Big News on the Community Health Low Wage Redress + A telephone town hall

To:                   All CUPE Members at Health Services & Support – Community   Subsector (CBA)

Re:                   Big News on the Community Health Low Wage Redress + A telephone town hall

As you may be aware, the Community Health Bargaining Association (CBA) collective agreement just came into force on April 1, 2019. It includes a $40 million fund to move wages for all jobs closer to the pay rates for equivalent work in the Facilities sub-sector.  This is great news.

We’re happy to let you know that the Low Wage Redress funds have now been fully allocated for all three years of the collective agreement. Every Community Health Services job is now being compared to its equivalent under the Health Facilities agreement, and as such we’ve updated the Wage Grid (Schedule A in the collective agreement) and the pay rates for each of those grids.

Funds were allocated first to those wages that were the furthest behind their Facilities counterparts. Fundamentally, this was about attempting to achieve equal pay for equal work across agreements. By the time the funds have been fully distributed in April 2021, all classifications will be just 1.5 per cent away from their Facilities equivalent.

Your union is hosting two telephone town hall meetings on Monday (April 8) to explain the benefits your bargaining unit fought for hard for and won at the bargaining table, and to give you an opportunity to ask any questions you may have.

The call-in number for both calls is 1-877-229-8493 with ID code 117342.  Please join us!

Date Time
April 8, 2019 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
April 8, 2019 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

We’ve attached some information to help explain the Low Wage Redress and how it works for your job classification. We look forward to speaking with you on Monday!

In solidarity,

Your CUPE Health Care Presidents Council, on behalf of the Community Health Low Wage Redress Committee:

Scott DeLong, Component 8 Vice President, Vancouver Island Health Authority
Deb Wilson, BCGEU Staff Representative; Brent Camilleri, BCGEU Staff Representative and CBA Chief Spokesperson
Monica Staff, UFCW; Chris Dorais, HEU; Derek Wong, HSA