How Bargaining Works
All MGEU members work under the protection of a contract (aka collective agreement) negotiated with their employer. In fact, the MGEU oversees over a hundred contracts, covering more than 1,000 job classifications. These contracts are usually effective for three or four years and cover a wide range of work-related concerns, including wages, hours of work, benefits, overtime, and safety and health.
The terms of the contract are negotiated between:
- an MGEU Bargaining Committee – made up of union members who’ve been elected by fellow members to speak on their behalf, along with a professional union negotiator; and
- management representatives of the employer.
The bargaining process begins with the MGEU Bargaining Committee collecting bargaining proposals from members. If members have an idea to improve their contract, they can put forward a proposal by filling out the Bargaining Proposal Form (Civil Service members fill out a different Civil Service Bargaining Proposal Form) to bring to a Local meeting, where it is voted on by other members. The process provides every member with the opportunity to share what they’d like to see in the contract, or suggest improvements to what currently exists.
A Give-and-Take Process
Based on the feedback at Local meetings, the committee pulls together a package of proposals to take to the bargaining table on behalf of the members.
The employer also comes to the table with changes they’d like to make to the contract.
The negotiating process, which can last anywhere from a few weeks to several months, usually involves a kind of give-and-take process, with the union Committee working at all times to gain and/or maintain as much as possible for its members.
If a tentative agreement is reached, or if the employer provides an offer, all members in the bargaining unit will have the opportunity to vote to accept it or reject it. If a majority accepts the agreement, the Committee and employer will finalize and sign off the document (which may take some time to do) before the final contract is posted online for members.
At an impasse - options to help reach a resolution
If a majority of members vote to reject an employer offer or tentative agreement, the Committee may request the employer return to the bargaining table to improve their offer, or the two parties may resume negotiations with the assistance of a concialtor or a mediator.
If the two parties have reached an impasse, the Committee may hold a strike vote in order to secure a strike mandate from members, which authorizes job action. For a strike to happen, a majority must vote in favour, but a positive strike vote does not automatically result in strike action.
Another option to reach a resolution is arbitration. In this process, each party presents their case to a third-party arbitrator who assesses the arguments and makes a legally-binding ruling.
Staying in-the-loop during negotiations
At key times in negotiations, your Committee may email important Bargaining Updates to members when there is important news to share. It is important to keep your contact information with the union up-to-date to ensure you receive these emails. For groups who are currently at the bargaining table, we also post the latest bargaining news and an overview of bargaining so far.