Voting Q and As

Why is the team asking us to turn down this offer?

1. The offer does not address your wage concerns.
2. The offer does not address your job security concerns.
3. The offer does not address your parity concerns.

Why is the team asking us for a strike mandate?

1. To increase the pressure on Management to get a deal completed by September 1st.
2. To ensure we are ready to take job action in September, the time members have indicated would have maximum effect.

When is the vote?

The vote is scheduled for two dates to try and accommodate members’ vacation schedules.

The dates are July 10 and July 16, 2008.

What if I’m on leave or vacation on voting day?

You need to vote on one of these dates.

What happens if we reject the offer but do not authorize a strike?

1. Without a strike mandate the offer you reject won’t get much better because management will know members aren’t prepared to back their demands.
2. We won’t be in a position to take job action at the time when it would have the most effect. (Sept. )
3. The team’s hands will be tied: they won’t have the power they need to effectively negotiate for you.
4. Sensing weakness, sub-standard offers will likely be brought forward by management in subsequent rounds of bargaining.

If we vote authorize a strike does this mean the Team will take us out?

A strike is the last resort - a strike vote increases the pressure on management to give you a reasonable contract in a timely manner. The Team is committed to getting an acceptable deal by Sept. 1st.

After the vote there will still be nine days of bargaining left to get an acceptable deal.

What happens after our contract expires Sept. 1st?

A number of things could happen:

1. If the Team feels they are close to a good offer they may continue negotiating;
2. If the Team feels the employer isn’t willing to bargain they could break off talks and give the required five days notice of strike;
3. The Team could continue to bargain and give Council five days notice of strike;
4. Council could break off talks and give five days notice that they intend to lock us out;
5. Council could continue to negotiate and give the union notice of lock out.

When would the team call for a strike?

The Team will only call a strike in the event that they think it is the only option they have in pressuring the employer to bargain fairly.

The Team must give a minimum of five days notice before a strike can begin. Our current collective agreement must also have expired.

The earliest potential strike date is Sept. 1, 2008.

Why would the team call for a strike?

A strike is the last resort. The team will only call for a strike if they feel no more tangible progress can be made without further pressure on the Colleges.

If we have to go on strike how long could it last?

It’s in the interest of both parties to keep any labour disruption as short as possible.

The beginning of the new school year is not a time when Management can handle operating without support staff.

They’ll also want to avoid any long disruption at a time when the province is making new investments in the college system.

The Team is sensitive to the economic pressures all of us will face.

The bottom line is as soon as the Team feels it has a reasonable offer to bring forward, you will have the opportunity to decide whether or not it is enough to end the strike.