CUPE 3338 has six separate collective agreements at SFU, four of which – those with SFU, SFSS Food and Beverage, SFPIRG and Best (or SFU concierges – are being renegotiated. Discussions with Food and Beverage and SFU have not yet started and discussions with SFPIRG are expected to start next month and all other agreements are currently under discussion. Of the six CUPE 3338 collective agreements, only the agreement with SFU is subject to the 2010 provincial bargaining mandate. While details of the agreements have not been made public, Hansen revealed that the agreements were reached as part of the provincial government`s negotiating mandate for the public sector in 2010. However, a key element of the 2010 mandate was the absolute refusal to increase net equalization costs. Therefore, if any of these agreements provide for wage increases, these expenses will be offset by reductions in other areas. The provincial government`s website states that “the goal of the 2010 mandate is to reach voluntaryly negotiated collective agreements in the public sector, which will continue to help the province provide public services at a lower cost and financially prudent basis.” Hansen added in a press release: “I am pleased to see that real progress continues to be made at the negotiating tables. Despite the economic downturn, unions and employers have done a lot of work in collective bargaining in B.C`s public sector.” B.C. Finance Minister Colin Hansen announced that unions representing SFU faculty and staff reached two-year collective agreements with the province and university last week. “It is excellent news that SFU`s administrative and specialist staff have reached an agreement,” Moira Stilwell, Minister of Training and Labour Market Development, said in a press release.
“You play a key role in supporting the academic mission and you are an integral part of our post-Conference system in B.C.” After two long years of demanding higher salaries but still not having a collective agreement with the SFU, cupe Local 3888 members have partnered with the Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU) to exert enormous pressure on the university. In May, it was unanimously decided to adopt a request for a strike vote. The strike vote resulted in 90% of members voting in favour of workplace measures. Both unions picketed in front of SFU buildings, preventing paid employees from entering their workplaces. In the summer of 2011, the FSSS Board of Directors suspended its unionized employees for 94 days and suspended the bargaining process to secure a collective agreement with Local 3888 of the Union of Canadian Public Employees (CUPE). Barry O`Neill, then president of CUPE BC, said: “FSS politicians want to lay off employees, cut salaries by up to 40%, and replace experienced employees with untrained volunteers.” The move to exclude these groups from employment was led by former SFSS President Jeff McCann, whose decision led to the unavailability of many services for students, including the Women`s Center and Out on Campus. While every effort is made to ensure the consistency and accuracy of the documents presented here, readers should remember that these are not the official documents. Pages may differ from the official version of the collective agreement. To view the collective agreement in PDF format, you must use acrobat reader.