
Earlier this month, the Facilities Bargaining Association (FBA) secured a settlement at arbitration resulting in wage increases and other collective agreement language improvements for members working in security across B.C.’s health authorities.
“Protection services were contracted out at most provincial health authorities in 2002 under the BC Liberals, so when we successfully championed the return of these jobs to the public sector under the BC NDP government, the FBA restarted talks to settle outstanding concerns about compensation levels and other collective agreement language for these members,” says FBA spokesperson and HEU secretary-business manager Lynn Bueckert.
To recap, in October 2022, the Ministry of Health added 320 new relational security officers in health care, in addition to the 800 security positions repatriated throughout B.C. since last fall. With the newly repatriated and expanded security team in place, the FBA and the Health Employers Association of British Columbia renewed ongoing negotiations to arrive at an appropriate benchmark for all protection services officers and supervisors.
However, after 15 months of negotiations talks stalled and both parties then agreed to refer the issue to full arbitration last spring. By this October, following a two-day hearing before the arbitrator, both parties agreed to mediation with the assistance of Arbitrator Doyle on three outstanding issues – the job family/class series, the level definition, and the rates of pay.
“In the end, both parties, with the assistance of Arbitrator Doyle, came up with new benchmarks advancing the wages for the more than 1,100 security workers who provide a vital service across the health authorities,” says Bueckert.
The parties agreed that security benchmarks would fall under the specialty series within the clerical job family. As well, the level definition will be amended to recognize that security workers may provide medical assistance, as a designated first aid attendant.
In addition, protection services officers will see their wages move up from Grid 19 to 21, supervisors’ wages increasing from Grid 24 to 25 and building security officers compensations rising to Grid 14 from 12.
On top of these gains, the FBA also negotiated retroactive pay for the protection services officers and supervisors working for Island Health to February 1, 2023 – as security had never been contracted out in that health authority. And for those members brought in-house in the remaining health authorities, they will receive retroactive pay based on the date of hire.