New inflation figures released today confirm that the maximum wage protections in your collective agreement will be triggered, and members will receive the full 6.75% wage increase starting April 1, 2023. 

This brings the total general wage increases for the first two years of the agreement to well over 10% for most members.
 
Your Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association is working with HEABC to make sure that you receive the 2023 wage increases as soon as possible. We will keep you updated when we have more information.
 
Your current collective agreement – ratified last year – also includes wage protections for the April 1, 2024 wage increases. We expect to have approximations of the April 1, 2024 increase around this time next year. You can find more information about the wage protections and other changes in your collective agreement on the ratification page.

In solidarity,

Your Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association

UWU/MoveUP

Members can expect to begin receiving pay raises towards the end of next month.
 
Timing and delivery of the new pay rates is entirely in the hands of the employer, but with agreement now achieved on the formulation of wage schedules, the employer is expected to begin making the necessary payroll changes. This is expected to take about six weeks, in line with the implementation seen in comparable contract negotiations.
 
Pay increases negotiated as part of the 2022-2025 Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association collective agreement, ratified by members December 21, 2022, will also deliver retroactive payments going back to the first pay period after April 1, 2022. Again, in line with the implementation seen in comparable contract negotiations, retroactive payments can be expected to take about a further 3 weeks after members see the new higher rates on their pay statements.
 
Members can expect to see general wage increases of on average 3.83 per cent in the first year of the new contract, ending March 31, 2023. In the second and third years, pay increases will be at least 5.5 per cent and 2 per cent, plus any Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) increases triggered should inflation remain high. Over the three year agreement, all members will see pay increase a minimum of about 12 per cent to 14 per cent, plus increases that may result from the comprehensive review of job classifications in 2023 and 2024.

In solidarity,
Your Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association

UWU/MoveUP

Members of the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) have voted 77 per cent in favour of accepting a new collective agreement effective April 21, 2022 to March 31, 2025.
 
Highlights of the contract include a general wage increase of about 12-14% over three years for all members, plus additional increases for most members based on a review of all classifications over this period. The general wage increase is retroactive to April 1, 2022.
 
Your bargaining committee went to the table with strong direction from members to address wages that have fallen behind their colleagues across the country, to seek meaningful recruitment and retention strategies to support health science professionals working under crushing workloads, and to gain respect for the critical contributions of health science professionals on the health care team. This contract delivers on all those priorities.
 
In addition to raising wages to competitive levels across the country, this collective agreement also establishes ongoing processes to address shortages and vacancies, and recognizes the critical role health science professionals play on the health care team, including asserting their right to a safe and healthy workplace.
 
For the first time in decades, the contract provides significant pay increases. In addition:

• Cost of Living Adjustments are built in to protect pay against longer-term increases in inflation.
• Improvements to premiums for on-call, short-notice, super shifts and weekend shifts will put more money in many members' pockets.
• A long-overdue update to the classification system provides more recognition of the complexity and scope of work, more opportunity for career advancement, and more respect.
• Specific provisions address the recruitment and retention crisis.
• Occupational health and safety changes address mental health under duress, unsafe workloads, infection control standards, access to personal protective equipment and prevention of violence in the workplace.
• Enhanced education leaves support professional development.
• A new focus on implementing recommendations to support the inclusion of Indigenous workers, patients and clients will work toward reconciliation and culturally-safe health care.
• Inclusion of communities that experience marginalization in the health care system is a major priority.

In addition to Indigenous-specific anti-racism measures agreed to in the collective agreement, HSPBA was successful in negotiating a ground-pilot project to explore alternatives to the Christian/colonial focus on statutory holidays to better reflect the diverse cultures and practices of health care workers. 
 
The general wage increases are retroactive to the first pay period after April 1, 2022, and the new premium rates are effective starting December 22, 2022.
 
In solidarity,
Your Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association

UWU/MoveUP

Voting on your new tentative agreement begins in one week. This is an important decision. To make sure you have all the information you need to make an informed vote, we encourage you to attend one of the following one-hour telephone town hall meetings to hear more about the agreement and to ask questions. Note we have added a fourth date below.

• Monday, December 5 at 5:30 p.m. 
• Monday, December 12 at 5:30 p.m. 
• Wednesday, December 14 at 5:30 p.m. 
• New: Thursday, December 15 at 12:30 p.m. PST

You will be called when the telephone town hall starts. To ensure you can participate, our union must have your current phone number and personal email address on file. You can review and update this information now on the BCGEU Member Portal – my.bcgeu.ca – or by contacting your area office. 

Voting information 
Voting on the tentative agreement is open to all members covered by the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association and will be held online. Voting will begin on December 6 at 9 a.m. PST and close December 20 at 5 p.m. PST. You will need a voting credential to cast your vote and these will be sent out by email. 

Details of the tentative agreement can also be viewed at the links below. The bargaining committee strongly recommends voting in favour of ratification of this tentative agreement. If you have any questions, please email: [email protected]. 

Link to Comprehensive Report booklet 
Link to FAQs 
Link to wage calculator 

In solidarity, 
Your Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association 

UWU/MoveUP

B.C.'s 22,000 specialized health professionals working in hospitals and communities around the province reached a tentative agreement on the evening of Wednesday, November 2, 2022, after more than eight months of negotiations between the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) and Health Employers Association of BC (HEABC).
 
The HSPBA bargaining committee went to the bargaining table with strong direction from members to address wages that have fallen behind their colleagues across the country, recruitment and retention strategies to support specialized health care professionals working under crushing workloads, and respect for the critical contributions of specialized health care professionals on the health care team.
 
The tentative agreement provides general wage increases on par with recently ratified public sector agreements under the government's wage mandate, which protects workers against the rising cost of living. Importantly, it also provides a new wage structure that makes B.C. wages for health science professionals competitive with their counterparts across the country.
 
Important features of the tentative agreement include:

• General wage increase that acknowledges the impact of the rising cost of living.
• Overhaul of an outdated job classification system to better recognize the complexity and scope of the work of HSP members on the specialized health care team.
• Provisions to address the recruitment and retention crisis.
• Addressing occupational health and safety issues ranging from workers' mental mental health, unsafe workloads, improved infection control standards, access to personal protective equipment and violence prevention.
• Acting on recommendations from the In Plain Sight report on the experience of Indigenous workers, patients, and clients in the health care system to work toward reconciliation and culturally safe health care.
• Plotting a roadmap for improved inclusion within the health care workforce for communities that experience marginalization.
• Scheduling and leave provisions to improve work-life balance.
• Improvements to continuing education and recognition of professional status.

Complete information about the tentative agreement will be provided to members across the province in the coming weeks, with dates for an online ratification vote to be determined.
 
In solidarity,

Your Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association

UWU/MoveUP

Your bargaining committee has been at work for over nine months to improve your wages, benefits, and working conditions. They've drafted, re-drafted, and finalized proposals that capture all the great ideas brought forward at our bargaining conference in October 2021. And they've pushed hard for the employer to address problems that have gone on for years. 

Now, your bargaining committee has recommended a tentative collective agreement to you that will increase your wages, expand your benefits, and improve working conditions for health science professionals across the province. 

Here's what comes next:

1. 1. Confirm your contact information
      
      It's important that your contact information is up to date so that we can send you the details of the proposed agreement and your link to vote online on the agreement.
      
      Click here to log in to the BCGEU Member Portal to review and update your contact information. If you don't have a Member Portal account yet, click here to request one, and then watch for an email with instructions on how to activate your account. 
      
      Ask your coworkers if they have received this email - if they have not received it, encourage them to visit the Member Portal at https://my.bcgeu.ca/signup to update their information and make sure they receive the collective agreement information and voting link by email.
      
      
   2. Information about the proposed agreement
      
      Detailed information about the proposed collective agreement changes will be sent out, along with invites to attend telephone town hall sessions to hear from members of your bargaining team and ask questions. 
      
      
   3. Vote on the proposed agreement 
      
      As long as we have your current email address, voting will be quick and easy through our online process. Voting dates and more information will be circulated as soon as possible.

 In solidarity,

Your Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association

UWU/MoveUP

B.C.'s 22,000 specialized health professionals working in hospitals and communities around the province reached a tentative agreement on the evening of Wednesday, November 2, 2022, after more than eight months of negotiations between the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) and Health Employers Association of BC (HEABC).
 
The HSPBA bargaining committee went to the bargaining table with strong direction from members to address wages that have fallen behind their colleagues across the country, recruitment and retention strategies to support specialized health care professionals working under crushing workloads, and respect for the critical contributions of specialized health care professionals on the health care team.
 
The tentative agreement provides general wage increases on par with recently ratified public sector agreements under the government's wage mandate, which protects workers against the rising cost of living. Importantly, it also provides a new wage structure that makes B.C. wages for health science professionals competitive with their counterparts across the country.
 
Important features of the tentative agreement include:

• General wage increase that acknowledges the impact of the rising cost of living.
• Overhaul of an outdated job classification system to better recognize the complexity and scope of the work of HSP members on the specialized health care team.
• Provisions to address the recruitment and retention crisis.
• Addressing occupational health and safety issues ranging from workers' mental mental health, unsafe workloads, improved infection control standards, access to personal protective equipment and violence prevention.
• Acting on recommendations from the In Plain Sight report on the experience of Indigenous workers, patients, and clients in the health care system to work toward reconciliation and culturally safe health care.
• Plotting a roadmap for improved inclusion within the health care workforce for communities that experience marginalization.
• Scheduling and leave provisions to improve work-life balance.
• Improvements to continuing education and recognition of professional status.

Complete information about the tentative agreement will be provided to members across the province in the coming weeks, with dates for an online ratification vote to be determined.
 
In solidarity,

Your Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association

UWU/MoveUP

Since negotiations resumed at the end of September, the HSPBA Bargaining Committee has been working to advance measures to address recruitment, retention, staffing shortages and workload issues, which drive so many of the serious issues affecting the public health care system, the people who depend on it, and the professionals who keep it running.

The employer remains resistant to covering the final distance to agreement on these matters. However, we are pleased to report progress on initiatives addressing truth and reconciliation, improving the working lives of Indigenous members, and promoting cultural safety for all specialized health professionals. The discussions are also addressing a range of physical and psychological safety and wellness concerns.

Your bargaining committee has also proposed improvements to union representation in your workplaces – by adding more paid stewards – as an important objective. 

Inflation protection for wages remains a central focus in your bargaining committee's efforts. Recently, union members covered by the Facilities Bargaining Agreement and the Main Public Service Agreement ratified their respective agreements. Both of those agreements included inflation protections in the general wage increase. While neither agreement achieved the level of protection the bargaining committees initially sought, each agreement offers a level of inflation protection not seen in decades. The general wage increases in these agreements give some sense of where discussions on wage increases currently sit at the HSPBA table.

As negotiations proceed through the critical phase of the next few weeks, it's more important than ever to ensure that we have your up-to-date contact information, including your personal email address and phone number. Click here to log in to the Member Portal to review and update your contact information. If you haven't signed up for Member Portal yet, click here to request your account, and then watch for an email with instructions on how to activate your account.

In solidarity,

Your Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association

UWU/MoveUP

As we enter the summer, the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) continues to co-ordinate with other unions and public sector bargaining associations to speak with a louder voice in support of our common goals.
 
Your HSPBA negotiation committee has tabled a wage proposal that seeks to deal with rising inflation. We have not yet had a substantive response on this. However, you may be aware that the Public Service Bargaining Committee, representing your fellow BCGEU members in the public service, have received – and rejected – a wage offer because it did not include inflation protection for wages.
 
BCGEU members in the public service recently voted 95 per cent in favour of going on strike, if necessary, to back contract demands. The public service bargaining committee is focusing its efforts over the next several weeks on negotiating essential services levels in anticipation of possible job action. B.C.'s essential services legislation requires that agreement be reached on essential services of staffing required to protect the public from immediate and serious danger, while balancing workers' right to strike. 
 
Unions in the health care sector have been working on establishing agreement on essential service staffing levels since January, ensuring that health science professionals are in a position to support job action in the event that bargaining breaks down at the health sciences table.
 
If your bargaining committee is not able to get to a tentative agreement that meets your needs, they may make a recommendation to conduct a strike vote to show the employer they have your full support in demanding a contract that values the work you do.
 
HSPBA negotiations, which are led by an elected bargaining committee and conducted by professional negotiators and subject experts on labour relations issues, are now on a scheduled pause. A working group will continue throughout the summer, negotiating items addressing issues of health and safety.
 
There are still significant health and safety issues to deal with, such as workload, fatigue, point of care risk assessments, access to PPE, violence prevention and support for the new Health Care Occupational Health and Safety Society (SWITCH BC). Focused discussions on health and safety issues led by a small sub-committee have made some encouraging progress to date. The joint employer/HSPBA group met separately on seven occasions since bargaining began in March, and has reached tentative agreement in key areas, including new language on the employers' responsibility to address threats of violence against workers or their families, requirements for employers to consult with joint occupational health and safety committees on risks associated with musculoskeletal injuries, new language on health and safety training for supervisors, and improved language covering potentially violent or aggressive behaviour from patients, residents or clients.
 
There are no plans for job action for members covered by the HSPBA collective agreement at this time. While progress at the negotiating table is slow, we remain focused on achieving movement when discussions resume after the summer pause.
 
In the event that you do encounter a picket line this summer, do not cross it, and contact your union for direction.
 
In solidarity,
 
Your Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association

UWU/MoveUP