Following nine days of bargaining between Columbia Valley Credit Union and USW (United Steelworkers) Local 1-405, the two parties have reached impasse.

After meeting with the membership in Golden on October 10, a 100% strike vote was returned in an overwhelming mandate to the USW Local 1-405 Bargaining Committee.

At stake are issues of wages and benefit parity with credit unions in their pier group in the Kootenay/Columbia region, along with improved vacation flexibility; inclusion in the BC Central One Pension Plan – a benefit the six management staff enjoy at CVCU while the unionized staff only receive an RRSP contribution; along with banking benefits and preferred rates that exempt staff already receive, the USW outlined in a media release.

The USW Local 1-405 Bargaining Committee are currently weighing their options which include: serving 72-hour strike notice;
participating in mediation with a BC Labour Relations Board-appointed Mediator.

“The USW Bargaining Committee and USW staff at the Columbia Valley Credit Union would like to thank the CVCU membership in and around Golden during this difficult time and also would like to thank them for their patience during this process,” USW stated.

“Over the coming weeks and months it is very likely that Columbia Valley Credit Union will become part of a larger Credit Union organization in the Kootenay/ Columbia region as members from Kootenay Savings Credit Union; Nelson and District Credit Union; Heritage (Castlegar) Credit Union; East Kootenay Community Credit Union – many of which are USW members – along with Grand Forks Credit Union and Creston Valley Credit Union, vote to amalgamate into one large credit union,” USW noted.

“All of those credit unions, save for perhaps Creston Valley Credit Union, which is non- union, enjoy larger wage and benefits that our members in Golden, a town with one of the most expensive living wage requirements in B.C. at $20.46/hour (source: Living Wage Canada – www.livingwagecanada.ca),” USW said.

Along with the 13 members at CVCU, the United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1-405 (Cranbrook) represents 125 employees at Columbia Valley Credit Union – Golden; Kootenay Savings Credit Union – Kimberley; East Kootenay Community Credit Union in Cranbrook, Fernie and Elkford along with Heritage Credit Union in Castlegar and Slocan Park and Nelson and District Credit Union in Nelson, Rossland and Crawford Bay.

USW Local 1-405 based in Cranbrook is a diverse union representing over 1,200 workers in sawmills, pole plants, credit unions, insurance services, hotels, ski resorts and municipal workers in the East and West Kootenay.

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