Your collective agreement could use a pinch of cycling

Labour Day, the first Monday in September, maintains a rich tradition dating back to 1872 when the Toronto Trades Assembly (with a membership of 27 trade unions) held Canada’s first large “workers demonstration” on April 15. The demonstration was organized primarily to demand the release of 24 imprisoned members of the Toronto Typographical Union, whose crime had been to strike in support of a nine-hour working day. The parade and its enthusiastic onlookers numbered around 10,000, which even by today’s standards is a decent turnout. From something that began as a critical mass of wood workers, carriage makers, builders, and other tradespeople (accompanied by four musical bands), most Canadians now benefit, either in the form of a paid day off, or a higher rate of holiday pay.

According to the BC Federation of Labour, our province’s unionized workforce currently accounts for 32 per cent of the adult population. So the odds are one in three that MOMENTUM readers are covered by a collective agreement (CA) of some kind at their workplace – that is, broadly, a contract negotiated at regular intervals between representatives of the employer (company, government body, corporation) and a recognized labour union authorized to represent the employees (its members).

Also known as collective bargaining, this process has been highlighted in recent months as some large public sector unions (BC Teachers’ Federation, BCGEU, etc.) have signed multi-year agreements with the B.C. government, aimed in part at ensuring a settled labour climate for the 2010 Olympics. Once in place, these deals largely outline the terms and conditions, pay, and benefits of that bargaining unit. Historically too, those standards have often been extended to the non-unionized workforce as well: an eight-hour work day, medical and dental insurance, overtime and statutory holiday pay. Indeed, our collective quality of life benefits from this bigger progression.

For those with negotiations still on the horizon, or who may be curious about the ways collective bargaining can help further the cycling agenda, here’s a quick sketch of some existing CA wording already at work in the Lower Mainland which supports employees who cycle. Non-unionized environments can also adapt these types of concepts through their own processes (see also Bonnie Fenton’s article “Everyone benefits at a bike-friendly workplace,” in MOMENTUM #22, June/July 2006).

The Canadian Union of Public Employee’s (CUPE) Local 15 is a public sector union with over 5,000 members representing Vancouver Municipal, Education, and Community workers at more than 100 different work sites around the city. The current contract is in effect until December 31, 2006, and offers this small incentive for those who choose to cycle while on employer business:
Article 7.
TRANSPORTATION ALLOWANCE

“Transportation for positions requiring the employee to travel on the Employer’s business will be paid in the form of a transit fare or mileage allowance or use of an Employer’s car as determined by the Employer.
If an employee is authorized by their non-bargaining unit manager or designate to use an alternative form of transportation, such as a bicycle, they shall be entitled to compensation equivalent to transit fare.”

Reference: www.cupe15.org/resources/city/documents/SignedCAVancouver-CUPE15-2003-06... (page 14)
The Canadian Office and Professional Employees’ Union (COPE) Local 15 is not to be confused with either CUPE or the local municipal political body. More than 2,000 members are spread across Western Canada, where COPE 15 staff are found in such diverse places as union offices, taxi companies, credit unions, and Canadian Freightways. Their 15-person bargaining unit at the Alma Mater Society (at UBC) enjoys a rather novel perk, which also applies to about 65 other regular, non-union AMS staff:
Article 13. (Section to be re-numbered)
EMPLOYEE WELLNESS PROGRAM

“In a joint initiative to improve employee health and peace of mind, the Employer agrees to reimburse the employee fifty per cent of the cost of annual membership or participation fee in a sports or recreation program up to a maximum of one hundred dollars per contract year upon presentation of receipt.
Such activities include, but are not limited to, team sports, fitness facilities, yoga classes, self-defence instruction, costs associated with bicycle maintenance and repair for employees who commute or recreational cycle, and the relevant equipment required, but does not include clothing for those purposes except footwear.

Reference: The Labour Relations Board: www.lrb.bc.ca/cas/capagea.htm, scroll down to “Alma Mater Society”

***[NB: The new contract (in effect until May 31, 2007) will be posted imminently at that location.]

Fancy doing some tinkering of your own? It’s a time-honoured tradition to pinch desirable wording from other agreements and reconfigure it to suit your own membership’s purposes. The road to successful incorporation of visionary cycle lingo into your collective agreement just might start with you and your union steward or staff rep. Ask them what the timeline and process is for the next set of negotiations, and go from there. It’ll often take patience and persistence, sometimes months or even years worth, to see some dynamic, healthy, and progressive wording show up in print. A relatively harmonious relationship between the employer and union can also go a long way towards expediting this, as can leading through example.

“What we desire for ourselves, we wish for all.”

J.S. Woodsworth

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About the Author

Kari has loved cycling since the age of seven, and has been an active member of various trade unions in British Columbia and Britain since she was 17. She has never owned a car. [more...]