Urgent Update for BMC Camp Workers

February 24, 2017

Your Negotiating Committee met with your employer on February 23 and 24 to discuss changes to the contract that you are covered by in regards to wages, benefits, etc.

Civeo brought forward proposals that asked for major concessions. Without getting into all the details the Company has offered terms and conditions less than the workers at Athabasca receive.

For example: kitchen workers/housekeeper wage $21.00 per hour; first cook $26.97 per hour; no $4.25 per hour into a RSP account; no guarantee of hours; are some of the major issues that they are looking for.

The Company’s position is that they need these changes in order to be competitive with non-union camps. Your Negotiating Committee feels that the Company is serious about these concessions. With what they did at Beaver River we need to be very concerned with what they are asking for.

At the close of bargaining today, your employer informed us that they are applying for mediation. Mediation is a process that you need to go through as part of negotiations. The Government appoints a person to assist your employer and your Union to try and find a solution to a Collective Agreement.

The Mediator’s job is to meet with both parties and make suggestions on how to find a common position. After this process, the Mediator will either recommend a settlement or that the parties are too far apart and will recommend that the Union could take a strike vote or the employer can take a vote to lock their employees out.

Your committee feels that there will probably be some concessions but your employer’s position is not reasonable. Therefore, no one should make any major purchases.

Your committee has taken a tough stand with your employer on negotiations. You, the members, are the Union. The committee will look to you for direction in what position we should take on concessions. In the end, it is you who will make the decision by a secret ballot vote on the employer’s final offer.

We need to stand together to find a solution to this difficult set of negotiations.

We will keep you updated as things happen. To be clear this is your employer that are demanding these concessions.

Sincerely,

Douglas O’Halloran
President, UFCW Local 401

Posted on: February 24,2017