November 29, 2022

An update from your community social services bargaining association

The nine-union Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA) has not been back to
the negotiations table since the last update that we shared with you in early November, but we
wanted to let you know what is happening with the negotiation of your new collective agreement
in the Indigenous Services, General Services, and Community Living sub-sectors.
As you know, we have been hard at work for many months, negotiating with the representatives
of the employers’ association, and bringing forward the priorities that you identified. These
priorities include fair and equitable wages to address rising costs, meaningful recognition of rights
for Indigenous workers and your ability to address your own health needs, including mental
health supports.

We have made progress at the table and have made many agreements on monetary and non-
monetary priorities. However, at this point, we remain significantly far apart from the employers

on a few key priorities in all three sub-sector community social services agreements.
We are working towards true reconciliation which means that all Indigenous workers are
respected, and their cultural needs are valued. Our work at the negotiations table is in line with a
shared commitment to reconciliation, and we believe that this should be reflected in
improvements to your collective agreement.
We will continue to fight for the best collective agreement that values you and the work that you
bring to your workplace and to your community. We are working towards an agreement that not
only puts more money in your pocket but enables you to take care of your health and have a safe
workplace.
We are also working to address a systemic issue with our community social services sector:
recruitment and retention. We are working hard to bring all of your priorities to the table and to
make your work more supported and attractive to new workers in the sector.
What comes next?
We had hoped to be able to schedule additional bargaining dates before the end of this calendar
year, but due to scheduling challenges, that is not possible. We are now looking at bargaining
dates in the New Year and we will keep you in the loop as we move forward.
In the meantime, it is critical that you keep your contact information up-to-date with your union
stewards along with your workplace contacts so we can keep you informed as we move forward.

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And please, share this bulletin with your co-workers to make sure that everyone in your
workplace has a signed union card.
We thank you for all of your support!
In solidarity,
Your Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA) Negotiating Committee:
Andrea Duncan, CSSBA Negotiating Committee Chair
Angela Reed, BCGEU
April Duffield, BCGEU
Brian Calderwood, BCGEU
Jessica Daigneault, BCGEU
Kari Bepple, BCGEU
Katelynn Banky, BCGEU
Linda Rowley, BCGEU
Melissa Linn, BCGEU
Pamela Pye, BCGEU
Patricia Phillips, BCGEU
Rene Francis, BCGEU
Tammy Lewis, BCGEU
Wynn Hartfelder, BCGEU
Sheryl Burns, CUPE
Gabrielle Cameron, CUPE
Bob Crozier, CUPE
Lee-Ann Lalli, CUPE
Valeria Mancilla, CUPE
Mike Varga, CUPE
David Heuspe, HEU
Cheryl McLachlan, HEU
Loise Peloquin, HEU
Colin Brehaut, HSA
Dawn Marie Goodmurphy, HSA
Shelley Moore, LiUNA! Local 1611
Michael Reed, CUPE Staff
Christina Lloyd-Jones, HEU Staff
James Coccola, BCGEU Executive Vice President
Selena Kongpreecha, Lead Negotiator

In the last year, thousands of letters have been sent to trustees across British Columbia asking school districts to provide in-house before- and after-school care using existing school facilities and staff. Trustees are willing to take this step, but need support from the B.C. government.

That’s why our campaign will now focus on the province, and seek significant funding for school-based, public childcare from the 2023 provincial budget.

Your help is needed today. Please go to our website and sign-up again to send a new letter to the B.C. government calling for public childcare funding.

We are asking the B.C. government to fund school districts to create new school-aged spaces, support the hiring of a childcare coordinator in every district, expand ongoing childcare pilot projects, and mandate school districts to deliver public childcare.

Tell the B.C. government it’s time to build a comprehensive public system of school-aged care using the B.C. school system.

Recent investments in childcare have focused on early years care for kids five and under. The next step is building the thousands of school-aged spaces that communities need, and with your help we can make this a reality for families across B.C.

Thank for your support of public childcare in B.C.!

Karen Ranalletta, President
CUPE BC
http://campaigns.cupe.bc.ca/

Collective bargaining resumed between the nine-union Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA) and the provincial Community Social Services Employers’ Association (CSSEA) this past week to negotiate a new contract for 17,000 unionized workers in the sector.

However, on Monday, talks were suspended after….

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Hi there,

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Nov 16, 2022 06:30 PM Vancouver

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMld-irqjsiH9PFkqDV0AfwJG4TojUl7Nec

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.November

CUPE National Women’s Conference | Mar 12-15, 2023 – Save the date for the CUPE National Women’s Conference next March, which will bring together members from across the country to advocate for women’s rights and gender equality in the union, in the workplace, and all areas of society.

 National Indigenous Veterans Day | Nov 8 – Next week is the National Indigenous Veterans Day. Video resources about Indigenous Veterans are compiled at the national veterans site. As well, view the attached resource list compiled by the District Indigenization Coordinator at BC School District 8, Kootenay Lake.

BCMSA | Joint OH&S Training | Nov 17 – Enrollment is open for members of Joint Occupational Health & Safety Committees to complete the one-day JOHSC Fundamentals virtual training course designed by WorkSafeBC and the BC Municipal Safety Association.       Date & Time: Nov 17, 2022 | 8:00am – 4:00pm (Pacific).     Fee: $150

BC Fed H&S | Incident Investigations | Nov 18 –  Participants in BC Federation Health & Safety Centre’s upcoming Incident Investigations course will examine the new legal requirements for incident investigations, examine the principles of incident causation, investigation results, and preparing reports.         Date & Time: Nov 18, 2022 | 8:30am – 4:30pm (Pacific)
Location: Comfort Inn & Suites at 8255 166 Street, Surrey, BC      Fee: $155

BC Fed | Gig Workers Deserve Better Campaign – The BC Federation of Labour is campaigning on behalf of basic employment rights for gig workers. The brochure attached here can be distributed to gig workers in your community who would like to unionize, including a website they can submit their stories.

OSA | Survey BC Seniors 2022 Volunteer Call –   The Office of the Seniors Advocate, an independent office of the provincial government, is surveying seniors in long-term care across the province for 2022. Volunteer surveyors can apply here or call 1-877-952-9181. Survey results from 2017 are also available.

CLiFF 2022 | Nov 2022 –  The 14^th annual Canadian Labour Internation Film Festival is here! The film catalogue is available for free streaming online on the scheduled dates, and in various live in-person locations, featuring unions from throughout Canada and the world.

Covenant House | Sleep Out Fundraiser | Nov 17 – $209,144.43 has already been raised by 21 teams and 46 participants in the Sleep Out fundraiser in aid of 24/7 care for young people seeking shelter. On November 17^th, a community of executives, professional leaders, companies and individuals will be giving up their bed for one night to ensure that vulnerable young people can sleep safely atCovenant House Vancouver, and those wishing to donate to the project can choose a team or participant to help.

United Way | Lunchtime Discussion Panel | Nov 22 –  Stronger Unions Make Stronger Communities is a free in-person lunchtime discussion panel hosted in Vancouver by United Way BC and United Way Southern Vancouver Island. Reserve a spot here.       Date & Time: Nov 22, 2022 | 12:00pm – 1:00pm (Pacific).        Location: Vancouver Convention Centre East (Room 1-3) at 1055 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC

CHSF-CAS | Coalition APM | Nov 23 –  Save the date for the Coalition for Healthy School Food virtual Annual Members Meeting to plan the Coalition’s activities. To choose a roundtable theme (National School Nutritious Meal Program proposal or Pre-Budget 2023 Submission) members can e-mail schoolfood@securecanada.org. Follow additional CHSF news & updates here.        Date & Time: Nov 23, 2022 | 12:00pm – 3:00pm (Eastern)

Lancaster House | Spotlight on Medical Information | Nov 25 – Lancaster House is offering practical guidance on handling medical information through an upcoming virtual workshop. Four experienced counsel and medical experts in the speaker line-up will be delving into the legal framework governing the collection, use and storage of employee personal health information.     Date & Time: Nov 25, 2022 | 10:00am – 5:00pm (Mountain).     Fee: $945

DEWC Holiday Wishlist | Dec 2022   –    Those wanting to contribute to the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre members in need this winter season can drop off items from the wishlist below at 302 Columbia St., Vancouver. For more information contact tyra.gilbert@dewc.ca from the Fundraising team.

Hi there,

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Oct 19, 2022 06:30 PM Vancouver

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0vceChqDotGt1b5ZWovMBB1wb6vjj3NKjP

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

October 4, 2022

Parties still far apart on wages, Indigenous worker support, other issues as talks put on pause

After returning to the negotiations table in mid-September, talks continued over wages and
compensation with a focus on making gains in the areas that members have mandated us to
achieve in this round of bargaining.

As it stands, the parties still do not agree on how to reach a tentative agreement that includes a
fair and equitable compensation package, meaningful recognition and reconciliation for
Indigenous workers, supporting psychologically safer and healthier workplaces, and promoting
equity, diversity and inclusion.

Community social services is the only public sector with a specific subsector collective agreement
for Indigenous Services. These workers support individuals, children and families in communities
across the province. We cannot reach a tentative agreement that does not fully recognize these
workers and bring them parity with their counterparts, specifically those who are directly
employed with the provincial government in non-Indigenous agencies.

Bargaining will now be paused due to scheduling conflicts. However, we will continue with small
group discussions in preparation for resuming negotiations in November.
We know that you have been waiting patiently for us to reach a tentative agreement. While we
did not anticipate spending this much time at the bargaining table, we are committed to working
towards an agreement we can proudly bring back to members to vote on.
In solidarity,

Your Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA) Negotiating Committee

Hi there,

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Sep 28, 2022 06:30 PM Vancouver

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIkfuyhrTsrHdwyYhQo7UxwsDdGPnl6fHLh

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

We hope you all we be able to make it.

Please post on the union bulletin boards at your worksite and let others know.