Brothers and Sisters:
This is to inform you that negotiations for the week of January 10th were cancelled due to the significant increase in Covid infections and the resulting Government limitations placed on public gatherings.
With a total negotiation committee of seventy-one people attending the bargaining, it would be impossible to arrange a meeting in any provincial jurisdiction. Other than the meeting restrictions, the concern of airline travel as well as the fact that with the transmissivity of the new variant, if anyone were to fall ill, they would need to seek medical care, isolate and recover in a foreign city.
The Notice of Dispute and Request for Conciliation Assistance application was granted by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) and it has appointed Mediator Brian Stevens to assist our negotiations. He was scheduled to attend the January 10th week but will attend when we can reconvene.
As the current collective agreement remains in full force and effect, and that there are important proposals that are still open requiring extensive direct dialogue, we have decided to wait and see what happens with the pandemic and meeting restrictions.
If the pandemic and restrictions remain in place for an extended period, the negotiating committee will meet to discuss a path forward for reconvening.
Watch for further updates and remember patience and solidarity will get us to a good collective agreement.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your Local Union.
