Meet a key player in bargaining

“Collective bargaining is the bread and butter of the union” says CEIU member Barb Hall, “and it affects each member daily.” This is part of the answer to the question of why she has taken on major responsibilities in this round of bargaining. Barb was recently elected to both the Table 1 Bargaining Team and the National Mobilization Team, and from the sound of her voice, she can’t wait to get moving.

But why do it? Why put yourself in the pressure-cooker of negotiations where you face the Treasury Board on one side and the expectations of thousands of members (many of whom are ‘vocal’) on the other? For Barb Hall, there are various parts to the answer.

Growing up in Flin Flon, Manitoba is one part. A mining town and a union town, Flin Flon produced many families with strong union loyalties, and Barb’s was one. Before leaving to earn a B.A. at Brandon University, she worked at the mine and was a member of the United Steelworkers of America. Those early union experiences stayed with her when she finished her studies and began work with the federal government.

In 1980, she became an indeterminate Insurance Officer at the Canada Employment and Immigration Commission (CEIC), the predecessor to HRDC. She also became the local president, and has always remained active. Since moving to Winnipeg, she has become an Investigation and Control Officer and has often acted as a supervisor. In addition to her work on collective bargaining, she is the president of local 50770 and alternate CEIU national vice-president for the Manitoba region.

But back to bread and butter. For Barb Hall, collective bargaining is a crucial event in the life of a union and as a committed member, she wants to see these negotiations deliver what the members need. “Each day at work, I hear what members are saying about past negotiations and what they need from the coming round. They expect me to do my best for them, and I will.” However, she has no illusions about what is required to get the contract everyone wants. “At the bargaining table, the Treasury Board negotiators aren’t just looking at me, they’re looking at the members. If they see a so-so attitude out there, the members will be offered a so-so contract.”

The last reason offered for accepting key bargaining responsibilities is the support she has received. “My local, my region, my component — and my partner — have offered the support I needed to go ahead with this. I’m very lucky that way.” She’s hoping the same support will come from the rest of the country too. Given what she is putting into this, it should.