CLS CATERING MEMBERS: BARGAINING UPDATED FOR JULY 14, 2022

CLS CATERING MEMBERS: BARGAINING UPDATED FOR JULY 14, 2022

July 14, 2022 at 1:36 PM

On July 11 & 12, the Company and the Union met in person to continue negotiations for a new collective agreement. The main bone of contention for the Union is wages, we made a considerable and significant move towards the Company’s demand for wages for new hires. However, they responded that they were not willing to budge on their position.  As a result, we reached an impasse, and on Tuesday, July 12, the Union served the Company with 72hrs strike notice.

Provincial Mediation & Strike Action in British Columbia
We reminded the Company of the labour laws towards strike action in the province of British Columbia. In the province, only employees and managers who worked before the Notice to Bargain was issued are allowed to work during strike action. Notice to Bargain was issued on January 12, 2022, so anyone hired after this date cannot work while we are on strike. 

We also reminded the Company that British Columbia does not allow replacement workers, only management and non-unionized employees are allowed to work when the Union is on strike.  Legally we are in a position to strike on Friday, July 15, at 1200 PST.  The Company has since responded to our strike notice by applying for mediation which the Union agreed.

We are waiting for dates from the mediator so we can resume bargaining. We are hopeful that appointing a mediator will help us get a fair and equitable agreement for our members at CLS Catering.

What is Provincial Mediation?
  • The purpose of moving to conciliation is to make this employer realize that it’s time to start moving in the direction of an agreement.
  • The provincial mediation process consists of filing a notice for provincial mediation to the provincial labour board followed by them appointing a mediator after receiving the notice.
  • Once a mediator has been appointed dates are set to resume negotiations.
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In Solidarity,
Your Unifor Bargaining Team
Paul Lacson, Bargaining Representative
Johnson Dhirend Chand, Bargaining Representative
Daljit Khinda, Bargaining Representative
Theresa Amicarelli, Assistant to the Unifor 2002 President
Jean Van Vliet, Unifor National Representative