🕊️ In-Person Grief Circle: Kwentuhan (Talking) Circle for Healing & Mourning 🕊️
 

In the wake of the April 26 tragedy at Lapu Lapu Day and with the 40th day of mourning approaching, BCGEU invites all affected to a grief circle-kwentuhan (Tagalog for "talking") circle-to grieve, reflect, and heal together in community. 

 
🗓️ Saturday, June 7, 2025 
🕚 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. PT 
📍 BCGEU Lower Mainland Area Office 
2920 Virtual Way #130, Vancouver, BC 
📝 RSVP: www.bcgeu.ca/lapu_lapu_day_grief_circle_in_person
 
🌿 Opening ceremony by 
Elder Jocelyn (Midnight Star) of the Driftpile Cree Nation 
 
‍⚕️ Healing support from
Two self-identifying Filipina/Filipinx licensed therapists 
 
 
This gathering is open to anyone impacted. Whether you come to speak, sit, cry, or simply be-you are welcome here. 

Please register as soon as possible.
 
🙏🏽 Maraming salamat. 

UWU/MoveUP

The Tragedy of April 26 at the Lapu Lapu Day event has had a profound impact on many members of the BCGEU Filipino community. To navigate the grief that ripped through the community from this devastating act of violence, the BCGEU will host a grief circle-or kwentuhan (Tagalog for 'talking') circle-to help those impacted process what happened.

In times like these, it is important to come together. This is an opportunity to talk, process, reflect, grieve, heal and support one another.

If you were directly impacted and affected by this tragedy, this space is for you.

Where: Online via Zoom 

Date: May 29, 2025

Time: 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

RSVP: https://www.bcgeu.ca/lapu_lapu_day_grief_circle 

About the event: 

Rachel Plamondon-Assu C̓aqqalaɫɫilaʔoǧʷ, an Indigenous consultant and practitioner, will be there to guide participants and open the space. BCGEU executive vice-presidents Tristen Wybou and Masoud Aminzavvar will share a few words of welcome. Five self-identifying Filipino, Filipina, Filipinx licensed therapists will provide a healing space in various breakout rooms.

Please register as soon as possible.

We look forward to seeing you there. 

Maraming salamat.

UWU/MoveUP

Last month's Lapu Lapu Day tragedy has had a profound impact on many members of the BCGEU Filipino community. To navigate the grief that ripped through the community from this devastating act of violence, the BCGEU will host two grief circles-or kwentuhan (Tagalog for 'talking') circles-to help those impacted process what happened.

In times like these, it is important to come together. There will be a virtual option on May 29 as well as an in-person option on June 7. This is an opportunity to talk, process, reflect, grieve, heal and support one another. 

If you were directly impacted and affected by this tragedy, this space is for you.

Virtual option 
Where: Online via Zoom 
Date: May 29, 2025 
Time: 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
RSVP: https://www.bcgeu.ca/lapu_lapu_day_grief_circle 

In-person option
Where: BCGEU Lower Mainland Area Office
Date: June 7, 2025 
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 
RSVP: https://www.bcgeu.ca/lapu_lapu_day_grief_circle_in_person

About the event: 
Rachel Plamondon-Assu C̓aqqalaɫɫilaʔoǧʷ, an Indigenous consultant and practitioner, will be there to guide participants and open the space. BCGEU executive vice-presidents Tristen Wybou and Masoud Aminzavvar will share a few words of welcome. Five self-identifying Filipino, Filipina, and Filipinx licensed therapists will provide a healing space in various breakout rooms.

Please register as soon as possible for the virtual or in-person options.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Maraming salamat.

UWU/MoveUP

MEDIA RELEASE

May 21, 2025

LifeLabs workers have new collective agreement 

BURNABY, B.C. (Coast Salish Territories) – After 14 months of negotiations and 10 weeks on strike, mediator Mark Brown has given his binding recommendations for a settlement with the employer that will make up LifeLabs workers' new collective agreement, now in effect until March 31, 2027.

“LifeLabs workers have improved their collective agreement following mediation that imposed binding recommendations on their employer,” said Paul Finch, BCGEU president. “We thank Mark Brown for his work in helping to reach a resolution, however Quest and LifeLabs’ inability to reach an agreement at the bargaining table clearly reflects their prioritization of profit over the well-being of workers and patients. This underscores the need to transition B.C.’s diagnostic services into the public system.”

Workers won wage increases ranging from 11.3 to 20 per cent over three years. This puts them at parity in the second year of the new contract with the current wages of their counterparts in the public sector. Critical changes to address workload and overtime issues were also won, while concessions LifeLabs wanted workers to take for sick pay were taken off the table.

“LifeLabs workers stood strong for 10 weeks with public support from across the province in this fight for a fair deal and sustainable services,” said Mandy De Fields, Medical Laboratory Technologist and Chair of the Bargaining Committee. “During mediation at the end of April, we decided that accepting the mediator’s proposal would get us the best possible deal from a very difficult employer.”

This dispute has brought LifeLabs’ new American ownership and concerns about B.C.’s public health dollars going towards U.S. corporate profits into the spotlight. Government’s own study of B.C.’s privatized diagnostic services, commissioned by the BC NDP in 1993, found the system to have high per capita costs for services and a lack of oversight around access and quality. [1] The report made 44 recommendations to strengthen the public delivery of diagnostic services in B.C.

“Thirty years after the Kilshaw Report called for reform, our province continues to fund for-profit diagnostic services – paying LifeLabs $300 million a year – while workers are forced onto picket lines to fight for fair wages and better patient care,” said Finch. “It’s time to revisit this report, and for government to commission a new study into B.C.’s health system to assess health care delivery from an economic perspective, as well as what’s in the best interest of patients and workers.”

The BCGEU represents about 1,200 workers at LifeLabs throughout the province. Following mediation in April, the parties agreed to accept binding recommendations and signed a return-to-work agreement on April 25, 2025. Workers returned to work on April 26, 2025, and the binding recommendations were delivered May 14, 2025. The renewal agreement is now in effect April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2027.

The BCGEU is one of the largest unions in British Columbia, with over 95,000 members in almost every community and economic sector.

For more information contact Bronwen Barnett, BCGEU Communications at [email protected] 

[1] Review of Diagnostic Services, 1993, Miles Kilshaw, et al. 

UWU/MoveUP

Tristen Wybou, BCGEU executive vice-president and chair of the 2SLGBTQIA+ Committee

For the last twenty years, May 17 has marked International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. When reviewing our community's history, it is difficult to hold the decades of resilience and resistance that have resulted in significant wins for love and pride alongside a global reality of ongoing struggle. Countries once seen as safe, such as our neighbours in the US, are now stacking up travel advisories. We are seeing the rise of anti-2SLGBTQI+ laws and sentiment both internationally ^{[1, 2, 3, 4]} as well as here in Canada. One thing is clear: pride is under attack.

Today and everyday, we stand alongside all workers whose right to liberty is equal, and we unite in our fight against a common enemy that seeks to divide us. The 2SLGBTQI+ community shares similar needs to all Canadians: safe, affordable housing; meaningful work at jobs where we're respected; and quality, universal healthcare.

At the same time, we disproportionately face the same barriers that other equity-seeking groups and Indigenous people face in trying to meet these needs, manifesting as disproportionate rates of homelessness, high rates of job precarity and low job quality, and systemic discrimination in the healthcare system.

Our community's love and solidarity remains powerful, and that's a cause for celebration. It is through our resilience as a collective that we have survived and thrived, a strength shared widely by unionists and one which we must not lose sight of now. Even in the face of escalating tensions, and of misinformation campaigns distracting us from the real troubles at hand, love is a verb that will lead us to action and unite us.

UWU/MoveUP

The BCGEU is pleased to support our 2025 scholarship recipients in their continuing education.

2025 BCGEU Scholarship Winners 

Scholarships of $2,500 for full-time students and $1,500 for part-time students were awarded to members and their families across the province with a total of $130,000 awarded in total.

Winners will be mailed a letter with instructions on how to claim their scholarship.

Members can also apply for scholarships from our National union, NUPGE. Find more details here.

UWU/MoveUP

The BCGEU extends its deepest condolences to the families and communities who lost loved ones during the mass casualty incident at Vancouver's Lapu Lapu Day festival on April 26, 2025. Our thoughts are with the Filipino-Canadian community in B.C. and all that are impacted by this devastating act of violence. 

In times like these, it is important to come together. We extend our deepest gratitude to the first responders, and to the many community members who showed solidarity by offering support, donating blood, and caring for one another in the aftermath. 

On the weekend Premier Eby spoke of the many Filipino people who make up our province's workforce, and especially their vital work as professionals in health care, long-term care, community health and childcare. Indeed, many members of the Filipino community are members of the BCGEU through these professions and are active in our union. 

As we move forward together, the BCGEU stands in support and solidarity with Filipino-Canadians and all those affected by this tragedy.

UWU/MoveUP

Remembering lives lost and recommitting to safer workplaces: A message on Day of Mourning 2025

Every year on April 28, the Day of Mourning is recognized by people across Canada and around the world to remember those who have been injured, become ill or tragically died in needless workplace incidents.

In 2024, 195 people in B.C. died due to work. The impact of these workers' deaths – of the commitment they made to the people of B.C. and the heartbreaking sacrifice they and their families and communities have endured – is significant and unforgettable. I invite you to observe a moment of silence for them, and for all workers who were injured, made sick or killed because of something that happened at work. Consider attending a ceremony in your community today or the 10:30 a.m. virtual ceremony streamed at https://dayofmourning.bc.ca/ 

All workers should return home healthy at the end of their shift. The Day of Mourning is an important opportunity to reiterate this. Workplace incidents are preventable and everyone in B.C. – including unions, workers, individuals, employers and WorkSafeBC – has a role to play in workplace health and safety. It is a shared responsibility.

As a worker, you can contribute to a safer and healthier workplace by: identifying unsafe practices, reporting workplace hazards and looking out for yourself and others when anything feels unsafe. Remember: You have the right to refuse or report unsafe work to your supervisor or manager and your Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) committee – this is written in law, outlined in the Workers Compensation Action Regulation Section 3.12.

Regardless of your role or position, you can help prevent injury, illness and death from occurring in your workplace. Together, we will continue our collective, uncompromising fight for better, stronger regulations and practices and, ultimately, safer workplaces for all.

In solidarity,
Paul Finch, BCGEU president

UWU/MoveUP

Dear Members, 

Today is Administrative Professionals Day - a special opportunity to recognize and celebrate the incredible contributions of administrative professionals across the BCGEU. 

You are the organizers, communicators, and problem-solvers who keep everything running smoothly. Whether you're managing schedules, coordinating teams, or being the first point of contact for the public, your work is critical to the success of every ministry and sector. Your attention to detail, your ability to handle competing priorities, and your commitment to public service make a direct and lasting impact on communities across B.C. 

Administrative professionals truly are the backbone of our public service. Though much of your work happens behind the scenes, its impact is felt across the province every single day. On behalf of the entire union, I want to express my deepest thanks for your dedication, skill, and unwavering commitment to serving the people of British Columbia. We are proud to stand with you today and every day. 

Your hard work makes a difference in the lives of countless people. On this day, we celebrate you and all that you do to keep the wheels of public service turning. 

Thank you for everything you do, both today and every day. 

In solidarity, 

Paul Finch 
BCGEU President