October 13, 2015 Dear Sisters and Brothers, On October 19th the federal election will decide Canada’s direction for many years to come. I am writing to encourage you, first of all to participate in our democratic right to vote and to also encourage you to get family and friends involved in this very important federal election on October 19, 2015 Many members I have talked with have shared with me that they have originally come from countries where democracy either does not exist or is very challenging – they have told me how much they appreciate Canada’s strong democratic tradition.

The FBA Collective Agreement 2014-2019 is now online in PDF format. We’ve also posted the IUOE 882 By-Laws and Constitution online in PDF format.

A new arrangement for managing Facilities subsector members’ health benefits negotiated in the 2014-2019 collective agreement has reached an important milestone. A legal agreement has been reached establishing the terms of the Joint Facilities Benefits Trust which will manage extended health, dental, group insurance and long-term disability benefits beginning next year. Under the agreement, the Trust will be governed by an equal number of trustees – five from the Facilities Bargaining Association and five from the Health Employers Association of B.C. (HEABC). A mediation and arbitration process is contained in the agreement to resolve any deadlocked votes. Funding and administrative responsibility for benefits will

Through recent bargaining activities, the Facilities Bargaining Committee has secured an additional $1.25M to allocate to members for training.  This brings the total to $8.75M of FBA Education funding since 2006. The FBA Education Fund is a health care education and training fund managed by the unions in the Facilities Bargaining Association (FBA). The fund provides skills upgrading and career mobility opportunities for union members covered by the Facilities Subsector Collective Agreement.  The application and selection process is overseen by union members and staff.  Over 2,100 applications for training assistance from every occupational group have been supported. Important note: please