EVAS: Get informed about the bargaining process

 

 

Unifor has scheduled two general membership meetings to give the EVAS pilots an overview of the next steps in solidifying a collective agreement. The first will be held in Gander on Tuesday, September 29th and the second is in Halifax on Wednesday, September 30th.  All EVAS members are encouraged to attend the meetings.  Representatives from the Bargaining Committee, Local 2002, and the National union will be in attendance.

 

 

 

We wanted to outline for the Pilots at EVAS what you can expect from Unifor in terms of negotiations.  Our bargaining style, though somewhat unique, has worked for Unifor over many decades, with thousands of employers and for more than 305,000 members.

 

 

Our model blends the experience of our Unifor Representatives with the detailed knowledge of the elected bargaining committee.  We believe strongly in the value of members electing their peers and speaking to them directly because those are the faces you see day to day, and you have established workplace respect for one another.

 

 

Our committee is now in place, which we communicated to you in our first update.  We are now in the process of taking the information from the meetings and the feedback you have provided to the committee.  Those suggestions, along with the information we have from other pilot contracts, have formed the foundation of a list of proposals.  Those proposals will be the beginnings of the first EVAS collective agreement.

 

 

We hope to have a smooth bargaining process with EVAS; this is traditionally how it goes with Unifor.  We settle more than 98% of our collective agreements without any labour disputes.  We understand that we will not make improvements on every single suggestion you have provided us; but we are confident we can make sufficient gains to have a strong vote of support by the membership.  Nothing we negotiate will be finalized until you — the membership — have time to see the results of the negotiating process and have an opportunity to vote for the agreement.  Unifor does not have a vote; it is only you, the pilots, who will vote on your collective agreement.

 

 

Some of you have asked what happens if EVAS refuses to negotiate seriously with Unifor.  As stated at the membership meetings, Unifor will not tolerate EVAS dragging its feet.  If talks stall, Unifor will immediately involve the government and file for conciliation.  If, after the conciliation process is finished, EVAS still refused to negotiate a fair agreement, then two outcomes can occur.  They can lock out the pilots from the workplace or workers can vote to strike.  We will get into a more thorough explanation if needed, but for now that is the basic process and we are optimistic that EVAS will be in the 98% majority of settlements and not part of the 2% minority of labour disputes.

 

 

Throughout the bargaining process, we ask the membership to respect the bargaining committee and understand that they are dealing with a confidential process until it is worked out and a tentative agreement is reached.  There is a simple reason for this: it is an ongoing negotiation process and things can change from day to day, so there is no value in telling the membership we have achieved a certain pay rate or benefit until it’s signed off and completed.  Things can change from topic to topic, and we don’t want the membership to be misinformed on a piecemeal agreement.  We want to present a full document so that you can see the full offer.  It is normal for some of you to like certain things more than others, but only as a whole package will you see an overall improvement to your work-life balance for you and your family.

 

 

This is not to say you will not hear from us, we just wanted to explain why we do not go into great detail until the contract talks have concluded.  At the same time, if you don’t see it in print from us consider it a rumour and do not form an opinion until you have had the chance to see the full package and make your own informed decision.  Rumours can run rampant in workplaces, but we are confident that with only two work locations (Gander and Halifax) rumours should hopefully not occur.

 

 

If you have any concerns about things you are hearing, contact one of the bargaining committee members or Unifor representatives and let them know.  They will look into the issue and get back to you with the correct information.

 

 

Thank you for your understanding, patience and continued support.

 

 

In solidarity,