Bargaining Continues 

Dear Member, 
 

Following our last bargaining update, your committee met with the Community Social Service Employers' Association (CSSEA) for six more days of negotiations in February. By Feb. 18, we had agreed to and signed off on eight more non-monetary proposals.

Despite this progress, we are still going toe-to-toe with demands for concessions in high-stakes areas. Of note, important monetary items remain sticking points; we'll be using all the leverage we have available at this point to advocate for the solutions and priorities you empowered your committee to advance. As always, we remain committed to pushing for a deal that reflects the progress you said you need this round.

Our next scheduled bargaining dates are March 23 to 27. Between now and then, the BCGEU caucus will continue to meet and refine our goals so that we can reconvene strategic meetings with the entire CSSBA committee.

Conversations specific to Indigenous Service (IS) negotiations are on pause until we see more progress at the main table with General Services and Community Living. Our IS goals remain unwavering: a fully funded collective agreement that provides equitable compensation for Indigenous workers who do the same or similar work in direct government services, along with language that truly acknowledges and respects Indigenous lived experience, including paid time off. To effectively advance more IS proposals, we first need to get closer to agreement with the employers on substantive monetary issues at the main table.

At this point, your committee and CSSEA are already looking into bargaining dates for April, in case we need them. Stay tuned for more updates as we pursue a good deal that meets your needs.

In solidarity your BCGEU Bargaining Committee:

Andrea Duncan – BCGEU – Chair, CSSBA Bargaining Committee 
Pamela Pye – BCGEU – Co-Chair, BCGEU Community Living Services Caucus 
Kari Bepple – BCGEU – Co-Chair, BCGEU General Services Caucus 
John Manthorpe – BCGEU – Co-Chair, BCGEU Indigenous Services Caucus 
Sharon Campbell – BCGEU 
Jessica Daigneault – BCGEU 
April Duffield – BCGEU 
Tammy Lewis – BCGEU 
Michelle Nestoruk – BCGEU 
Angela Reed – BCGEU 
Andrew Stahl – BCGEU 
Ash Vomacka – BCGEU 
Kate Banky – BCGEU 
Wynn Hartfelder – BCGEU 
Sharon Hollingsworth – BCGEU 

Ryan Stewart 
Chief Negotiator, CSSBA 
Staff Representative, BCGEU Negotiations Department 

Selena Kongpreecha,
Indigenous Services Lead Negotiator, CSSBA 
Staff Representative, BCGEU Negotiations Department 

UWU/MoveUP

Back to the Table 

Dear members, 

It's a new year, and we're officially back in bargaining! For the last three weeks we've been meeting with the employers' group, negotiating straight through Jan. 26 to 30, with more dates scheduled for February 2-5 and 17 & 18- stay tuned for updates.

As you know, money-related issues are on the bargaining table now along with the outstanding non-monetary issues. That means the conversations are getting meatier and more difficult, and we have a lot of hard work ahead of us. 

By the time we wrapped on Friday Jan. 16, the Community Social Services Employers Association (CSSEA) tabled a partial counteroffer to our second monetary package. This week we reviewed the response in detail and presented our own counter.

On Jan. 26 & 27 our Indigenous Services Bargaining Committee also had important and substantive conversations with our employers, specific to the sub-sector. Those of us on the committee who work in Indigenous Services remain committed to the bargaining work at the main table while we engage in these critical issue-specific talks that directly impact Indigenous Service workers. 

The Strategy Moving Forward

Now that we're narrowing in on the high-stakes items that you said matter most to you, the talks are getting tough. This is expected - topics that are so consequential to members deserve time, attention and resolve . It probably goes without saying that employers don't always share the same priorities as workers! 

Community-centered employers, by definition, can only improve operations by putting community first, but they must remember that the community includes you. In this spirit, we're working to understand the thrust behind CSSEA's proposals, so we can show them where their objectives square with our bargaining demands.

Employers don't have your vantage-point. The frontlines see how better working conditions will improve services, and as a committee, it's our job to spotlight this cause-and-effect relationship. So long as CSSEA engages meaningfully with that valuable intel, we'll continue to take a solutions-oriented approach. 

As always, our goal is to translate your very reasonable demand for actual support into the best possible contract language. The passion that you (our co-workers!) have for your work continues to be a source of confidence and a compass for us at the table. When we reach pivotal points in our talks, we'll be looking to you for guidance, so please continue to clarify with your coworkers what's a must in this round. 

In Solidarity your BCGEU Bargaining Committee:

Andrea Duncan – BCGEU – Chair, CSSBA Bargaining Committee
Pamela Pye – BCGEU – Co-Chair, BCGEU Community Living Services Caucus 
Kari Bepple – BCGEU – Co-Chair, BCGEU General Services Caucus 
John Manthorpe – BCGEU – Co-Chair, BCGEU Indigenous Services Caucus 
Sharon Campbell – BCGEU 
Jessica Daigneault – BCGEU 
Tammy Lewis – BCGEU 
Michelle Nestoruk – BCGEU 
Angela Reed – BCGEU 
Andrew Stahl – BCGEU 
Kate Banky – BCGEU 
Wynn Hartfelder – BCGEU 
Sharon Hollingsworth – BCGEU 

Ryan Stewart 
Chief Negotiator, CSSBA 
Staff Representative, BCGEU Negotiations Department 

Selena Kongpreecha,
Indigenous Services Lead Negotiator, CSSBA 
Staff Representative, BCGEU Negotiations Department 

The BCGEU has developed an info hub for members during Public Sector Bargaining 2026. Check out the Community Social Services bargaining hub here.

The website features educational materials such as information about the bargaining process, public service FAQs, a summary of key information this round of bargaining, media coverage, and more.

The website is intended to help members quickly find information and updates about the negotiation of their next agreement and provide members all they need to know about bargaining.

Update your Contact Information

If you know of anyone who is not receiving BCGEU email updates, please refer them to the BCGEU member portal to sign-up so they can receive bargaining updates. Take a moment to make sure all of your contact information is up to date as well!

UWU/MoveUP

Dear members,

Earlier this year, we shared the news with you that a new online learning module, Building Respectful Relationships, is now available on the Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA) learning portal. Click here to learn more!

Today, we have a new code to share with you so that you can register and complete this online learning module.

The course covers various communication strategies and conflict resolution techniques to help you build a positive workplace where everyone feels valued and respected. Delivered across five modules, you'll delve into topics like power, privilege and identity, gaining insights to better support your coworkers in a more diverse and inclusive workplace. The course takes about 80 minutes to complete and can be done in multiple sessions if you wish.

To register for the Building Respectful Relationships course, it's an easy 3 steps:

1. Register for an account on the CSSBA eLearning portal, found here.
2. Choose your union (BCGEU)
3. Enter the coupon code: BCGE-UFJZ-AGU5-APLD-BCPH-9TDLW

The course is free to union members that work in community social services, thanks to government funding negotiated by CSSBA and CSSEA as part of the collective bargaining process.
 
At the end of the course, you will receive a certificate, with the option to share on social media.
 
The CSS eLearning portal is a valuable resource for you. These are your resources. We encourage you to use them and hope you find them useful.
 
In solidarity,
Andrea Duncan
BCGEU Vice-President, Community Social Services and Chair, CSSBA Bargaining Committee

UWU/MoveUP

The Wage Enhancement for Early Childhood Educators is extending!

In May 2024, we announced a key step in improving the compensation for early childhood educators. Your union negotiated a one-time funding plan into the Community Social Services Bargaining Agreement (CSSBA) to address the fact that you were excluded from the government's Early Childhood Educator (ECEs) Wage Enhancement initiative, which saw other ECEs, outside of the public sector, get a $2/hr top-up last year.

Early this year, the Incentive Benefit for Unionized Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) was extended to the last pay period of October 2025. 

Today, we are pleased to share the good news that the incentive benefit has been extended once again to the last pay period of December 2025, which means that you will continue to receive wage enhancements until the end of the year. 

To see what your top-ups under the Benefit Incentive agreement are, find your current place on the wage grid and then look to the column on the right: this number represents the hourly-wage bump that the employer is applying to all hours paid at straight-time rates. The benefit will continue to be paid in bi-monthly installments as lump sum payments:

Pushing for a permanent wage grid

While we are pleased with this extension, we know that there is much more work we need to do together. We need a legally-binding, standardized, permanent wage grid that covers all ECEs (regardless of your employer or the level of government funding they receive), and that compensation needs to match the value that you bring to your communities. 

We will continue the fight for a permanent wage grid and improved compensation that recognizes and values the critical work that you do. We know that it is you, the professionals delivering quality child care, that are at the heart of a system that children and communities rely on. 

This initiative is part of our ongoing work to level the playing field in the child care sector and to introduce improved standardized wages for child care professionals. 

Click here to read the full details of the agreement of the agreement we reached on Child Care Funding Changes.

 
In Solidarity, 
 
Andrea Duncan,
BCGEU Vice-President Community Social Services &
Chair of the Community Social Services Bargaining Association 
 
Ryan Stewart 
Chief Negotiator, CSSBA 
Staff Representative, BCGEU Negotiations Department

UWU/MoveUP

Bargaining update: Progress on non-monetary issues; monetary proposals tabled

Dear BCGEU,

Your Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA) committee continues to work hard at the table to deliver renewed collective agreements that reflect your priorities. 

After 29 days of bargaining with the Community Social Services Employers' Association (CSSEA), we've reached agreement on several key non-monetary improvements. These include: 

• Improved language on employer-led investigations and disciplinary meetings 
• Stronger provisions around health and safety including where there are health and safety related workload issues 
• A requirement for the employer to consult employees before permanent transfers 
• Stewards' email addresses to be provided to new employees 
• Changes to the expedited arbitration process 
• A commitment to renegotiate local issues after the renewal of main agreements 

We've also made progress on housekeeping and formatting changes, and updated outdated terms like "residential" to "residence" to better reflect the work and settings of our members. 

Discussions are ongoing on several important items including union meetings at worksites, technological change, harassment and bullying language, and leave provisions for casual employees. 

Monetary proposals

On October 3rd, we tabled our monetary proposals. This allows CSSEA to begin reviewing and costing our proposals during a brief scheduled pause in negotiations. We will resume non-monetary talks later this month and then shift our focus to monetary negotiations. 

In total, 15 more bargaining days (12 at the main table, three for Indigenous Services) are scheduled through the end of November. 

Indigenous Services (IS) bargaining update

The CSSBA and CSSEA Indigenous Services Bargaining Committees met on September 8 for their first joint session. It was a positive and productive start. We finalized and signed the Indigenous Services Gathering Protocols, reviewed joint committee work, and discussed shared priorities.

The next round of Indigenous Services bargaining is scheduled for October 22–24, where we'll begin substantive discussions.

We remain committed to negotiating agreements that improve your working conditions and reflect the essential work you do in communities across B.C. 

Community Bargaining Association (CBA) different from CSSBA

Finally, we wish to clarify that recent news about Community Bargaining Association (CBA) negotiations reaching an impasse and a strike vote being planned does not involve members in the social services sector. Instead, the CBA, in which the BCGEU is also the lead union, represents workers in the community health sector. You will be notified directly if CSSBA negotiations reach an impasse and informed of any subsequent steps.  

In solidarity, 

Your CSSBA Bargaining Committee 

UWU/MoveUP

Dear members covered by the CSSBA,

It's been a while since we've talked, but we want you to know that your bargaining committee is back at the negotiations table with the Community Social Services Employers' Association (CSSEA) and continuing to make progress on non-monetary proposals. 

Our goal remains the same: to raise pressing workplace concerns with the employers and win real solutions to problems that have plagued our sector for too long. We remain firm that a quality community social services contract must address the concerns that you raised to our committee. 

We've also been receiving many questions about the ongoing public service strike, and we want to clear up some confusion and provide you with answers: 

The Public Service Strike & What it Means for You 

As many of you know, thousands of BCGEU members who work for the Public Service are picketing in cities across B.C. right now, following an incredible strike vote that covers 34,000 workers.

As a member covered by the Community Social Services Bargaining Association agreement you are not on strike. We are still in bargaining for the renewal of our collective agreement, which is different from the one that covers Public Service workers.

However, their fight is our fight, and it's critical that we support their picket lines because our fates are intertwined. Whatever happens at the Public Service bargaining table will directly affect our own bargaining. The provincial government needs to know that workers are united in our fight for contracts that can tackle the affordability crisis. Here's how you can support: 

1. Don't Cross Public Service Picket Lines: If there is a public service picket line set up outside your own worksite, do not cross the line. You have the right to refuse to cross picket lines, as per your collective agreement: 

3.11 Right to Refuse to Cross Picket Lines

(a) All employees covered by this agreement will have the right to refuse to cross a picket line arising out of a dispute as defined in the appropriate legislation. Any employees failing to report for duty will be considered to be absent without pay.

(b) Failure to cross a picket line encountered in carrying out the Employer's business will not be considered a violation of this agreement, nor will it be grounds for disciplinary action. 

👉Many of you take clients to appointments with public service workers. If you are taking a client to a picketing building to meet with a public service worker who has been designated essential (and is therefore still reporting to work), please call the essential worker to meet your client, so that you do not have to cross the picket line and you can wait for your client outside. If you cannot drop off your client because of mobility issues or other reasons, please call your BCGEU area office: www.bcgeu.ca/full_contact 

👉If your employer insists that you cross a picket line, please remember that refusing to cross is not grounds for discipline. If your employer tries to discipline you, get in touch with your steward. Crossing a picket line IS however, grounds for very serious discipline by the BCGEU (as per Article 7 of the union's Constitution and Bylaws). 

2. Click to send a letter to government: This action takes only two minutes, but it packs punch. Click this link to tell the provincial government to invest in public services and the workers who provide them: https://www.frontlinesfirst.ca/

The BCGEU has developed an info hub for members during Public Sector Bargaining 2025. Check out the Community Social Services bargaining hub here.

The website features educational materials such as information about the bargaining process, public service FAQs, a summary of key information this round of bargaining, media coverage, and more.

The website is intended to help members quickly find information and updates about the negotiation of their next agreement and provide members all they need to know about bargaining.

Update your Contact Information

If you know of anyone who is not receiving BCGEU email updates, please refer them to the BCGEU member portal to sign-up so they can receive bargaining updates. Take a moment to make sure all of your contact information is up to date as well!

UWU/MoveUP

Hi everyone 👋 

You haven't heard from us in a few weeks, and we wanted to touch base. As you know, bargaining for our next collective agreement started late May. Since our last update, we've met with the Community Social Services Employers' Association multiple times. Progress on non-monetary proposals continues! While we don't have bargaining dates scheduled again until August, we'll be keeping in touch over the month, so stay tuned to your email. 

Who's Representing You? 

We know updates like this run the risk of sounding a bit redundant. All of us on your bargaining committee have been in your position before, waiting for news. Negotiations can feel like a distant world, and we want to do everything we can to close that gap between the table and your day-to-day, starting with putting faces to the names that you see at the bottom of these very emails! 

Who's at the table and what frontline perspectives are we bringing? Just click on the button below, to access your committee members' profiles, including our classifications and where we work! 

Just like you, we are from community social services; at the bargaining table we lead with the same care and tenacity that we bring to our clients and our advocacy. The workplace improvements that we're pushing for at the bargaining table are as much informed by the surveys that you filled out, as they are by the conversations we have had with you over the months and years, on breaks and in union meetings. 

As a refresher, three of our big contract priorities this round include: 

• • Meaningful Wage Increases: 
    - Continuing our fight for full pay equity with workers in the health and public sector 
    - New shift premiums for night, evening and weekend work; 

• • And health Benefit Improvements 

For much of the first month, we've been finding our rhythm at the table. Discussions are happening in a lot of different pockets too. We aren't just meeting with the employer; we're meeting as a BCGEU team to clarify and refine our goals, ensuring they're still timely and our strategy supports them. We're also meeting with the other member unions of the Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA) to build consensus and power. 

You might have also noticed in our committee member profiles that some of us are Co-Chairs. There's one Co-Chair representing each of the sub-sectors in CSSBA. If you send us a bargaining question via email that's directly related to proposals for one of these sub-sectors, these three committee members are the experts you'll hear from. 

Thank you for the continued support, and we'll talk soon. 

In solidarity, 

Your Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA) Negotiating Committee 

Your BCGEU Bargaining Committee Team: 
Andrea Duncan – BCGEU – Chair, CSSBA Bargaining Committee 
Pamela Pye – BCGEU – Co-Chair, BCGEU Community Living Services Caucus 
Kari Bepple – BCGEU – Co-Chair, BCGEU General Services Caucus 
John Manthorpe – BCGEU – Co-Chair, BCGEU Indigenous Services Caucus 
Sharon Campbell – BCGEU 
Jessica Daigneault – BCGEU
April Duffield – BCGEU 
Tammy Lewis – BCGEU
Michelle Nestoruk – BCGEU
Angela Reed – BCGEU 
Andrew Stahl – BCGEU
Ash Vomacka – BCGEU 
Kate Banky – BCGEU 
Wynn Hartfelder – BCGEU 
Sharon Hollingsworth – BCGEU 

Ryan Stewart 
Chief Negotiator, CSSBA
Staff Representative, BCGEU Negotiations Department 

The BCGEU has developed an info hub for members during Public Sector Bargaining 2025. Check out the Community Social Services bargaining hub here.

The website features educational materials such as information about the bargaining process, public service FAQs, a summary of key information this round of bargaining, media coverage, and more. 

The website is intended to help members quickly find information and updates about the negotiation of their next agreement and provide members all they need to know about bargaining.

Update your Contact Information

If you know of anyone who is not receiving BCGEU email updates, please refer them to the BCGEU member portal to sign-up so they can receive bargaining updates. Take a moment to make sure all of your contact information is up to date as well! 

UWU/MoveUP

Dear Friends,

We are gearing up to start negotiating your new collective agreement. Bargaining is set to begin mid-May, and right now, your bargaining committee is in preparation mode, busy creating the proposal package that reflects all unions' identified priorities. 

A collective agreement is a written contract that sets out the terms and conditions of your employment and includes elements such as wages, benefits, working hours, and grievance procedures.

In community social services your collective agreement is the result of bargaining, a process where your union, through the Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA) and your employer, represented by the Community Social Services Employers' Association (CSSEA), negotiate a group agreement.

As you may know, our current collective agreement expired on Monday, March 31st. We want to reassure you that the terms of our agreement will stay in effect until a new one is negotiated and ratified. So, it remains business as usual for you and your coworkers. 

Your Bargaining Committee
Andrea Duncan – BCGEU – Chair, CSSBA Bargaining Committee
Pamela Pye – BCGEU – Co-Chair, BCGEU Community Living Services Caucus 
Kari Bepple – BCGEU – Co-Chair, BCGEU General Services Caucus 
John Manthorpe – BCGEU – Co-Chair, BCGEU Indigenous Services Caucus 
Sharon Campbell – BCGEU 
Jessica Daigneault – BCGEU 
April Duffield – BCGEU 
Tammy Lewis – BCGEU 
Michelle Nestoruk – BCGEU 
Angela Reed – BCGEU 
Andrew Stahl – BCGEU 
Ash Vomacka – BCGEU 
Kate Banky – BCGEU 
Wynn Hartfelder – BCGEU 
Sharon Hollingsworth – BCGEU 

Ryan Stewart
Chief Negotiator, CSSBA
Staff Representative, BCGEU Negotiations Department

New Bargaining Website
The BCGEU has developed an info hub for members during Public Sector Bargaining 2025. Check out the Community Social Services bargaining hub here.
 
The website features educational materials such as information about the bargaining process, public service FAQs, a summary of key information this round of bargaining, media coverage, and more.

The website is intended to help members quickly find information and updates about the negotiation of their next agreement and provide members all they need to know about bargaining.

Update your Contact Information 
If you know of anyone who is not receiving BCGEU email updates, please refer them to the BCGEU member portal to sign-up so they can receive bargaining updates. Take a moment to make sure all of your contact information is up to date as well! 

UWU/MoveUP

Revised wage grids for paraprofessional classifications only are now available. Please see the joint Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA) / Community Social Services Employers' Association (CSSEA) summary of the changes and the revised 2023 and 2024 wage grids for complete details.
 
CSSBA and CSSEA agreed in the last round on wage adjustments towards parity for CSS paraprofessionals with health science professionals working under the Health Science Processionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) collective agreement. We reported in March of this year that the parties had been unable to reach agreement on HSPBA comparability and that discussions were continuing. The parties subsequently reached agreement that will bring significant increases to CSS paraprofessional classifications, in some cases retroactive to 2023, representing a big step towards parity with the HSPBA.
 
Highlights include:
 
Retroactive to April 2023:

• 3.50% wage increases for paraprofessional classifications in Grid 13-P, 14-P, 15-P, and 16-P.
• 3.79% wage increase for the Step 4 rate for the Speech Language Pathologist Supervisor (Grid 18-P-SLP) classification.
• Layered-over paraprofessional supervisors without an existing benchmark will be paid at a rate of one additional grid or a minimum of 8% above the highest job supervised.

 
Retroactive to April 2024:

• 4.41% wage increase for the Step 4 rate for the Occupational Therapist Supervisor (Grid 17-P-OT) and Physiotherapist Supervisor (Grid 17-P-PT) classifications.
• 4.12% wage increase for the Step 4 rate for the Speech Language Pathologist Supervisor (Grid 18-P-SLP) classification.
• New supervisor benchmarks created for Infant Development Consultant Supervisor (Grid 15-P-IDC) and Supportive Child Development Consultant Supervisor (Grid 15-P-SCDC) classifications, with Step 4 rates matching the top rate of the April 2024 HSPBA wage schedule.

 
While available funding was insufficient to align all CSSEA/CSSBA paraprofessional classifications up to the HSPBA target rates, the classifications that remain below their target rates are 13-P, 14-P and 15-P. We remain proud of the heath sector comparability adjustments achieved in the last round of bargaining and remain committed to fully closing the remaining heath sector wage comparability gaps. We look forward to continuing the fight for equitable wages with and for you.
 
In solidarity,
 
Ryan Stewart
Staff Representative, Negotiations Department
CSSBA Spokesperson

Download PDF of notice here