Early this month, Local 401 of the United Food and Commercial Workers published an update on their website regarding negotiations for workers employed in work camps in the Fort McMurray area.
These nearly 400 workers are employed by Buffalo Catering Employees LP, which itself a division of Civeo Canada. Through Buffalo Catering Employees, Civeo provides camp lodging throughout the Wood Buffalo area where their workers provide meals and lodging to fellow workers in the oil and gas sector.
The workers employed at these work camp include kitchen workers, housekeeping workers, dining room workers, and maintenance workers.
The most recent contract for these workers expired at the end of December.
According to Local 401, the bargaining team democratically elected by the workers met with employer representatives on the 7th and 8th of this month. At that meeting, Buffalo Catering reps tabled what they called their “final offer”, without even seeing what the workers were proposing.
Their offer included no wage increases during the 2.5 year contract.
Here are some of the other proposals they tabled in that offer.
They have proposed increasing the number of paid holidays from 11 to 12 by including the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Buffalo Catering also offered a health and wellness plan, including group life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment, extended health care, prescription coverage, dental care, vision care, and short term disability.
The employer added proposals for their queer workers, as well, primarily around making the workplaces more affirming.
First, they added the phrase “LBGTQ2S+ identity” to their no discrimination policy.
Then they added the following new section:
The employer will maintain the confidentiality and privacy of transgender and LGBTQ2S+ employees’ health information and identities. Any documentation or communication related to gender-affirming care, sexual orientation, or related health benefits shall be handled with sensitivity and discretion.
And finally, they added the following section regarding social transitioning for their trans employees:
If any employee is transgender, or intends to or is going through a transition in gender identity (with or without surgery or therapy) and makes a request, the employer and the employee will mutually agree on:
- A way to notify co-workers of the worker’s status or transition, if the employee so desires the transition to be known.
- The employer’s encouragement of other employees to speak or refer to transgender workers by the names they choose and the pronouns they identify. The employer will make reasonable efforts to use preferred names and pronouns, including on name tags, unless otherwise legally required.
On the downside, the company has proposed reducing the travel subsidy for workers who need transportation to the workcamps. Previously, it was $325 per month, and now they want to drop it to just $125 per month.
As well, the previous contract stated that “transportation will be provided by the company to and from Fort McMurray and the lodges on regularly scheduled turnaround days.” The proposal from the employer now states, “The company will arrange and provide transportation between Edmonton and the lodges on regularly scheduled turnaround days.” So, it looks as though transportation will be restricted to only between Edmonton and the workcamps; whereas it was more flexible under the old contract.
Local 401 is overall disappointed in this contract, specifically regarding the lack of wage increases and the fact that the employer has framed it as a final offer, ruling out any actual negotiation.
The union indicated that they are meeting “with legal counsel” and exploring gtheir “options on how to respond”. In case their hands are tied, however, they have scheduled a tentative ratification vote for Wednesday and Thursday of next week.
