Information about bargaining at UVic
Aerial view of UVic campus
Welcome to the University of Victoria's bargaining information website.
This site is intended to provide background on:
- The university's negotiations with its various faculty and staff groups.
- The economic and financial context for these negotiations.
- Progress on negotiations in other publicly-funded sectors.
- The principles which underlie the university's approach to bargaining.
- The provincial rules under which university negotiations must operate.
Over the course of 2012, the university will be bargaining with six different employee groups (four CUPE locals, the Professional Employees Association and the Faculty Association). This site also contains background information on each of the bargaining groups.
The six groups involved in bargaining this year include:
CUPE 917 - athletic department, food services, grounds maintenance and janitorial employees, security officers and trades people.
CUPE 951 - office employees, library assistants, technicians and child care workers.
CUPE 4163 - Components 1 and 2 - teaching assistants, lab assistants and French and English language instructors.
CUPE 4163 - Component 3 - sessional instructors and music performance instructors.
The Faculty Association - regular faculty, senior instructors, limited-term faculty appointments and librarians.
The Professional Employees Association (PEA)- administrative and academic professional employees.
We are currently in a transition between two provincial bargaining mandates- the 2010 "net zero" mandate and the new 2012 "cooperative gains" mandate. Information about both is available on the Public Sector Employers' Council website.
Agreements concluded since 2010
Under the 2010 mandate, we reached two-year agreements with the:
- Faculty Association;
- Professional Employees Association (PEA); and
- CUPE local 4163 (Component 3 which covers Sessional Instructors).
All of these agreements expire in 2012 and we will be commencing new negotiations with each of the groups in the coming weeks.
Agreements still to come under the 2010 mandate
Despite hard work on both sides over many bargaining sessions, and more recently, with the assistance of a mediator, we have yet to conclude bargaining under the 2010 "net zero mandate" with CUPE locals 917, 951 and 4163 (Components 1 and 2). At the recommendation of the mediator, the parties are currently recessed from mediation until the university receives provincial approval to bargain under the government's 2012 "cooperative gains" mandate. We are anticipating being back in mediation in early May.
We will update this site as new information becomes available. You can contact us through email at brgning@uvic.ca .
Bulletin #2
Bulletin #2- April 23, 2012
Further to Bargaining Bulletin #1 where I advised that CUPE local 917 would be conducting a strike vote on April 19, we have been advised by CUPE that the vote has concluded with a 93% strike mandate. The turnout was not reported. As a reminder, local 917 represents about 400 FTE at UVic, comprising trades, grounds workers, security officers, facility attendants and janitorial, maintenance and food service workers, among others.
As I noted last week, it is not uncommon for a union to take a strike vote (and receive a strong strike mandate) during the collective bargaining process and we respect their right to do so. Recently, for example, strike votes have been organized by CUPE at UBC and by BCGEU with the provincial government.
This vote does not change the intention of the parties to continue to move forward on our recent discussions with the assistance of the mediator, Mark Atkinson. We anticipate Mr. Atkinson to reconvene those discussions in mid-May. With mediation still in progress and the required essential services yet to be designated, we do not believe that any job action is imminent and we remain confident that the 2012 mandate will provide a basis for a renewed collective agreement.
We will continue to monitor the bargaining scene and provide updates, as appropriate, as the process unfolds.
Kane Kilbey
Associate Vice President
Human Resources
University of Victoria
Bulletin #1
Bulletin #1- April 15, 2012
With the University of Victoria continuing or initiating collective bargaining with all of its employee groups in April and May, it's a good time to provide our community with an update on the bargaining process.
We are currently in a transition between two provincial bargaining mandates - the 2010 "net zero" mandate and the new 2012 "cooperative gains" mandate. Information about both is available at the Public Sector Employers' Council website.
Agreements concluded since 2010
Under the 2010 mandate, we reached two-year agreements with the:
- Faculty Association;
- Professional Employees' Association (PEA); and
- CUPE local 4163 (Component 3 which covers Sessional Instructors).
All of these agreements expire in 2012 and we will be commencing new negotiations with each of the groups in the coming weeks.
Agreements still to come under the 2010 mandate
Despite hard work on both sides over many bargaining sessions, and more recently, with the assistance of a mediator, we have yet to conclude bargaining under the 2010 "net zero" mandate with CUPE locals 917, 951 and 4163 (Components 1&2). At the recommendation of the mediator, the parties are currently recessed from mediation until the university receives provincial approval to bargain under the government's 2012 "cooperative gains" mandate. We are anticipating being back in mediation in early May.
Strike vote
In the interim, we have been advised by CUPE that local 917 will be taking a strike vote on April 19. Local 917 represents UVic's trades, grounds workers, security officers, facility attendants and janitorial, maintenance and food service workers, among others. It is not uncommon for a union to take a strike vote during the collective bargaining process and we respect their right to do so. Recently, for example, strike votes have been organized by CUPE at UBC and by BCGEU with the provincial government.
With mediation still underway and the required essential services yet to be designated we do not believe that any job action is imminent. We remain confident that the 2012 mandate will provide a basis for a renewed collective agreement.
With that in mind, we are anticipating that there will be much collective bargaining at UVic through the spring. While respecting the confidentiality protocols typical of collective bargaining at UVic, we will do our best to keep you informed of developments.
If you have any questions about this bulletin, please feel free to contact your Human Resources Consultant.