Bargaining Bulletin #3

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Bargaining Bulletin #3

April 23, 2025

Time to fill out your bargaining survey!

Your CUPE 402-02 Library bargaining committee is excited to share the link to the 2025 bargaining survey with you. This survey is your opportunity to tell us what issues matter most to you. Whether it’s wages, benefits, job security, or workplace safety, your feedback helps us understand what’s most important to the membership.

Why should I fill out the survey? 
Your voice shapes our priorities. The bargaining survey results will help the bargaining committee form our bargaining proposals. Bargaining proposals are the suggested changes or improvements we’ll take to the bargaining table. This is your chance to let us know how we can make your workplace better, and what improvements matter to you most.

Strength in solidarity  
A strong response to the survey shows that we’re united and engaged. It shows that our priorities come directly from the membership and that we’re collectively invested in the outcomes. Your participation helps strengthen our position as we head into bargaining.

What happens next?  
The survey is open until Friday, May 9th. Unfortunately we won’t be able to accept late responses, so please fill out your survey as soon as possible.

After the survey closes, we’ll analyze the results and work on putting together our bargaining proposals. This process will take some time as we want to put together a strong package and set ourselves up for a successful round of bargaining.

If you can’t complete the survey online, please contact a member of the bargaining committee and we’ll help make alternate arrangements.

We’ll continue to keep you updated as negotiations progress. Watch for another bargaining update soon.

In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to reach out.

In solidarity,
Your CUPE 402-02 Library Bargaining Committee

Bargaining FAQ

With preparation for bargaining in progress, we thought it would be a good time to talk about how we communicate with members, and what role bargaining surveys play and why it is important for you to participate.

1. What is bargaining?
Bargaining is a democratic process where working people, through their union, negotiate contracts with their employers that outline the terms and conditions of their employment. It is a dynamic process – every round is different.

2. What is a bargaining survey and why is it important?
Our bargaining survey is an important step in the bargaining process. This is the primary way we get information from members.

The bargaining committee develops the survey and sends it out to all members to help us develop bargaining proposals that best reflect your priorities and needs.

Data from the bargaining survey is one of the primary tools we use to develop bargaining proposals. Filling out the survey is the best way to make sure we hear directly from you about the changes you want to see to our contract during this round of negotiations.

The data we gather also helps ensure we are in the strongest possible position heading into bargaining. Your support and feedback matters and will make this a successful round of bargaining.

We also ask questions to better understand the demographics of the union and some basic union information with the aim to improve our education and outreach.

Bargaining Bulletin #2

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Bargaining Bulletin #2

April 14, 2025

2025 continues to be a busy year with bargaining prep well underway.  Here’s a quick overview of where things are at.

The Bargaining Committee recently met on April 4 and worked on the Bargaining Survey as well as on our Bargaining Strategic plan.

We will meet next on April 17 to continue preparing for bargaining, including work on developing a member outreach plan.

We’ll continue to keep you updated as negotiations progress. Watch for another bargaining update soon.

In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to reach out.

In solidarity,
Your CUPE 402-02 Library Bargaining Committee

Bargaining FAQ

With preparation for bargaining in progress, we thought it would be a good time to talk about how we communicate with members, and what role bargaining surveys play and why it is important for you to participate.

1. What is bargaining?
Bargaining is a democratic process where working people, through their union, negotiate contracts with their employers that outline the terms and conditions of their employment. It is a dynamic process – every round is different.

2. What is a bargaining survey and why is it important?
Our bargaining survey is an important step in the bargaining process. This is the primary way we get information from members.

The bargaining committee develops the survey and sends it out to all members to help us develop bargaining proposals that best reflect your priorities and needs.

Data from the bargaining survey is one of the primary tools we use to develop bargaining proposals. Filling out the survey is the best way to make sure we hear directly from you about the changes you want to see to our contract during this round of negotiations.

The data we gather also helps ensure we are in the strongest possible position heading into bargaining. Your support and feedback matters and will make this a successful round of bargaining.

We also ask questions to better understand the demographics of the union and some basic union information with the aim to improve our education and outreach.

Bargaining Bulletin #1

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Bargaining Bulletin #1

March 20, 2025

Your Bargaining Team
Your bargaining team for negotiations with Surrey Libraries was formed last year and we’re gearing up to negotiate a strong contract for you and your fellow members.

Your Library bargaining committee is:

Jasper Wong – Chairperson
Denise Parks – Vice-Chair
Kelly Kennedy – Secretary
Robin Price – Elected Member
Amar Bains – Alternate Elected Member
Dave Lance – CUPE National Rep

Timing of bargaining
This year, many library and municipal locals across the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley will also start bargaining and we’ll be in close contact with them throughout this process. The timing of our negotiations is planned in conjunction with the City bargaining committee, and we will be working with them to coordinate the start of negotiations.

What happens next?
Your library bargaining committee will continue to prepare for negotiations with the employer. A key part of this preparation is creating and distributing a bargaining survey, which will help ensure that our negotiations reflect your real needs and priorities.

To provide more background on the early stages of bargaining, we’ve also put together a FAQ about the collective bargaining process and what to expect. You can find it at the bottom of this email.

We’ll continue to keep you updated as negotiations progress. Watch for another bargaining update with information on the bargaining survey in the coming weeks. In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to reach out.

In solidarity,
Your CUPE 402-02 Library Bargaining Committee

Bargaining FAQ

1. What is bargaining?
Bargaining is a democratic process where working people, through their union, negotiate contracts with their employers that outline the terms and conditions of their employment. It is a dynamic process – every round is different.

2. How does bargaining work?
Bargaining is a process where workers and employers come together to negotiate the terms of a collective agreement.

Each side presents proposals outlining what they want, such as pay increases, benefits, or working conditions. They discuss and adjust these proposals to find common ground. Often, compromises are made to create a balanced deal that both sides can accept.

Once both parties agree, the terms are written into a formal contract (formally called a collective agreement) that everyone follows.

3. What is a bargaining committee and what do they do?
A bargaining committee is a group of members democratically elected to represent you at the bargaining table. Before negotiations officially start, the committee works to develop the
bargaining survey, draft bargaining proposals and develop the bargaining strategy.

Once bargaining begins, the committee sits with the employer at the bargaining table and works to negotiate a new contract. During bargaining the committee is also responsible for keeping
members updated on what’s happening with bargaining.

If needed, the bargaining committee also has the authority to call for a strike vote and authorize strike action. If the employer still isn’t willing to revise their bargaining position, then the bargaining committee and our local leadership will consider what type of action to take next.

4. How is the bargaining committee selected?
The Library Bargaining Committee was elected in accordance with Section 19 (c) of the CUPE Local 402 Bylaws and Constitution. There is a separate process for other Local 402 bargaining
units.

5. What are bargaining proposals?
A bargaining proposal is a formal suggestion or request put forward during discussions between workers and employers. It outlines changes or improvements one side would like to see in the terms of employment, like raises, health benefits, or working conditions.

6. How are bargaining proposals developed?
The bargaining committee works to put together bargaining proposals based on a number of factors that can include bargaining survey results, membership feedback, and issues coming from grievances.

7. What is a bargaining survey and why is it important?
Our bargaining survey is an important step in the bargaining process. It’s the primary way we get information from members.

The bargaining committee develops the survey and sends it out to all members to help us develop bargaining proposals that best reflect your priorities and needs. Filling out the survey is the best way to make sure we hear directly from you about the changes you want to see to our contract during this round of negotiations.