What is the process of negotiating a contract?
Proposals are put forth by both the union and management. Each negotiating group reviews these proposals, goes back to their respective committees and discusses how they will reply to these proposals (whether they will accept the proposals, offer amendments, or reject them). With each meeting held, each group will offer a revised reply to the other groups’ proposals. The meetings are usually a full day and each successive meeting is booked sometimes a week or several weeks later. Non-monetary proposals are dealt with first and agreed upon, and then monetary proposals are dealt with (i.e. wages and benefits). Once the monetary proposals have been discussed and there is no more movement on these issues, a final offer is presented to take to our membership for approval or rejection. The union will usually indicate if they are recommending approval or rejection of the offer. The membership then votes for or against the new proposed Collective Agreement. The whole process can take several m
