Dear Members,

During the week of April 11-15, your bargaining committee worked through multiple items and prioritized making a clear presentation of the membership’s position on teleworking.  In our region, approximately 550 members are deemed to be remote or mobile, while others have been directed to return to the office with no recourse based on a policy (Bell Workways) that is entirely employer-directed.

As a reminder, Bell owns its policies, which are only limited by language we negotiate into the collective agreement and/or applicable laws.

In the lead up to negotiations, members made it abundantly clear that teleworking is a high priority. Your bargaining team believes that this is a major component of your future working conditions, and the union must be able to negotiate fair language to protect members.

The company indicated last week that they are not yet willing to commit to teleworking language in the collective agreement. Together, Unifor members will change their mind.

The Unifor ACL Bargaining Committee is coordinating mobilization efforts with Bell Clerical workers in Ontario and Quebec. Together, we represent nearly 6,000 members. Your Mobilization committee will be reaching out early next week with our next activity.

Our next scheduled bargaining dates are April 26-28 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where we will have our first in person bargaining session with the company.

Some of our members have asked for more information regarding issues being discussed at the bargaining table.  We must remind everyone that we are unable to share specific details of bargained elements until we reach a Tentative Agreement.

Thank you for your support and solidarity. Your bargaining committee will continue to communicate updates throughout the negotiations.

In solidarity,

Bell Atlantic Bargaining Committee