March 20, 202
Community Bargaining Association (CBA) members have voted by more than 91% to
ratify a new collective agreement with the Health Employers Association of British
Columbia (HEABC).
This is a strong result and a major win for community health workers across B.C.
The four-year, inflation-fighting agreement delivers substantial gains in the areas
members identified as priorities, including annual wage increases of 3% per year and
low wage redress funding that will mean most members will earn about 13%
more by the end of the agreement than they do today.
The agreement is retroactive to April 1, 2025, and is in effect until March 31, 2029.
Now that members have ratified the agreement, the next step is ratification
by HEABC employers, which is expected to take place at the beginning of April. After
that, the constituent unions of the CBA will begin work to implementation.
Please note the employer controls the timing of retroactive pay, but our union
will advocate for it to be paid out as quickly as possible.
This agreement was won through solidarity. It was made possible by the strength
members showed throughout bargaining, by a powerful strike vote, and by the
determination of community health workers to stand together and fight for
improvements. Because members stayed united and engaged, this round of
bargaining delivered real progress on the priorities that mattered most.
In solidarity,
Your CUPE representatives to the CBA bargaining committee
COPE491