Ninety-two point three per cent (92.3%) of members who cast a ballot in the CBA strike vote said YES to authorize strike action, if necessary, to achieve meaningful improvements to our collective agreement.
This is more than a vote – it's a powerful statement. Your strong mandate sends a clear message to our employer: we are united, serious and ready to secure the respect and fairness we deserve. In the coming weeks, we will schedule new bargaining dates and bring this strike mandate to the table to demand a fair agreement on par with other HEABC health care workers.
This strike vote also marks several milestones: the largest turnout the CBA bargaining unit has ever seen, the unification of supportive housing workers under a single collective agreement and the strongest voice we’ve had in bargaining in 30 years.
What a YES vote means
With a yes vote, the bargaining committee now has a clear and powerful mandate to pressure the employer to return to the table and negotiate a fair agreement. It shows that community health workers are united and serious about winning improvements on key priorities like benefits, scheduling, seniority by overtime and parity with Facilities Bargaining Association (FBA) members doing the same work.
This yes vote does not mean members are going on strike. It authorizes the union to use escalating job action – if needed – to move negotiations forward.
Most importantly, this YES vote is a strong message of support for the bargaining team and strengthens their ability to secure a fair collective agreement for all community health workers.
At the CBA bargaining table, committee members Nicole Russell, Lisa Bouma and Donna Zmaeff represent HEU’s community health members, along with servicing representatives Brenda Brown and Tasha Whenham.
The Community Bargaining Association includes BCGEU (the lead), CUPE, HEU (2,300 members), UFCW, HSA, BCNU, and USW, covering 23,000 health care workers across the province.