After months of preparation, today we begin bargaining our next collective agreement – the contract that outlines our wages, working conditions and more. Our current collective agreement expires on March 31, 2025.
Last spring, CUPE members responded to our bargaining survey with your priorities. Then, on May 27th, delegates from our health sector met to review the survey results and develop priorities for this round of negotiations. These include things like improved scheduling, workload, and health and safety. Monetary priorities include wage & benefit improvements, including mental health supports.
Finally, over the past several weeks, your Community Bargaining Association (CBA) Negotiating Committee has been hard at work preparing our proposal package. That’s what we brought to the employer – the Health Employers’ Association of BC (HEABC) – at the bargaining table today.
Fair wages, benefit improvements and mental health support are our top bargaining issues. Given the current economic situation, we expect a more difficult round of bargaining and that’s why it’s going to take all of us working together to reach our goals. At the end of the day, the most powerful tool that we have as a bargaining committee is an organized membership ready to take action in support of our work at the bargaining table.
Please watch your emails for bargaining updates or check our website at bcchs.cupe.ca. If you have coworkers not receiving email updates, please share these updates and get them to update their contact information with your local
This month we are at the table March 4-6 and then again March 11-13, 2025. More dates will be set throughout the spring and summer.
And remember, it’s not just us bargaining this round. Tens of thousands of other CUPE members from the K-12 sector, Community Social Services, Universities and Colleges, in the public sectors of British Columbia are also negotiating new agreements.
It’s a big year for our union – our collective power will make us strong and see us through!
In solidarity,
Your Community Bargaining Association (CBA) Negotiating Committee