A marathon weekend of bargaining has Camosun support staff optimistic about signing a new deal with the college this week, according to union representatives.
Correspondence sent out to CUPE Local 2081 members on the afternoon of Monday, December 3 by chief steward Louise Oetting announced that the union had reached a tentative agreement on Sunday night.
Although Oetting didn’t reveal particulars of the agreement, since bargaining with Camosun College hasn’t concluded, the deal appears to be all but done.
“I’m pretty certain we’ll be signing off on a new deal before Christmas,” says union vice-president Tony Nelson. “I’m feeling cautiously optimistic and we’re hoping that we don’t have to pull any more services and have any more job action.”
In her correspondence to CUPE members, Oetting was optimistic that bargaining with the college would be concluded in the “coming days.” Oetting also included a letter from Ida Chong in which the Oak Bay-Gordon Head Liberal MLA said she was “hopeful that a settlement could be negotiated that satisfies both parties.”
Union reps believe a CUPE demonstration of over 200 members in front of Chong’s constituency office on Friday, November 30 helped to pressure the negotiations.
After the two-day job action on November 20 and 21, as well as Friday’s demonstration, Nelson says his members are “exhausted,” but still ready to do whatever it takes to get a deal done, including further job action if necessary.
According to Nelson, members would be very relieved to have a new deal in place before the holidays. “It would be an enormous weight lifted off our shoulders,” he says, “it’s been tough.”
The union, which hasn’t had a pay raise in eight years, is looking for a two-percent raise in 2013 and 2014 as part of the new contract.