Collective Bargaining (IPC)

Role and purpose

To work with other team members, AMAPCEO staff, and assigned legal counsel to negotiate the best collective agreement possible for the membership that honours the bargaining mandate.

Duties and responsibilities

Note: This is an illustrative, but not exhaustive, list of the general duties and responsibilities of a bargaining team member.

1. Before bargaining:

• Attend and participate in all pre-bargaining training sessions with other team members and assigned staff.
• Review all related training and background materials, such as research documents, membership survey data, statistical analysis, and reports, etc., to better understand bargaining issues and trends, as well as membership attitudes and desires, going into bargaining. 
• Make recommendations to the Executive and the Board of Directors on a list of general or broad bargaining priorities.
• Conduct additional research and analysis of specific bargaining priorities to assist with the development or refinement of AMAPCEO’s initial bargaining proposals.
• Assist with the rating and ranking of bargaining priorities and proposals to be tabled with the Employer in bargaining, as well as in setting an overall bargaining strategy.

2. During bargaining:

• Prepare for and participate in all bargaining team meetings and discussions, and any Caucus committees/working groups to which you are assigned.
• Attend assigned negotiating sessions with the employer, and perform some or all of the following duties:
  • Accurately document what was said/done at such meetings;
  • Observe and report on meeting dynamics, such as non-verbal communications
  • Act as a sounding board to gauge membership reaction to employer proposals.
• As part of the larger team, or as part of a caucus committee/working group, work with assigned staff and legal counsel to:
  • Analyze the employer’s approach, positions, and proposals;
  • ​​​​​​​Develop effective ideas to advance AMAPCEO’s interests, including refining bargaining proposals; and​​​​​​​
  • Work collegially, diplomatically, and strategically with bargaining team colleagues, staff, and counsel in a process characterized by potentially highly stressful and conflict prone working conditions.
• If requested to do so, support efforts to mobilize the membership by:
  • Participating in bargaining related communications activities (i.e. appearing in photographs, videos, bargaining updates, news conferences, etc.), membership rallies, and other forms of activism to assist in broadcasting the union’s bargaining goals and messages;
  • ​​​​​​​Attending membership meetings and/or conferences with elected officials or staff to educate, inform, and update members on bargaining issues.
• ​​​​​​​Assist in the preparation of bargaining team reports and recommendations to AMAPCEO decision-making bodies, such as the Executive and/or the Board of Directors

3. After bargaining:

• Support, as requested, in AMAPCEO’s efforts to communicate the content of the tentative agreement and the Board’s rationale on whether to ratify the agreement.

Other duties and responsibilities as required.

Time commitment

Bargaining team members should be willing to take paid leave, either continuously or intermittently, for an indeterminate period of time, continuing through to the settlement of a renewed collective agreement. The team members must be willing and available to work extended and/or non-traditional hours throughout the bargaining period, sometimes with very little notice.