The Civil Service bargaining committee has received many questions from members since the government presented a final offer on February 4. To help clarify questions about the tentative agreement and the vote, they’ve prepared this list of frequently-asked questions and answers. As additional questions are raised they’ll be posted here at mgeu.ca.
Click here to read more about what was included in the voting package and how to cast your ballot.
Why are we having this second vote?
In late December, your Bargaining Committee, after months of negotiation and deliberation, reached a tentative agreement with the government. Throughout January, they traveled the province to meet with members, answer questions about the tentative agreement, and oversee the democratic process of contract ratification.
Thirty-five percent (35%) of Civil Service members cast a ballot, either at a meeting or through the mail, and the votes were counted on January 21.
Fifty-four percent (54%) of those who voted, rejected the agreement.
The Bargaining Committee requested the government return to the table for further discussions. Both sides met on February 2 and 3, 2011. The government responded with a “final offer,” which means we must now take this offer back to the membership for another vote.
Why didn’t the Committee release the turnout and voting percentages right away?
Other than the overall “no” decision, we did not immediately share the detailed participation or voting percentages because releasing such information could damage our strategic advantage when we returned to the table with government. With over 14,000 members throughout the province, it’s impossible to let even our own membership know such details without the word getting out publicly.
As soon as the government gave us a final offer and we were no longer in negotiations, we communicated the full results to our members as quickly as possible, both by word of mouth and by e-mailing members who had provided us with their personal e-mail address.
What happens if the majority of voters reject this new tentative agreement?
In the case of a majority “no” vote (anything more than 50% of those who cast a ballot), your Committee will begin to organize a province-wide strike vote.
Say the majority of voters reject this current tentative agreement. What happens if the majority of voters then vote in favour of strike action?
In the event of a strike mandate, the MGEU will immediately devote its full attention and resources to setting up a picket line plan.
Members will walk the line on a rotating basis. After 20 hours of unpaid time on the picket line, they will be eligible for $200/week as long as they’re on the line 20 hours/week. When an employee is mandated to work as an essential service, they will contribute 30% of their salary (in addition to their regular dues) to the Defence Fund. (Read the excerpts from the MGEU Policy Manual and Constitution for more information on strikes and essential services)
Say the majority of voters reject this current tentative agreement. What happens if the majority of voters then do not vote in favour of strike action?
This would leave us in a very weak position at the bargaining table for many years to come. In the short term, we could certainly not expect to make any further gains.
Why not go to arbitration to seek a better agreement?
Before the Committee decided to accept and recommend the original tentative agreement, we carefully reviewed the pros and cons of going to arbitration with outside legal counsel. We were advised that we could not expect to achieve as much as we did at the table if we were to go to arbitration because a) the arbitration process seeks to “replicate” what would have been achieved at the bargaining table, and b) recent government settlements with other groups in Manitoba would not support our arguments.
Arbitration is also an extremely lengthy process. It could take up to two years for an arbitration decision to be rendered, and no matter what the outcome, we’d run the very real risk of leaving MGEU members vulnerable to layoffs in the meantime.
Who sits on the Bargaining Committee?
Your Bargaining Committee is made up of two staff negotiators, the MGEU’s 1st Vice-President, and eight elected activists who represent each Civil Service Component. These Component Directors give voice to the specific priorities of their Component, while also working together as a team.
During negotiations, elected activists on the Committee are paid their usual salary from the employer while they’re at the table.
Why’s the Committee recommending the offer?
Based on our reviews of comparators across the province and the country, and months of negotiations with government representatives who were entrenched in their commitment to no monetary increases in 2010 - 2011, we believe this is the best we could achieve under the circumstances.
We are civil service employees, too. We remain disappointed with many aspects of this agreement, especially no general pay increase for two years. But we are also confident that what we achieved stacks up well against other public service contracts negotiated under similar circumstances.
If I don’t vote, is that counted as a “yes?”
No. Only official ballots marked “yes” or “no” and that are placed in an official MGEU ballot box or mailed into the MGEU head office before the deadline, are counted.
What’s the difference between this “final offer” and the previous tentative agreement?
On February 2, your Bargaining Committee presented a revised package to government, including proposals for general pay increases in the first two years of the four-year contract. The government came back with a “final offer,” which maintained their position of no monetary increases in 2010 and 2011.
They did, however, offer to:
• extend lay-off protection to include non-seasonal departmental employees over the life of the agreement
• ensure dental fee guides are kept current on an ongoing basis as of 2012
• ensure that kilometre reimbursement rates for employees will remain the same regardless of distance travelled, starting in 2013.
View the highlight sheet of the final offer
What is the Long Service step?
The long service step is an additional 2% pay step which will be added to the top of each salary scale for employees who have reached 20 years of service and who have been at the top step of their salary scale for at least 12 months.
For many years and many rounds of negotiations, members sought recognition for long service with the government, and numerous proposals of this kind were brought forward this round. Almost half of civil service members will be eligible for the long service step when it comes into effect in 2012, and all members will be entitled to the 2% as soon as they reach the criteria.
Will I still get merit increases, even with no general pay increase in the first two years?
Yes. The freeze only applies to the general wage increase. Members will receive merit increases as per usual (this applies to about 40% of all members).
Who is eligible for a Special Wage Adjustment?
Approximately 1% of the Province’s payroll (or about $6.7 million) will be set aside for special wage adjustments in this agreement. Different groups of members brought forward numerous proposals for special wage adjustments this round. Within one month of ratification of the current tentative agreement, over a six month period, each group that submitted a proposal will be able to make a presentation for consideration.
Adjustments will be determined and allocated on the basis of factors such as recruitment and retention patterns, wage inversions, compressions, etc. and will be added to the base rate of pay for all successful groups.
Why did the Committee agree to a four-year deal?
In this uncertain political climate, your Bargaining Committee felt it was in all of our best interests to secure a no-layoff clause and wage increases as far into the future as possible.
If the agreement is ratified and there is a change of government, could a new government unilaterally change it, removing clauses such as the no lay-off guarantee or 2013-2014 wage increases?
No. The collective agreement, once entered into, would be binding on any future governments for the duration of the agreement. If a government attempted to unilaterally change the agreement, the MGEU would go to court alleging a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Supreme Court of Canada has clearly ruled that attempts by governments to alter a collective agreement, previously entered into, violate the Charter.
What’s going on with MGEU dues? Did they actually increase?
The dues rate is determined by members like you. In 1993, members at the MGEU Convention voted to make the union’s dues structure more equitable. At the time, dues were calculated on an income-based scale that left lower-paid members paying a greater percentage of their total salary than higher-paid members. To correct this, delegates to the 2000 Convention decided to phase in a new dues structure of 1.25% of income across the board (and which was revenue neutral for the union).
Those who earned $25,000 or less began paying 1.25% of their total income, and saw a small decrease in dues. But for higher earners, whose dues would increase because of the new structure, Convention delegates decided to gradually phase in the percentage system. As a result, these members saw a small increase in their dues over the last several years, with the last increase in November 2010.
Today, all MGEU members now pay 1.25% of their total income in union dues, which is amongst the lowest in Manitoba and the country. The MGEU is in a strong financial position and there is no reason to think your elected activists would vote to raise dues any time soon.