April 15, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Our last meeting with the Company was on December 18, 2024. As you know from our previous communication that their monetary offer was not representative of the hard work that our members do every day at Samsic Vancouver Group.
Over the past few months, we have tried to meet with the employer, whether in person or virtually, to discuss their wage offer further, but we have been unsuccessful. This has led us to file for conciliation. As your elected bargaining committee, we feel that requesting conciliation will help our union move the bargaining process along.
A “Notice of Dispute and Request for Conciliation Assistance” was filed on
March 24, 2025. We have now confirmed dates to meet with the conciliator and the Company from
May 26 to 28, 2025.
WHAT IS CONCILIATION?
When negotiations cannot proceed any further, Conciliation is a necessary step to bring accountability to the bargaining process. It allows for the appointment of a neutral conciliator to help bridge the gap between the union (Unifor and its Local 2002) and the employer (Samsic Group Vancouver). We believe it was necessary to protect your rights and interests at the bargaining table.
Outline of the Conciliation Process:
- Unifor files a Notice of Dispute to the Federal Minister of Labour
- Minister will appoint a Federal Conciliation Officer within 15 days.
- The Conciliator will meet with the Union and Employer over 60 days to facilitate negotiations.
- The parties may agree to extend the conciliation period if negotiations are progressing.
- The conciliator files a report to the Federal Minister of Labour once the conciliation period is complete.
- The parties enter a 21-day "cooling off" and mediation period.
- At the end of the 21 days if no agreement has been reached the Mediator will file an additional report with the Minister of Labour
- While in the conciliation and the "cooling off" mediation period, the Company may not lock out employees, and the Union may not take strike action. Strike action is only ever taken as a very last resort and only after conditions (such as a strike vote and 72 hours' advance notice) are met.
For more information on the conciliation process,
please click here. In the meantime, we ask for your patience and understanding. We want to assure you that the bargaining committee is fully united in our commitment to securing a fair and equitable agreement. We will provide you with an update following those meetings in May.
In Solidarity,
Tigist Abraham, Unifor Local 2002 Workplace Representative
Sukhi Singh, Unifor Local 2002 Workplace Representative
Anca Pricop, Unifor Local 2002 Vice President – Pacific Region
Theresa Amicarelli, Assistant to the Local 2002 President
Sandi McManus, Airlines Sector Director, Unifor