Employers Ordered to Pay Missing Wages by Dec. 31, 2023

About two weeks ago, BCGEU surveyed you and your coworkers about unpaid retroactive wages owed to members under the Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA), the majority of whom are BCGEU members. While CSSBA's policy grievance - filed back in June 2023 - successfully pressured most of your employers to pay up, some failed to implement wage increases, despite the need on the frontlines.
These were increases that you had negotiated into your collective agreement for 2022 and April 2023.

Thanks to your vigilance and reporting, we were able to narrow down that list of employers with overdue payments - members of the Community Social Services Employers' Association (CSSEA) - and advance our policy grievance against CSSEA to arbitration. 

Today, we have good news! On Oct. 24 the arbitrator ruled in your union's favour! This is a summary of his decision regarding your wage top-ups for 2022 and April 2023: 

• CSSEA member employers that have not paid wage increases and/or retroactive payments by Oct. 31, 2023, will, by Dec. 31, 2023: 
  - pay the wage increases and retroactive payments, and
  - pay interest, calculated in accordance with the Court Order Interest Act, in relation to wages earned (including retroactive payment owing) from September 11, 2023, to the date the monies are paid. 
  
  
• If an employer does not pay workers the wage increases owed by Oct. 31, 2023, they must disclose this information to CSSEA and update the association when they do pay up. They must also provide calculations and confirmation of payment of interest owed.

This decision not only enforces a deadline, but it also financially incentivizes those employers that still owe you money to pay sooner. CSSEA has notified your employers of the decision. Your employers could now use the decision to help pressure provincial funders to release any public funding they are waiting for.

These wage increases are six months overdue; you should not have been forced to wait this long. The frustration and stress that these delays caused is unnecessary and unfair. However, the ordeal has proven that speaking up works, and by using all the tools that your union membership provides, you got results! 

In solidarity, 

Andrea Duncan 
Vice-President, Component 3

UWU/MoveUP