http://afrotaino.com/athome/?p=653 Official Website Sat, 20 Sep 2014 06:51:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 http://afrotaino.com/athome/?p=653#comment-142 Hicham Fri, 19 Sep 2014 04:27:08 +0000 http://afrotaino.com/athome/?p=653#comment-142 Referring the package to the Executive is nomral collective bargaining practice. It is a challenge for any Executive but one that has been dealt with successfully by every Executive since certification.The Negotiating Team has a package and before they can say to the employer, we agree they refer it to the Executive. This has been done with every collective agreement since the first one in 1996. The reason you may not be aware of this process is that we have not been pushed into such a dramatic situation before. No other administration has taken the steps of conciliation and no-board that bring us to the point of a possible lockout or strike.The Negotiation Team must do this because the Executive directs the Negotiating Team (see Collective Bargaining Protocol ). The Executive meets with the Negotiating Team and discusses the proposed package. The Executive may decide any of the following: accept the package and recommend it to the membership for approval reject the package and send the team back to the table to get a better deal reject the package but decide to send it to the membership with a recommendation to the membership that the membership reject the package, too.The Executive has the livelihood of members in mind whenever it makes this decision. This is why the QUFA collective agreements have been strong and fair. You will have the opportunity to vote on the agreement when it is at the point of being a tentative agreement. We are not at that point yet.Before Members vote, there will be a general meeting where the tentative agreement is presented. You will have documentation to study. The meeting will be long enough to accommodate all questions. Then there will be the vote. Notice that in the process, this can be some time after the tentative agreement is reached. CUPE reached agreement on August 7 but is not voting until August 18. Remember, we do not yet have a tentative agreement.Also, please remember, that it is the administration that has been reckless in bringing us to the edge of a lockout or strike, not QUFA. QUFA has always been at the table and willing to bargain. Referring the package to the Executive is nomral collective bargaining practice. It is a challenge for any Executive but one that has been dealt with successfully by every Executive since certification.The Negotiating Team has a package and before they can say to the employer, we agree they refer it to the Executive. This has been done with every collective agreement since the first one in 1996. The reason you may not be aware of this process is that we have not been pushed into such a dramatic situation before. No other administration has taken the steps of conciliation and no-board that bring us to the point of a possible lockout or strike.The Negotiation Team must do this because the Executive directs the Negotiating Team (see Collective Bargaining Protocol ). The Executive meets with the Negotiating Team and discusses the proposed package. The Executive may decide any of the following: accept the package and recommend it to the membership for approval reject the package and send the team back to the table to get a better deal reject the package but decide to send it to the membership with a recommendation to the membership that the membership reject the package, too.The Executive has the livelihood of members in mind whenever it makes this decision. This is why the QUFA collective agreements have been strong and fair. You will have the opportunity to vote on the agreement when it is at the point of being a tentative agreement. We are not at that point yet.Before Members vote, there will be a general meeting where the tentative agreement is presented. You will have documentation to study. The meeting will be long enough to accommodate all questions. Then there will be the vote. Notice that in the process, this can be some time after the tentative agreement is reached. CUPE reached agreement on August 7 but is not voting until August 18. Remember, we do not yet have a tentative agreement.Also, please remember, that it is the administration that has been reckless in bringing us to the edge of a lockout or strike, not QUFA. QUFA has always been at the table and willing to bargain.

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