The role of our unions
TELUS team members across Canada are represented by five different unions: the Telecommunications Workers Union (TWU), the Syndicat Québecois des employés de TELUS (SQET), the Syndicat des agents de maîtrise de TELUS (SAMT), the B.C. Government and Services Employees' Union (BCGEU) and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
Union representation
| Group | Bargaining Unit | Management Professional | Total | % Unionized |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TELUS Wireline | 9,428 | 9,250 | 18,678 |
 50% |
| TELUS Wireless | 3,378 | 5,884 | 9,262 |
36% |
| TELUS International | 0 | 13,143 | 13,143 |
0% |
| TOTAL1 | 12,806 | 28,277 | 41,083 | 31% |
| 1 | As at December 31, 2011. |
Collective bargaining
In October 2011, negotiations commenced to renew the collective agreement between TELUS and the SAMT. The agreement, which covers approximately 510 wireline professional and supervisory team members in Quebec, expired on December 31, 2011. Negotiations to renew the contract continue and the parties have scheduled additional meetings to discuss outstanding issues.
TELUS and the Telecommunications Workers Union (TWU) successfully concluded collective bargaining, reaching a tentative agreement on April 11, 2011 that was subsequently ratified by frontline team members in June 2011. The new collective bargaining agreement, which covers approximately 11,250 team members in the wireline and wireless businesses across Canada, will expire on December 31, 2015. Highlights of the new agreement include improved hours of work and scheduling provisions for frontline customer experience team members, improved ability to re-engage retired team members and provisions to enable continued participation in TELUS’ At Home Agent and Work Styles programs.
TELUS Sourcing Solutions Inc. has two contracts -- one with CUPE, covering approximately 20 team members in Alberta, which expires on December 31, 2012, and one with the B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU), covering approximately 60 team members, expiring April 30, 2013.
The Syndicat Québécois des Employés de TELUS (SQET) contract, covering approximately 960 trades, clerical and operator services team members in TELUS’ wireline operations in Quebec, expires on December 31, 2014.
Bargaining unit team members by union affiliation
Forums for union consultation
Forums for consultations with the unions representing TELUS team members are included in the TELUS-TWU and the TELUS-SQET collective agreements. Additionally, TELUS endeavors to provide notice to its unions and affected bargaining unit team members pertaining to operational changes such as contracting out, technological change and mergers, acquisitions and divestitures. Notice requirements of such changes are contained in the collective agreements.