare a bargaining impasse.

There has been no movement at the bargaining table. The employer continues to table an offer that includes the wage package you are so familiar with – a four year deal with a wage package of 0%,0%,1%, 1.5% and 0.5% on the last day of the contract. Their offer also ends a long-held benefit, called the Public Service Award, which is a deferred wage benefit negotiated in the 80’s to improve recruitment and retention in the Civil Service. It freezes the benefit for all those who are current members and any new hires after April, 2015 would not receive it at all.

This continues to not be acceptable to your Bargaining Committee.

On Monday, May 15th, you will receive an email containing a link and PIN number which will allow you to vote by email or by phone. You will have two days to vote. The vote will close Tuesday, May 16 at 4 p.m.

If at noon on Monday, May 15th, you have not yet received your voter information via email, please contact the NSGEU for assistance.

Please spread the word and vote Yes! to sending outstanding issues to Interest Arbitration.

Interest arbitration is more commonly known as binding arbitration. The union and the employer present their demands to an arbitrator or an arbitration board which renders a decision setting out the terms of the new collective agreement which is binding on both the employer and the union.

We look forward to your participation in the vote.

In solidarity,

NSGEU Civil Service Bargaining Unit Negotiating Council and Union Negotiating Committee