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  2. FBA members - Understanding bargaining beginning soon - BC General Employees' Union (BCGEU)

FBA members - Understanding bargaining beginning soon - BC General Employees' Union (BCGEU)

Published on September 13, 2024

Our collective agreement with the Health Employers Association of BC (HEABC) - the contract that outlines our wages, working conditions and more - will expire in 2025. This means that it's time to start preparing to negotiate a new one. 

The negotiation (or bargaining) process has several stages which are outlined below. Every stage is driven by BCGEU members like you, bringing ideas forward to improve your working conditions, and B.C.'s health care system more widely. 

Members working in health facilities are represented by the Facilities Bargaining Association (FBA) – a bargaining committee of 23 voting members covering nine unions. The Hospital Employees Union (HEU) is the lead union with 13 voting members as they represent the most workers. The BCGEU has seven voting members on the committee to represent your interests and lead you through each stage of the bargaining process. 

We are currently in stage 1 - determining our bargaining priorities. Did you see the survey asking for your input on which issues to prioritize at the bargaining table this spring? Please don't miss your chance to weigh in, click here to take the bargaining survey before it closes on September 19, 2024. Click here to take the Facilities Bargaining Association (FBA) bargaining survey now. 

A snapshot of the bargaining process: 

You can also check out this infographic that illustrates the bargaining journey over time. 

P.S. It is important to note that tens of thousands of other BCGEU members who work in five other public sectors of British Columbia will also be negotiating new collective agreements in 2025. Because all six agreements are negotiated with essentially the same employer – the B.C. provincial government – our union is taking a coordinated strategic approach to ensure our employer knows we are aware of our collective power and are prepared to use it if needed. We will keep you informed of any coordination efforts as they are made. 

In solidarity, 

Mahen Ramdharry
BCGEU vice-president for Health Services (Component 4) 



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