BCGEU launches "Local Crews Know Local Roads" campaign

“This campaign is about putting road safety ahead of profits.” — BCGEU President Stephanie Smith

Vancouver (23 Feb. 2016) — The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE) has launched a campaign to protect the jobs of workers who maintain the highways, roads and bridges in our province.

Keeping highways safe means employing professional, experienced workers

There is a radio ad running in targeted parts of B.C. The public is being asked to add their names to a petition calling on Premier Clark to keep B.C. highways safe by ensuring that professional, experienced, highway workers are retained if highways maintenance contracts change hands.

“This campaign is about protecting good, family-supporting jobs. It is about ensuring that experienced, professional, highway maintenance workers who know their region remain on the job,” said BCGEU President Stephanie Smith. “This campaign is about putting road safety ahead of profits.”

Tender does not require retention of trained employees

“We are beginning this campaign because the maintenance contract for the East Kootenays has been put out to tender without any requirement for the retention of existing employees,” said Rory Smith, BCGEU Vice-President, Operational Services for Component 10. “The remaining maintenance contracts will go out for tender in the next few years. It is unclear if these contracts will have any successorship rights for existing workers.”

Take this opportunity to sign the petition. Ask your friends and family for their support. 

More information: 

Local crews know local roads campaign site

Radio ad

Petition

NUPGE 

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 360,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE