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Yukon Employees’ Union2285-2nd Ave.Whitehorse, YukonY1A 1C9

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Yukon Employees’ UnionBreaking new trail for workers' rights & social justice.

If you work for the Government of Yukon, your contract willexpire this December. That means the work of building yournext Collective Agreement starts now.

In April, Local Executives received Bargaining Input pack-ages. Please make sure you attend your Local meetingsbefore Input closes June 19th. Your contract is built on theimperatives of the membership... that’s you, and the Localsprovide the bulk of the input proposals submitted eachround. You can submit input proposals yourself using theforms in this newsletter.

What is “Bargaining Input”?It’s your chance to have your say and help set the Union’sagenda for the upcoming round of Yukon Government col-lective bargaining. If there’s something in your CollectiveAgreement you think needs to be changed, or something youbelieve needs to be added, now is the time to let us know!What do you want in terms of working conditions, leave,wages, benefits or hours of work?

How do I get involved?All locals will receive a bargaining input call kit shortly. Weencourage you to get involved - attend a Local meeting, talkwith your coworkers. Use the bargaining input form to tellus the workplace changes you want to see and get it to us bythe deadline date of June 18th. Get your colleagues to signthe form too; the more signatures on your proposal thestronger your voice!

Who brings my input forward?The Bargaining Input Committee (BIC) receives requestsand proposals from members like you. The committee ismade up of members like you – in fact, it could be you!Nomination forms for the Bargaining Input Committee arepart of the Input Call package you will receive in the specialBargaining edition of your newsletter. The committee is composed of representatives from each

Local, selected by their peers. Our goal is to have as manyworkplaces as possible represented. The number of repsfrom each Local is determined by the Local’s size.Additionally, the President or a member of each Local’sExecutive is on the Committee along with up to 4 represen-tatives from the Regional Women’s Committee. This groupreviews all submitted proposals, and selects the proposalsthat will go forward to the negotiating table. The committeethen elects, from its ranks those who will sit at the negotia-tions table with our PSAC negotiator.

How does the Committee decide what gets to the table?Each round of negotiations is a series of trade-offs; someexcellent proposals will be advanced, and some excellentproposals will not make it to the final round. The difficultdecisions made by the BIC take into account likelihood ofsuccess, cost, what might need to be given up in order toachieve the group’s collective goals etc. Each round of bar-gaining offers different challenges and the group must weigheach proposal carefully.

When do negotiations begin?The Bargaining Input Committee meets in September andthere is work to be done to get ready. Our PSAC Negotiator will review the submitted proposals,ensure any necessary research is done and assemble a pack-age for the Committee to review and debate. She will alsotrain the negotiating team.

Specific dates for negotiating with the employer have notbeen set. We do have the following timelines in place:

Bargaining Input Call April 1, 2015Bargaining Input Closes June 19, 2015Input Cttee Nominations Close June 19, 2015Selection of Bargaining Input Cttee June 26, 2015Bargaining Committee Meetings: Sept. 2-3, 2015

YG Bargaining 2015

Who Represents You at the Table? You Decide!

Page 2 YG Bargaining Special Issue, May 2015

YEU YG Bargaining Input Committee NOMINATION FORM 2015 CANDIDATE to Bargaining Input Co : ____________________________________ __________________________________ Please print name Signature

1st Nominator 2nd Nominator ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Signature Signature __________________ ___________________________________ YEU Local YG Work Sit

Please return completed form to YEU. Send it by fax to 667-6521 or email it to us; contact@yeu.ca You can also mail it to 201-2285 2 nd Avenue Whitehorse YT, Y1A 1C9 or drop it o� in person.

For some, the idea of joining a Bargaining Input Committee isexciting and energizing. Being part of the process, helpingdetermine the future of your workplace can be very rewarding.For others, the very idea is unimaginable; “what does it evenmean? How on earth would I know what to do?!”

YEU has the highest percentage of total PSAC BargainingUnits; more contracts than any other component in the PSACoverall. You can be sure that on any given day, a YEU Local isbargaining somewhere in the Yukon.

Each bargaining unit is assigned an experienced negotiator byPSAC National. That negotiator meets with the BargainingInput Committee and then the main table Bargaining Teamextensively. Training is provided both to the BIC and to themain team so there are no surprises. Bargaining is not easy, butit’s incredibly empowering.

We asked a few recent main table Bargaining Team members tolet us in on how they felt about the process. The quotes comefrom a few teams and a few different employers. While no twobargaining experiences are the same, there are certain univer-sals that were reflected in the feedback we received.

We asked “were you intimidated?” Here’s what we heard:“I loved the equal playing field!” and

“This was my second time at the table, I felt honored tobe chosen by my peers once again and enjoyed the expe-rience - I would definitely do this again.”

“It was like every one of you was standing behind us aswe were at the bargaining table”

From another activist, being a member of the main table bar-gaining team meant a lot. In fact it provided “the most satis-faction I have experienced as a union member”

So think about it. Maybe this is where you can lend your voiceto your union. In the words of YEU President Steve Geick;

“Bargaining has been the most exciting,rewarding and frightening union activity in my40 years of activism; do it!”

What’s it like to be on a Bargaining Team?

YG Bargaining Special Issue, May 2015 Page 3

What makes a Good Bargaining Proposal?

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FIRST THINGS FIRST; KNOW YOUR CONTRACT!

Make sure you understand the clause you wish you couldchange. Every round of bargaining we receive proposals ask-ing for things that are already provided for in the collectiveagreement, or represent things that people would “like” tohave in their collective agreements that already exist.

We also receive proposals that are likely to benefit very fewmembers of the bargaining unit. Recognizing that the processinvolves give and take and occasional compromise, we do ourbest to bring forward those proposals likely to impact thegreatest number of members possible.

The strongest demands come out of demonstrated workplaceneeds such as:

situations where the union has previously filed a grievance•and lost because of problems with the existing language;

situations where normal requests are being unreasonably•refused by management; and

demands related to significant changes in workplace con-•ditions, for example the introduction of new shift sched-ules or a change in jobs.

If you don’t have a copy of your contract you can view itonline any time at http://bit.ly/YGContract13-15.

Additional copies of the nomination and input forms areavailable on our site as well; http://yeu.ca/for-members/yg-bargaining-2015/

Each round, the Negotiator and the Bargaining InputCommittee wade through more tha 150 proposals. To helpstreamline the work of collating the input we ask that you con-sider a few themes as you write. Please make sure you clearlyidentify the clause you wish to see changed and where possi-ble, identify one of the following themes when you submit.

WORKLOADUnmanageable workloads have increasingly become the normfor some members at YG. Although workload pressures canoccur for different reasons such as inadequate staffing andrapidly changing jobs, solutions can often be found in propos-ing the adoption of new language in your Agreement.

Stronger protections in the workplace can include ensuringobjective processes around staffing, call-backs and workassignments for Auxiliary on Call and Part Time employees.Such practices when fairly applied, help protect againstfavoritism and cronyism, real or perceived.

HEALTHY WORKPLACE

In our last round of bar-gaining the Union teamproposed adding theconcept of “psycholog-ical well-being” in theCollective Agreement.Psychological Healthand Safety must betreated in the same wayas Physical Health andSafety and is key tobuilding a safer work-place.

While the Governmentmay already be doing some things that provide support toemployees, much more must be done by your employer toaccommodate employees who are psychologically and physi-cally at risk.

WAGES AND BENEFITS:Wage proposals should be based on the following broad prin-ciples:

Continued gains in real wages for all members.•Protection against future inflation for all members.•Economic compensation beyond wage increases •(such as bonuses, shift premiums etc) should be equitably distributed to all members of the bar-•gaining unit.

There are lots of things to consider as you put together yourproposal. Remember to have your colleagues lend their sup-port by signing the form with you. The greater the support, thebetter its chance of making it to the table.

This is a member driven process; bargaining input requestsdrive the work of the BIC and the main table team. You willonly get the contract you want by participating. Take the time,make the effort and get involved. If there’s something youwant changed...let us know.

We’ll keep you posted throughout the bargaining process.Make sure we have your personal (home, not work) email sowe can send you electronic updates. Email contact@yeu.caand ask to be put on the YG Bargaining Update list.

Subscribe online for YG Bargaining Updates

yeu.ca/for-members/yg-bargaining-2015

YEU/PSAC2015 Bargaining Input FormBargaining Unit: Government of Yukon

YEU Local: ____________ Submission Date: _________________

Instructions:Please use this form to identify areas in your Collective Agreement you feel should be changed, improvedupon or removed. Return this form to the YEU office at 201 2285 2nd Avenue in hard copy, electronically orto your Chief Shop Steward or Union rep. If more space is needed please attach additional pages.

NOTE:More than one member can sign the input form; additional signatures lend strength to your proposal.

Article # (if available or applicable)

Subject of article:

Bargaining Proposal: Clearly explain your suggested change. Use extra sheets if necessary.

Reason for your proposal: If you are proposing a new article or suggesting a change other than clarificationof wording, please describe problems which prompted your proposal including actual examples wherepossible.

Submitted by:Job Title: _________________ Department

Supporting Signatures:

Name Signature

Name Signature

Name Signature

(use reverse if necessary)

Bargaining Input Forms must be submitted to YEU by June 19, 2015.By hand or mail to 201 2285 2nd Ave. Whitehorse Y1A 1C9, email to contact@yeu.ca or fax to 667 6521.