Last week, the multi-union Community Bargaining Association (CBA) tabled its package when negotiations began with the Health Employers Association of BC (HEABC).
The CBA collective agreement – set to expire on March 31 – covers more than 21,000 workers in the community health subsector from eight unions across the province, including about 2,300 HEU members.
At this time, the CBA is pushing to achieve non-monetary priorities identified by members, including important measures to address the recruitment and retention crisis in the community health subsector.
HEABC has recognized that the parties share some common goals, and are aware of the dire situation caused by short-staffing, which has been made worse by the pandemic.
This week, in-depth discussions at the bargaining table include provisions around scheduling, hours of work, overtime, and mobility of seniority.
Once all non-monetary issues have been addressed, the CBA will move contract talks to wages, benefits, and other monetary items.
The B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) is the lead union at the CBA table.
To stay connected and receive bargaining updates, members are encouraged to update their contact information on HEU’s website at <https://www.heu.org/change-contact-information>.
Bargaining bulletins are posted on the HEU website.