On Thursday, August 31, the employer presented a revised settlement offer to the MGEU's Civil Service Bargaining Committee, which, regrettably, still maintains their general wage increase offer of just 2% in each of the four years of the proposed agreement.
Changes to the offer include a one-time, lump sum “signing bonus” that was increased from $480 to $900 for part-timers, and from $800 to $1800 for full-timers.
The employer also put forward an expanded Special Adjustment Fund (increased from 0.75% to 2.5% of payroll) that would provide additional increases to only select classifications and would be negotiated at a later date.
Other minor tweaks to the offer included two wellness days/year to be taken from a member’s sick leave bank; and the employer formally proposed voluntary binding arbitration on general wage increases only.
The MGEU Bargaining Committee is also very concerned that the new offer maintains the previous employer proposal to conduct a comprehensive classification restructuring without meaningful protections for current classifications and pay.
The Committee is strongly recommending that members reject this latest offer because it fails to provide wage increases that help all members keep up with the rising cost of living.
Since the offer was made, the government issued a statement creating the false impression that they are offering Civil Service members a 16.2% increase in wages.
This is false. These are the facts about the revised offer:
- The only general wage increases that would be provided to all members are 2% per year over 4 years (for a total of 8% over the life of the agreement).
- The special adjustments fund would provide additional wage increases to select classifications and sub-groups of members. There is no way to say at this point which members would receive these additional increases. This determination would be made later through further negotiation. The special adjustments fund is valued at 2.5% of total payroll, but the size of any individual increases would also be subject to negotiation. Please note that this portion of the offer does NOT mean that Civil Service members would receive a 2.5% wage increase in addition to the general wage increases. In the past, most classifications have not received special wage adjustments from such funds.
- The signing bonus is a one-time, taxable payment that would not permanently increase members' wages. It is simply misleading to characterize this as a percentage of salary. It is also not pensionable.
“If the employer had actually offered a wage increase of more than 16%, we can assure you that we would be recommending that members accept it,” said MGEU President Kyle Ross. “The reality is that the government’s ‘16.2%’ figure is artificially inflated by including non-wage items, one-time payments, and other possible increases that would only flow to certain, yet-to-be determined classifications. The government’s spin on their offer is similar to how they have tried to misrepresent their offers to our fellow MPI and liquor worker members. These members have not been fooled by the government’s approach.”
The Bargaining Committee is moving ahead with scheduling meetings and webinars throughout September to discuss the offer with members. The Committee will also be asking members to provide a strike mandate at that time. Further details about the vote and the information sessions will be provided to members when dates and locations are finalized.
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August 30, 2023 - Employer asks to return to the table after Civil Service Bargaining reaches impasse