For the second time within a month – employees of FortisBC Electrical have turned down a back to work idea.
Recently the international union IBEW stepped into this long lock-out/labour dispute and got the company to sweeten the deal – some say by half a percent.
The employees voting in the Kootenays, Kelowna, Penticton and Oliver have turned it down
Cold winter ahead with almost 40% of year gone as far as wages.
Earlier on ODN
Provincial Mediator Vince Ready has issued a report calling for an 11 % wage hike in a 5 year agreement but members of the IBEW said no in a vote taken Thursday night.
No percentage given on the rejection vote but members say it must have been closed. The union leadership did not take a position on recommending the offer.
However Rod Russell of IBEW says the vote was overwhelmingly “NO”. He says the money was good but corporate concessions would not be appreciated by young employees.
Russell says this is an emotional time with union members without a pay cheque for 3.5 months.
One worker on the Oliver picket line said the situation is “stupid”. He said a faction of employees were unhappy with some language in the proposed contract with regard to where they might be dispatched to but many employees do want to return to work as soon as possible and are not looking forward to being out for a long time.
The terms 2% for the remainder of 2013 (no retroactive, 2% in each of 2014 and 2015, 2.5% in each of the last two years 2016 and 2017.
Additional information
FortisBC has been in bargaining since early January 2013 with IBEW 213, a union representing approximately 225 company electricity employees.
FortisBC activated what is referred to as an Essential Services Order, which ensures we can maintain electricity service, safely and reliably. The services and staffing levels set out in this order were negotiated between the company and the union with the assistance of the BC Labour Relations Board.
Local 213 represents employees various generation, transmission and distribution operations, including power line technicians, electricians and system power dispatchers from Creston to the south and Central Okanagan.
FortisBC and IBEW have been without a contract since January 31, 2013.
The two parties have been bargaining since the beginning of the year. Employees were locked out – they never walked off the job.