Gearing up for collective bargaining

Local president Ian Shaw is at it again, which won’t gladden the hearts of those at the Treasury Board. He and his executive are sharpening the focus of members on the current round of bargaining so that the local makes its contribution to gaining a good contract. “It’s a no-brainer really. If the local doesn’t take bargaining seriously, Treasury Board won’t make us a serious offer.”

In past rounds of bargaining, local 574 (Scarborough, Ontario) has been well organized and successful. Members knew the issues and were commited to doing their part. This time, the executive started the building process in the spring by meeting with members to develop proposals which were then sent to the PSAC. Not all proposals were accepted, but those on leave entitlement, COLA, hours of work and contracting out did make it to the final set of demands. “Talking about proposals raises the interest level in bargaining” said Shaw, “and it’s not hard for a local to do.”

Word of the local’s proposals spread, and a number of locals in the Ontario region asked for copies to review with their members. In Shaw’s view, this exchange of members’ ideas was encouraging, but “it’s something we’ve got to do more of in the union.”

The local is also setting up basic structures to handle such things as coordination with other PSAC locals in the same building. Putting this backbone in place now will support actions that may be needed in the coming months. But on a day-to-day basis, the building process often develops through conversations with small groups of members. The topics vary. Some members watched the post office negotiations carefully and actively discussed the gains made there (http://www.cupw-sttp.org/splash.php). Others wanted to discuss the timetable of bargaining and were concerned to avoid the huge delays that the Treasury Board has caused in the past. For Shaw and his executive, the topic is often less important than engaging the members in discussions, because at this early stage in negotiations, connecting with members on a daily basis is what counts.

The Scarborough local played a leading role in the strike of 2001 by conducting an effective ‘inside strike’ and by engaging in surprise walk-outs during the campaign of rotating strikes. The hope is that a strike can be avoided this time, but without well organized locals, Shaw thinks that all we will avoid is a reasonable offer. He and his executive plan to continue the tradition of building a well-prepared local. As he sees it, there is too much at stake in this round: “Many issues are important to members. For example, younger members show a strong interest in improved leave clauses and members nearing retirement are really concerned with salary increases to boost their pensions. We need to do well this time around.” He’s hoping that other locals see it the same way.