Over 40 delegates from communities across the province, representing the 33,000 BCGEU members who work for the BC Public Service, gathered in Burnaby last Friday to discuss priorities and strategies for bargaining our next collective agreement early next year.

BCGEU president and Public Service Bargaining committee chair Paul Finch welcomed delegates to the Public Service Bargaining Conference with opening remarks. 

"We're looking three rounds out in bargaining, and we're going to be coordinated. This is how we'll get all members to where they need to be in terms of wages and working conditions. This requires us all to understand past achievements and current challenges, and what our priorities will be this round," said Finch. "We are going to be bold, open, honest and forthright with members about our bargaining goals, and members want to be engaged in the process and ready to mobilize. This is how we are going to get the absolute best agreement that we possibly can."

Members have been incredibly engaged this round so far, through surveys, polls, small group discussions and nearly a record number of submitted proposals. It's clear that members know what they want and what they deserve. The Public Service Bargaining committee thanks each member who took the time to share their ideas and help the committee evaluate the top priorities for this round of bargaining. 

BCGEU research staff reviewed the high-level results from the bargaining survey that nearly 7,000 members completed. Members shared a variety of concerns, but their input underscored the same common theme: they want a fair and equitable collective agreement that reflects the importance of the work they do.

Well-known Vancouver pollster Mario Canseco presented delegates with a detailed summary and analysis of the recent poll of our union's public service members. Canseco walked through the benchmarks from polling from the last round of bargaining, including members' motivations and willingness to take job action. 

The Public Service Bargaining committee will continue to meet in the coming weeks to review proposals and ultimately finalize our bargaining package to bring to the table. We will keep members informed every step of the way.

See photos of the Public Service Bargaining Conference here.

In solidarity,

 
Paul Finch, President and Committee Chair
Maria Bennett, Treasurer
Dean Purdy, Component 1 Vice-President 
Kusam Doal, Component 5 Vice-President 
Judy Fox-McGuire, Component 6 Vice-President 
Mona Dykes, Component 6 Second Representative 
DJ Pohl, Component 12 Vice-President 
Faith Johnston, Component 12 1st Vice-President 
Robert Davis, Component 20 Vice-President
Douglas W. Dykens, Executive Director – Advocacy, Negotiations, Member
Benefits and Secretary to the PSBC
Sumiko Marshall, Support Staff

UWU/MoveUP

Today marks the end of the first week of public service bargaining. Please check out this important video message from BCGEU President and Chair of the Public Service Bargaining Committee Paul Finch.  In the video, Paul provides an update from the bargaining table, explains where we are in the bargaining process, and elaborates on some of the key issues for members this round, such as the removal of the job classification system and the development of a rapid grievance tribunal system. Component Bargaining Last Friday, negotiations for the five component bargaining tables with the provincial government (Public Service Agency) concluded, after a week of contract negotiations. Component agreements cover specific, mostly non-monetary, items that apply only to employees in a specific occupational group. These items primarily focus on working conditions, including the structure and hours of work. The main public service agreement – for which negotiations kicked off on Wednesday – outlines the wages, terms and conditions of employment of all members covered under the main agreement. Component agreements can cover issues that have some monetary implications, however – in a change from previous rounds of bargaining – at no component table would the PSA agree to discuss any items that were remotely monetary, insisting on referring them to the main table. The negotiations were respectful but not highly productive: we went to the table very prepared but were disappointed the employer was not willing to engage on most proposals, including those that were not explicitly monetary. We will make sure that important component issues are followed through upon at the main agreement table in the coming weeks. Below is a summary of significant negotiated changes at your component bargaining table.   Component 20 The Component 20 bargaining team was well prepared for bargaining and brought 27 proposals to the table on issues/items such as: o   boot and clothing allowances, o   locker and changing facilities, o   professional development, o   hours of work and averaging schedules, o   special certificate allowances, o   standby language, o   paid rest time earned during field deployments, o   measures that improve equity for auxiliaries with respect to particular provisions/allowances, and that improve the universality of the agreement generally by eliminating exceptions in places for certain employees (e.g., BCWS)     We also introduced a larger and more integrated package for wildfire employees (e.g., targeting base compensation for operational positions, pensionable service on OT, and auxiliary conversion) that we intend to pursue via main table negotiations.    The employer ruled out most of our proposals on the grounds of their potential monetary implications, even where these were indirect. After much back and forth, we did finally receive a counter on our proposal(s) regarding hours of work and averaging schedules, but the employer was unwilling to agree to any of the important and truly substantive adjustments our members are seeking on this language.

Component 20 bargaining committee  In solidarity,      Your Public Service Bargaining Committee      Paul Finch, President and Committee Chair    Maria Bennett, Treasurer    Dean Purdy, Component 1 Vice-President   Kusam Doal, Component 5 Vice-President   Judy Fox-McGuire, Component 6 Vice-President   Mona Dykes, Component 6 Second Representative   DJ Pohl, Component 12 Vice-President   Faith Johnston, Component 12 1st Vice-President   Robert Davis, Component 20 Vice-President  Douglas W. Dykens, Executive Director – Advocacy, Negotiations, Member  Benefits and secretary to the PSBC  Larisa Mills, Staff Representative  Sumiko Marshall, Support Staff

UWU/MoveUP

Today marks the end of the first week of public service bargaining. Please check out this important video message from BCGEU President and Chair of the Public Service Bargaining Committee Paul Finch.  In the video, Paul provides an update from the bargaining table, explains where we are in the bargaining process, and elaborates on some of the key issues for members this round, such as the removal of the job classification system and the development of a rapid grievance tribunal system. Component Bargaining Last Friday, negotiations for the five component bargaining tables with the provincial government (Public Service Agency) concluded, after a week of contract negotiations. Component agreements cover specific, mostly non-monetary, items that apply only to employees in a specific occupational group. These items primarily focus on working conditions, including the structure and hours of work. The main public service agreement – for which negotiations kicked off on Wednesday – outlines the wages, terms and conditions of employment of all members covered under the main agreement. Component agreements can cover issues that have some monetary implications, however – in a change from previous rounds of bargaining – at no component table would the PSA agree to discuss any items that were remotely monetary, insisting on referring them to the main table. The negotiations were respectful but not highly productive: we went to the table very prepared but were disappointed the employer was not willing to engage on most proposals, including those that were not explicitly monetary. We will make sure that important component issues are followed through upon at the main agreement table in the coming weeks. Below is a summary of significant negotiated changes at your component bargaining table.   Component 12  Engagement from administrative professionals ahead of this round of bargaining saw a record number of proposals submitted from component 12 members. Your proposals and input gave us a mandate to make it clear to the employer that administrative professionals will no longer be left behind and deserve to be treated equally, with the respect we deserve. Instead of taking the opportunity to demonstrate they value the work of us as administrative professionals, the employer was not willing to engage in meaningful discussion or solutions based on the priority issues that you identified. Of the dozens of proposals we brought, the employer agreed to zero substantive proposals on our key non-monetary issues. We offered many possible solutions to address workload, equal access to telework, modified work weeks and flexible work arrangements. We had also hoped to have meaningful discussion on support and access to training and career development opportunities as well as health and safety concerns. We expressed our disappointment and even offered to utilize the space and time to discuss outstanding issues within the ministries, like hours of work agreements and implementation of modified work weeks, but the employer did not wish to address them. As a result, 23 of our proposals have now been referred to the main table. Despite the lack of meaningful progress during component bargaining, your component bargaining committee remains committed to ensuring the differential and disproportionate treatment administrative professionals are facing get addressed.

Component 12 bargaining committee  In solidarity,      Your Public Service Bargaining Committee      Paul Finch, President and Committee Chair    Maria Bennett, Treasurer    Dean Purdy, Component 1 Vice-President   Kusam Doal, Component 5 Vice-President   Judy Fox-McGuire, Component 6 Vice-President   Mona Dykes, Component 6 Second Representative   DJ Pohl, Component 12 Vice-President   Faith Johnston, Component 12 1st Vice-President   Robert Davis, Component 20 Vice-President  Douglas W. Dykens, Executive Director – Advocacy, Negotiations, Member  Benefits and secretary to the PSBC  Larisa Mills, Staff Representative  Sumiko Marshall, Support Staff

UWU/MoveUP

Today marks the end of the first week of public service bargaining.

Please check out this important video message from BCGEU President and Chair of the Public Service Bargaining Committee Paul Finch. 

In the video, Paul provides an update from the bargaining table, explains where we are in the bargaining process, and elaborates on some of the key issues for members this round, such as the removal of the job classification system and the development of a rapid grievance tribunal system.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 21, 2025

Negotiations to begin for collective agreements covering over 34,000 BCGEU members working in the public service

Burnaby, B.C. (Coast Salish Territories) - The BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) and the B.C. government’s Public Service Agency (PSA) will meet for the first time to exchange bargaining proposals on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, in Victoria. This round of bargaining is aimed at reaching a new collective agreement for more than 34,000 B.C. public service workers employed in every community across the province. The current collective agreement is set to expire March 31, 2025.

Through record participation in preparation, BCGEU public service members have given a clear mandate to their bargaining committee: negotiate a strong collective agreement that addresses the affordability crisis facing our members.

“BCGEU members in the public service are a key economic driver for our province and ensure the safety and security of all British Columbians. The current affordability crisis has exacerbated a decade of agreements that have fallen behind inflation, and we are committed to achieving an agreement that meets the needs of our members,” said Paul Finch, President of BCGEU and Chair of the Public Service Bargaining Committee. “Over the past fourteen years, government has contracted out key areas of service delivery and prioritized the growth of non-union management over front-line unionized workers, at almost double the percentage rate of growth. We need to change course and ensure public services are reliable and effective.”

Starting at the end of the summer, BCGEU members have been engaging in the bargaining process in record numbers. Tens of thousands have filled out bargaining surveys, and hundreds of bargaining proposals have been submitted at meetings across the province.

“Given the current economic situation, we anticipate it will take a difficult round of bargaining to reach that goal, but we are confident in our ability to reach an agreement that addresses the needs of our members.” said Finch.

From wildland firefighters forced to work unsustainable overtime just to support their families to courts regularly shut down because they can't fulfill staffing needs, there is an ongoing recruitment and retention crisis in the public service.

BCGEU members have put forth many ways to address that crisis, including wages that keep up with the rising cost of living and modernizing internal processes that hold workers back in their careers. Changes like those would respect the importance of their work and addresses critical ongoing issues that affect service delivery.

The main public service agreement is the first of the BCGEU’s sectoral agreements to begin negotiations and is one of six separate collective agreements that cover a total of approximately 71,000 of the union’s members.

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Paul Finch, president of the BCGEU and chair of the union’s public service bargaining committee, will be available for media interviews via phone or Zoom. In person interviews can be arranged in Victoria.

Visit our 2025 Public Service bargaining backgrounder for details on the overall process.

Contact:
Holly Reid, Communications
(604) 291-9611
[email protected]

Next week, your Public Service Bargaining Committee will begin negotiations with our employer – B.C.’s Public Service Agency (PSA) – for the 20th public service main and component collective agreements. The current collective agreements expire on March 31, 2025.

Under the Public Service Labour Relations Act, public service bargaining includes five component agreements which cover occupational specific issues that apply only to employees in a specific occupational group in the bargaining unit, as well as the main public service agreement which outlines the wages, terms and conditions of employment of all members covered under the main agreement.

You can learn more detailed information about the bargaining process here.

The agreed to bargaining schedule is:
 

Our committee has been hard at work since last fall preparing our union’s proposal package to bring to the bargaining table. The proposals have been developed based on a record number of submitted proposals from BCGEU public service locals, the membership bargaining survey, and a detailed membership poll conducted by one of B.C.’s most prominent pollsters, ResearchCo. Thanks to the many thousands of you that took the time to share your issues and ideas. The groundwork that has been laid so far puts us in a strong position to achieve meaningful gains for all of us.

We are determined to reach an agreement that respects the work of BCGEU members in the public service and that members are proud to ratify. Given the current economic situation, we expect it will take a difficult and prolonged round of bargaining to reach that goal.

The most powerful tool that we have as a bargaining committee is an organized membership ready to take action in support of our work at the bargaining table. Our union is recruiting worksite bargaining contacts to ensure members are up-to-date and there’s two-way communication. If you’re interested in stepping up at your worksite, click here to learn more.

In solidarity,

Your BCGEU Public Service Bargaining Committee


Paul Finch, President and Committee Chair  
Maria Bennett, Treasurer  
Dean Purdy, Component 1 Vice-President 
Kusam Doal, Component 5 Vice-President 
Judy Fox-McGuire, Component 6 Vice-President 
Mona Dykes, Component 6 Second Representative 
DJ Pohl, Component 12 Vice-President 
Faith Johnston, Component 12 1st Vice-President 
Robert Davis, Component 20 Vice-President
Douglas W. Dykens, Executive Director – Advocacy, Negotiations, Member
Benefits and Secretary to the PSBC
Sumiko Marshall, Support Staff

UWU/MoveUP

Dear BCGEU,

I'm reaching out regarding the announcement of a temporary hiring freeze for external positions in the BC Public Service. 

Following the announcement, we have been engaging with the PSA to better understand the implications for BCGEU members. Key questions include whether existing vacancies will be filled, how auxiliaries might be affected, and if there are any changes to contracting out. We are also raising these concerns publicly, including through recent media coverage in the Globe and Mail.

This hiring freeze does not change our direction as we approach bargaining in January. We are focused on ensuring that any workforce planning decisions are based on accurate data and reflect the needs of the public service and the communities it serves.

We have heard lots of spin over the past few months and it's important to set the record straight on a few things: 

• Staffing levels in B.C.: B.C.'s ratio of public service employees to residents has only recently caught up to the national average at 1 public service employee per 141 residents, after trailing behind for years. As many of you know, the public service remains chronically understaffed in many areas. 
• Growth of excluded management: Since 2010, the number of excluded management positions has grown by 51.9%, outpacing the growth of the BCGEU bargaining unit which only grew by 23.7%.

These insights and other research that our union has embarked on will guide our advocacy to ensure workforce planning decisions are made with a full understanding of the BC Public Service's relative efficiency and effectiveness. 

Our union is committed to defending the interests of our members on all fronts, every step of the way.

In solidarity, 

Paul Finch 
Bargaining Committee Chair
BCGEU President

UWU/MoveUP