About the Contract Negotiation Process (Bargaining)

The Contract Negotiation Process, also known as Bargaining, consists of the following phases:

  1. Mobilization and Member Engagement (Ongoing)

The Mobilization Committee (Formerly known as the Communications Committee) will engage with Members throughout the Bargaining process.  Pre-bargaining, they will ensure the contact list is up to date and keep members informed about important dates and meetings.  During bargaining, the Mobilization Committee will keep the membership informed about the progress being made by our Negotiation Committee, organize and notify members about important meetings and votes, and rally the membership in support of the Negotiation Committee.

  1. Member Survey (Completed October/November 2022)

All members have an opportunity to tell the Negotiation Committee what important items or changes they want to see negotiated into the Collective Agreement.  Survey information is provided at General Membership Meetings, through email, and on the CUPE 4700 Website.  Visit our Contact Us page to add your email and phone number to our contact list.

  1. Set Priorities and Develop Proposals (December 2022)

The Negotiation Committee will meet to set priorities based on feedback from the member surveys as well as a review of all grievances, won or lost, since the last Collective Agreement was signed.  Reviewing member survey results lets the Negotiation Committee what is most important to our Members and reviewing grievances helps alert the Committee to any language in the agreement that needs to be changed, added, or removed.  Once the priorities have been set, the Committee will develop them into proposals that will be presented to the employer during Bargaining.

  1. Bargaining (Starts December 2022)

The Negotiation Committee will have several meetings to negotiate the new Collective Agreement with the Employer.  They will start by exchanging proposals and will go over each one in detail.  Bargaining can be a very difficult process and often takes several months to complete.  Ideally, the bargaining process will lead to the signing of a new Collective Agreement, however, Conciliation or Job Action may be required if the two sides cannot reach an agreement.