B.C. firefighters’ contract complicated by pattern bargaining / Alberta moves to ban political donations from unions, corporations
B.C. firefighters’ contract complicated by pattern bargaining
BURNABY, B.C. — Firefighters in Burnaby, B.C., have been without a contract since Jan. 1, 2012.
Mediation began in February of this year but the parties are reportedly no closer to coming to an agreement.
Employees at the Burnaby Fire Department — represented by Local 323 of the International Association of Firefighters — have not freely negotiated a contract with their employer in over a decade, according to Local 323 president Rob Lamoureux.
Locals throughout the province follow a type of informal wage pattern bargaining, Lamoureux said, but the City of Burnaby rejected a version of the deal agreed upon by departments in Delta, Surrey and Abbotsford.
The eight-year deal agreed upon — in various incarnations — by those Vancouver-area departments included 2.5 per cent wage increases for each year of the agreement.
Lamoureux said the City of Burnaby rejected the deal, calling for concessions relating to the union’s long-term disability benefits. The employer reportedly also took issue with supplemental pension pay allowance the parties negotiated in a letter of understanding during their last round of bargaining.
The union filed a grievance as a result of the employer’s refusal to pay the supplemental pension pay allowance, with the parties addressing the issue in arbitration.
Lamoureux said the union has also proposed arbitration as a means of addressing their collective agreement, but said the employer is "dragging their feet."
Mayor of Burnaby Derek Corrigan, however, said the city is currently working to resolve the contract. While he declined to comment on the specifics, Corrigan said "neither side is happy with the delays that have occurred… We hope to resolve a contract in the near future or proceed to arbitration as soon as reasonably possible."
Lamoureux, however, said the union will continue to fight for a deal comparable to their peers because of the long-standing history of wage pattern bargaining.
"We’re not asking for anything more and we’re not willing to accept anything less," he said. "If we’re to accept anything less in an agreement… that’s going to affect any other locals behind us that haven’t signed. That changes the whole playing field. And we’re not prepared to do that."
Alberta moves to ban political donations from unions, corporations
CALGARY — Alberta is taking steps to bar unions and corporations from financially backing political parties.
On June 16, the NDP government announced Bill 1, An Act to Renew Democracy, which blocks labour and business from contributing to political factions, including a candidate, constituency association, party or leader. Should the bill pass, only residents of Alberta would be allowed to donate — though contribution levels could be subject to change pending a wider review of the Elections Act.
The legislation is aimed at ensuring politicians are focused solely on the needs of citizens.
"This legislation — the first bill of this government — is about focusing Alberta’s political parties where they should be focused: on Albertans," said Kathleen Ganley, the province’s justice minister. "We are doing this by renewing our province’s democracy. Once this legislation is in place, Albertans can be assured that political parties in this province are responsible to them — and only to them, as citizens."
Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and the federal government currently do not allow donations from businesses or organized labour.
As part of a broader electoral review, Ganley said the government also intends to look at whistleblowing and conflicts of interest.
