South Country Co-op Negotiations Update

The following is an update of what has taken place in regard to your Collective Agreement and the negotiation process.

We have just completed another week of negotiations. To this point we are nearing the completion of negotiations and will have something very soon for you to review and hopefully vote on. We have one last set of dates set for April 18, 19, 20.

On the April dates we still have a few monetary items to resolve like wages and benefits, etc. We also need to finalize the merger document. The merger document, as we told you, was to blend both Collective Agreements like you had voted on.

Your employer has not made much of an offer to increase wages and benefits and your committee has been having a difficult time trying to get them to move. It is going to be very important that you attend any meetings or votes that will be held after this next set off dates. Our hope is to be bringing you something to vote on.

We are applying for Mediation for these dates in April to bring this set of negotiations to a conclusion. The purpose of having a Mediator involved is if the offer we bring to you from your employer is rejected, we will be able to take the necessary steps to either improve the offer or possibly take a strike vote. This would only be if your employer fails to improve or present a proper offer.

On a final note, we ask that you support your bargaining committee and your union to the fullest. Should you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact your Union Representative. We need your support in order to negotiate the best terms and conditions we can for you to work under. We ask that you visit our website often or watch your bulletin boards for further updates.

Sincerely,

Your Negotiating Committee

Posted on: April 04,2017