After some very long days in mediation, our bargaining committee has reached a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the employer. The parties agreed to recommend ratification of the MoA to their respective members; (the Board of Education of School District No. 8 (Kootenay Lake), the British Columbia Public School Employers’ Association, and the membership of CUPE Local 748)
Kaslo – Wednesday, March 1, 10:00 am-6:00 pm – Seniors Hall 312 4th St.
Creston – Thursday, March 2, 10:00 am-6:00 pm – (Creston time) Creston Hotel and Suites, 1418 Canyon St
Crawford Bay – Friday, March 3, 10:00 am-6:00 pm – (Creston Time) – 16150 Walkley Rd.
Winlaw – Monday, March 6, 11:30 am-5:30 pm – Bindu Yoga Studio, 5676 Winlaw Bridge Rd.
Salmo – Wednesday, March 8, 10:00 am-6:00 pm – Salmo Valley Youth and Community Centre 206 Seventh Ave
Nelson – Thursday, March 9, 10:00 am-6:00 pm – Nelson District Chamber of Commerce (Railway Station) 91 Baker St.
The vote times are drop-in (you can come anytime during the day).
A huge thank you to the bargaining committee for their hard work and long hours!
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What is a Ratification Vote?
The Union Bargaining Committee negotiates with the employers on behalf of the employees who are represented by the union.
Ratification by the union is the process by which members of the bargaining unit vote to accept or reject the terms of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for a new collective agreement or modifications/revisions to the terms of an existing collective agreement, that the employer and the union have negotiated and agreed to.
This document is the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA). Once the MoA is agreed to between the bargaining committees, the bargaining committees recommend acceptance of the agreement to their respective members.
The process of putting the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to the members of both parties to approve is known as ratification. The contract does not become valid unless a majority (50% + 1) of the members of each party vote to approve the MoA.
Although the steps to get to the ratification (and the aftermath that follows), may be complex, the ratification vote itself is quite straightforward. The standard process for these votes is that members attend a meeting to hear about the modified/revised contract terms that the parties agreed upon and review any associated documents. The members then vote either “Yes” or “No” on whether they support their bargaining committee’s recommendation to accept the modified/revised terms outlined in the MoA. If the majority of both parties vote in favour of the MoA, it is ratified and the collective agreement is adjusted accordingly.