Dear members,

Please read on for general CUPE BC announcements and to learn more about upcoming events, learning resources, and community engagement opportunities. If this email was forwarded to you and you wish to be added to our mailing list, please send an email request to info@cupe.bc.ca.

VDLC | Spring Workshops | Feb-Jun 2026

New spring courses are available through Vancouver & District Labour Council Education, committed to offering high-quality and affordable instruction to members and affiliates. Course offerings include Collective Bargaining, History and TRC, WCB and more. See full brochure here.

BCFS | Tuition Hike Protest Rally | Jan 31

Next Saturday, the British Columbia Federation of Students is holding a rally to defend affordable, accessible public education at the central branch of the Vancouver Public Library. All are invited to participate and to share event details widely.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Date & Time: January 31, 2026 | 11:30am – 1:30pm (Pacific)
Location: VPL Courtyard at 350 West Georgia St, Vancouver

CoDev | International Solidarity Conference | Feb 28

CoDevelopment Canada warmly invites you to join us for the 7th International Solidarity Conference, a gathering of union leaders, IS and Education committees, and members, who believe that international solidarity can be a path for social transformation. See event poster here.                                                                                                                                                                                                       Date & Time: Saturday, February 28, 2026 | 9:00 am – 4:30 pm (registration opens at 8:30 am)

Location: BCGEU Lower Mainland Area Office at 2920 Virtual Way, Vancouver

Fee: $60/person (lunch and refreshments included)

Registration: Click here to register prior to the February 26 cutoff

Red Ribbon Skirt Project | Feb 14

The Red Ribbon Skirt Project aims to bring women together in healing and ceremony as they create and sew Red Ribbon Skirts to gift to the families of MMIWG2S victims, ongoing in the Vancouver area until Feb 14^th. Click here for more information.

 

BCOHRC | Systemic Discrimination Webinar | Jan 26

All are invited to join Systemic discrimination: What we can do, a free 90-minute educational session hosted by BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner. See comprehensive video learning module here, with PDF resources available to download.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Date & Time: Jan 26, 2026 | 6:30pm – 8:00pm (Pacific)

Registration: Click here for Zoom registration or contact engagement@bchumanrights.ca

BC Gov | 7-Day Access Central Support Lines

Expansions have been undertaken to provincial addictions support with all-week Access Central phone lines now active in Fraser Health, Interior Health and Island Health regions.

Fraser Health: 1-833-866-6478 from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Interior Health 1-866-777-1103 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Island Health: 1-888-885-8824 from 9 a.m. to 7:45 p.m.

Vancouver Coastal Health: 1-866-658-1221 from 9 a.m. to 7:45 p.m.

BCLHC | All About Ginger Goodwin

Legendary organizer Albert “Ginger” Goodwin, fatally shot by a constable during a strike for Trail smelter workers’ 8-hour day, and whose funeral precipitated the first general strike in Canada, has lived on in labour history and continued to inspire activists for more than a hundred years to date. Read more about Ginger here in the BC Labour Heritage Centre special collection, including family interview footage and labour heritage moment short documentary.

DMC | History of Solidarity in 1980s BC
The economic downturn of the current historical moment has several precedents, including conditions in our province in the 1980s. Read here about the Solidarity Protest, its causes and effects from the Community Stories multimedia collection of Digital Museums Canada.

Should you have any questions regarding this update, please email info@cupe.bc.ca for additional information.

In solidarity,

CUPE BC Executive Board / CUPE British Columbia

#410-6222 Willingdon Avenue

Burnaby, British Columbia

V5H 0G3

P: 604.291.9119

www.cupe.bc.ca

December 9, 2025

Bargaining update: Monetary proposals tabled, bargaining will continue in January Since our last update your bargaining committee has continued to work hard at the negotiations table. Over the past several weeks, we have turned our attention to monetary issues.

Your bargaining committee and the employers’ have now both tabled all monetary proposals. We cannot share the full details of the proposals while we are in active negotiations, but you can be assured your bargaining committee remains focused on the priorities of our members in community social services.

We are making progress towards a collective agreement that will better meet the needs of our members. But we want to acknowledge that there is still a lot of work to do. Your bargaining committee is prepared to put in that hard work to achieve gains for all members.

Negotiations are now paused for a year-end break, but bargaining dates are already confirmed for mid-January. In the meantime, the bargaining committee thanks you all for your support—standing together in solidarity is how real progress is made.

We wish you a safe and healthy holiday season! In solidarity,

Your CUPE representatives to the Community Social Services Bargaining Association

COPE491

November 27, 2025

Community health workers vote YES to standing united
for a better collective agreement
The results are in: 92.3% of members who cast a ballot in the CBA strike vote said YES
to authorize strike action if necessary, to achieve meaningful improvements to our
collective agreement.
This is more than a vote – it’s a powerful statement. Your strong mandate sends a clear
message to our employer: we are united, serious, and ready to secure the respect and
fairness we deserve. In the coming weeks, we will schedule new bargaining dates and
bring this strike mandate to the table to demand a fair agreement on par with other
HEABC health care workers.
This strike vote also marks several milestones: the largest turnout the CBA bargaining
unit has ever seen, the unification of supportive housing workers under a single
collective agreement, and the strongest voice we’ve had in the last 30 years of
bargaining.
Thank you to everyone who voted. With this historic strike mandate, our collective
voice has never been stronger, and we are committed to securing a fair agreement for
all community health workers.

In solidarity,
Your CUPE Representatives to the Community Bargaining Association (CBA)
Negotiating Committee

Hi there,

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Nov 19, 2025 06:30 PM Vancouver

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/0Nt6EaDsQraBz15pwvKuIg

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

Applications to the Community Social Services Labour Adjustment and Education Fund (LAEF) are presently
closed. The parties are attempting to address an unanticipated fund administration matter and hope this
pause on applications will be temporary. As you may know, the LAEF is jointly administered by the
Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA) and the Community Social Services Employers’
Association (CSSEA).
Here’s what this may mean for CUPE members:
If you applied to LAEF and received notice
your application was approved…

No change. Approval of your application still stands, and
reimbursement of eligible expenses will occur as usual.

If you applied to LAEF and did not receive
notification your application was approved
or rejected…

This depends on how far along your application was in
the process. All applicants should have received an email
from LAEF indicating either:
a) that your application is on hold and you will
receive an update when there is more to
communicate (for applications that were far along
in the process), or
b) that applications are closed and you will need to
resubmit an application when they reopen (for
applications that were at the start of the process).

If you intend to apply for LAEF… Please do not apply until applications are reopened.
We will send another bulletin and update the LAEF website when there is more to report.
Thank you for your patience and understanding and sorry for the inconvenience.

Bargaining update: Progress on non-monetary issues; monetary proposals tabled

Your Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA) committee continues to work hard

at the table to deliver renewed collective agreements that reflect your priorities.

After 29 days of bargaining with the Community Social Services Employers’ Association

(CSSEA), we’ve reached agreement on several key non-monetary improvements. These

include:

• Improved language on employer-led investigations and disciplinary meetings

• Stronger provisions around health and safety including where there are health and safety

related workload issues

• A requirement for the employer to consult employees before permanent transfers

• Stewards’ email addresses to be provided to new employees

• Changes to the expedited arbitration process

• A commitment to renegotiate local issues after the renewal of main agreements

We’ve also made progress on housekeeping and formatting changes and updated outdated

terms like “residential” to “residence” to better reflect the work and settings of our members.

Discussions are ongoing on several important items including union meetings at worksites,

technological change, harassment and bullying language, and leave provisions for casual

employees.

Monetary proposals

On October 3rd, we tabled our monetary proposals. This allows CSSEA to begin reviewing and

costing our proposals during a brief scheduled pause in negotiations. We will resume non-

monetary talks later this month and then shift our focus to monetary negotiations.

Indigenous Services (IS) bargaining update

The CSSBA and CSSEA Indigenous Services Bargaining Committees met on September 8 for their

first joint session. It was a positive and productive start. We finalized and signed the Indigenous

Services Gathering Protocols, reviewed joint committee work, and discussed shared priorities. The

next round of Indigenous Services bargaining is scheduled for October 22–24, where we’ll begin

substantive discussions.

Your continued support and engagement is critical to our collective success at the bargaining

table. We have 12 more bargaining days scheduled through the end of November. Please ensure

that your contact information is up-to-date with your local, and that you are continuing to monitor

your email for updates as we continue work at the bargaining table.

In solidarity,

Your CUPE representatives on the CSSBA Bargaining Committee

Sheryl Burns CUPE 1936

Lee-Ann Lalli CUPE 1936

Valeria Mancilla CUPE 1936

Bob Crozier CUPE 523

Laura House CUPE 3999

COPE491

Join us for the Monthly Membership Meeting

Wednesday October 15th, 2025 @ 6:30 pm

***Please note if you are a shop steward, unit chair then the executive meeting will start at 6pm and you would use the same zoom link. ***

Registration is required via Zoom (see link below)

To be eligible for the prizes –  you must register by October  14th and attend the full meeting

We will be providing updates, unit reports & committee reports, new business and prize draw.

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

Hi there,

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Oct 15, 2025 06:30 PM Vancouver

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/0Nt6EaDsQraBz15pwvKuIg

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

Join us for the Monthly Membership Meeting Wednesday September 17th, 2025 @ 6:30 pm ***Please note if you are a shop steward, unit chair then the executive meeting will start at 6pm and you would use the same zoom link. *** Registration is required via Zoom (see link below) To be eligible for the prizes –  you must register by September 16th and attend the full meeting We will be providing updates, unit reports & committee reports, new business and prize draw. Please post on the union bulletin boards at your worksite and let others know. Hi there, You are invited to a Zoom meeting. When: Sep 17, 2025 06:30 PM Vancouver Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/EH56LGocR-iKtJzTqaveTA After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

September 11, 2025

The Community Social Services Bargaining Association negotiation committee,
including your CUPE representatives, are back at the negotiations table this week. We
are continuing to make progress on non-monetary proposals with the Community
Social Services Employers’ Association (CSSEA).
Our goal remains the same as we get back to the table: to raise pressing workplace
concerns with the employers and win real solutions to problems that have plagued our
sector for too long. We remain firm that a quality community social services contract
must address the concerns that you raised to our committee.
And as you’ll have seen in the news, workers represented by the BC Government
Employees Union (the “BCGEU”) are currently on strike with the province at several
worksites. We stand firmly in support and solidarity with BCGEU and its members on
strike. We are watching this situation closely and encourage members to show their
support for their fight for a fair collective agreement.
Your continued support and engagement are critical to our collective success at the
bargaining table. Please remind your coworkers to sign up to get updates by email and
ensure that your contact information is current, so you can get regular updates during
bargaining.
In solidarity,
Your CUPE representatives on the CSSBA Bargaining Committee
Sheryl Burns CUPE 1936
Lee-Ann Lalli CUPE 1936
Valeria Mancilla CUPE 1936
Bob Crozier CUPE 523
Laura House CUPE 399

 

COPE491

 

LAST CALL: Young Workers Leadership Retreat

Loon Lake Lodge and Retreat Centre
Maple Ridge / September 8–10, 2025

It’s the final call for this popular event! If you’re a young worker interested in taking on a leadership position in the labour movement, this is your chance to develop the skills that will help you on your journey.

You’ll be one of just 50 young workers delving into your own styles of leadership and identifying areas for growth. You’ll complete trainings like:

• the acclaimed Be More Than A Bystander training
• Organizing 101 – Workers Unite!
• Organizing 102 – All Power to the People
• Listen Up! Public speaking, moving the motions, and crafting the chants
• Why Unions Should Care About Politics and How We Get Involved

Together, you’ll build a broad range of leadership skills, such as organizing and active allyship to build more equitable and inclusive workplaces. We’ll offer team- and trust-building activities throughout the retreat, as you develop a better understanding of where you are and where you’d like to see yourself to achieve your goals.

Interested in coming? Talk to your union today!

 

Don’t ship our jobs overseas

BC Ferries just handed half a billion dollars in public money to a state-owned shipyard in China while welders, riggers, apprentices and steelworkers here sit on the sidelines.

Let’s stand up for good jobs, stronger communities and a ferry system we can count on. Offshore builds may look cheaper on paper — until you count the hundreds and hundreds of millions in lost wages, tax revenue and economic opportunity.

Tell your MLA and MP: build our ferries here, not there.

 

 

Current Disputes

Notice Issued

UNITE HERE Local 40 vs Coast Hotels
Notice issued: Monday, June 30, 2025

Strikes and Lockouts

Please respect the unions’ picket lines in the following disputes, and do not patronize these businesses until the dispute is settled.

USW 1944 vs Rogers Communications (Abbotsford)
Issues: Wage parity, contract length
Commencement: June 19, 2025

IUOE 115 vs Diamond Truck Center (Harbour International)
Issues: Concessions
Commencement: March 20, 2025

IBB D-277 vs. Heidelberg Materials
Issues: Contracting out, health benefits
Commencement : January 13, 2025

Settled

CUPE vs Air Canada
A tentative agreement has been reached for members to vote on.

SEIU Local 2 vs Alberni Golf Club (Port Alberni)

BCGEU vs LifeLabs

BCGEU vs Western Pacific Marine
Note: Pickets ended April 11th, parties proceeding to mediation.