The members of UTE have voted to reject the contract offer from the CRA. The members have spoken and stated that they are not willing to accept less than what others have received and are not willing to give up their right to bargain on their own behalf. The member turnout for the vote was very high. In fact, we believe it was one of the highest in our history. This speaks volumes to the engagement of the membership in their collective agreement.
This is democracy in action. The bargaining team took negotiations with the Employer as far as they could without a strike mandate. The members have spoken and this now places workers in a legal strike position. We do not want to have to use the strike option; we want to negotiate a fair and equitable agreement for the members.
My first step will be to communicate with the CRA to demand an immediate return to the table with a new mandate to negotiate a fair contract. We will be looking at all options to put pressure on the Employer and will only use the strike action when we are forced to.
Your support for the bargaining team over the last 43 months has made all the difference in getting us to this point. You have made the decision to stand up and not give up hard earned benefits. You will be asked in the coming weeks to take more actions in support of the bargaining team. This will be very important to get the message to the Employer and Treasury Board that we want to negotiate and are willing to take whatever actions are necessary to accomplish this.
Thank you to the UTE Bargaining Team for all of the hard work and effort that they have put in over the last 43 months as they attempted to negotiate a new contract. I would personally add my deepest thanks for all of the efforts and sacrifices that the team members have made over this long period. The team members crisscrossed the country in a very short period of time in an effort to ensure every member received the information they needed to make an informed decision. The team members should be appreciated for their commitment to the membership.
The Executive Council and the Locals must also be thanked for their work over this period and recognized for their efforts to keep the members informed. It is with great pride that I commend all of you for your support and determination to be treated fairly and your willingness to stand together to achieve this.
Please ensure that your local executive has your personal email and phone numbers so that we can keep you informed and mobilized. More information on our next steps will be communicated shortly. We can take this to a successful conclusion as long as we remain determined and united. We can show that collectively, we must be treated with respect and dignity.
In Solidarity,
National President, UTE