Josh Peterson is one of three BC-based SV Bargaining Team members. A committed labour activist for over two decades, Josh brings valuable experience and education and aims to help achieve a fair agreement that addresses historic pay gaps.
PSAC BC recently connected with Josh to hear about his experiences on the Bargaining Team and what keeps him motivated.
Interview with Josh Peterson
Why did you become a Bargaining Team member?
The reason I put my name forward for bargaining is that I have spent more than a decade as an activist within the SV group. We have watched our wages stagnate while other comparable jobs continue to make gains outside the public service. This not only includes wages, but also benefits and leave. Our employer changed our pension plan, eroded our wages, and restricted us from striking through essential service letters during past negotiations. This round of bargaining provides a unique opportunity for our team to take our unresolved issues to binding arbitration. I have always been a proponent of this impasse route, I have advocated passionately for this, and when I saw the opportunity to put my name forward, I was very excited.
What’s the most rewarding part of being on the Bargaining Team?
Is there a rewarding part yet? I would say the most rewarding is meeting various members. We may have different classifications, departments, and we may live across the country from each other yet we have so much in common including our grievances with our employer. Understanding this is very rewarding and helps keep me engaged and driven.
What has surprised you most about bargaining?
I am continually surprised by how our employer can pretend to not understand anything about our jobs/classifications while asking us for concessions. I am surprised by how the employer can insult us to our faces while telling us they are not meaning to be insulting. The employer will twist numbers in spreadsheets to fit their facts while ignoring obvious errors and not change their arguments. The most surprising is also the most disappointing.
What keeps you motivated?
Members keep me motivated. Whenever I meet members and they thank me for my work, they tell me stories, and they understand what we are sacrificing to bargain. We have amazing conversations that are educational for me. These members lift me up with messages, comments, texts, smiles, and the common desire we share to get a deal. Not just any deal, one that benefits us all.
Is there anything else you’d like members to know?
I would like SV members to know that although we are the same, the SV table is independent from the other tables. We work with the other tables and we support each other explicitly while working to secure our own collective agreements. This is taking a long time. Our union and bargaining teams are doing everything in our power to bargain as expeditiously as we can. We will get there and we appreciate your support.
Keep updated on SV BargainingAbout Josh Peterson
Josh Peterson is deputy platoon chief at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt Fire Rescue Services, bringing over 20 years of fire service experience and over 12 years in the federal public service. He’s part of a team that work to protect the Department of National Defence assets, including naval warships, submarines, industrial buildings, military housing, and recreational facilities, as well as fulfilling mutual aid agreements with neighboring fire departments.
Josh has served as local president, vice-president, Joint Learning Program facilitator, trustee and PSAC Area Council vice president. He has also participated in health and safety, job evaluation, and labour management committees.
A graduate of the Canadian Labour Congress Labour College with a focus on employment equity, his long-standing advocacy reflects a deep commitment to fairness and workers’ rights.