Archived updates

Last updated: November 30, 2022

Further to our update on the status of collective bargaining on October 18, we are pleased to provide a short update on the status of collective bargaining at UVic and elsewhere in the province.

UVic update

• Collective bargaining with Component 3 of CUPE local 4163, representing Sessional Instructors and Music Performance Instructors, began on September 29 and concluded with a tentative agreement on November 28. The tentative agreement, which will be in effect May 1, 2022 to April 30, 2025, is subject to ratification by the union and its members, and by the university’s Board of Governors. More details will be available once the agreement is ratified by the bargaining unit and the Board of Governors.
• Collective bargaining with the Faculty Association is continuing with dates booked into December.
• Collective bargaining with the PEA was originally scheduled to begin on October 3 but due to unforeseen circumstances was delayed until October 31. Negotiations are now well underway, with dates booked into December.
• Collective bargaining with CUPE local 951 and CUPE local 917 got underway on October 13 and 14 respectively. Both parties have exchanged proposal packages and have scheduled further dates.

BC universities and colleges

Bargaining is underway at most BC universities and colleges. Four agreements have been renewed including one at UBC (with CUPE local 116, representing 2,400 support staff). Three tentative agreements covering approximately 6,900 employees have also been reached in the teaching university/college sector with CUPE and BCGEU representing support staff at a number of institutions and with the BCGEU representing vocational faculty.

Provincial update

As reported last month, milestone tentative agreements have been reached between the Facilities Bargaining Association and the Health Employers’ Association of BC, between the BCGEU and the Public Service Agency and between the CUPE K-12 Presidents Council, representing support staff working in school districts, and the BC Public School Employers’ Association.

Most recently, tentative agreements were reached between the BC Public Service and the PEA, between the BC Public School Employers’ Association and the union representing BC’s 49,000 teachers, and the between the Health Employers’ Association of BC and the union representing over 21,000 health sciences professionals.  

These and other tentative and ratified agreements cover 58%, or 230,000, of the 393,000 unionized employees across the BC public sector and have all been negotiated under the province’s 2022 Shared Recovery Mandate. As we noted in June, bargaining in the broader BC public sector—including at UVic—is governed by negotiation mandates established by the provincial government.

Key elements of the 2022 Shared Recovery Mandate and the agreements noted above include a three-year term, with provisions addressing general wage increases and the impacts of inflation. All tentative and ratified agreements to date provide a $0.25-per-hour (or equivalent) wage increase plus a 3.24% wage increase on top of that, retroactive to April 1, 2022 (for those agreements renewed as of that date). In year two, depending on the rate of inflation, employees represented by these unions will receive a wage increase of 5.5 to 6.75%. In year three, the inflation-dependent wage increase will be 2-3%.

Given the challenging labour market and the expected positive impact that the basic general wage increases and cost-of-living adjustments associated with the Shared Recovery Mandate will have on our employees’ salaries in these unusual inflationary times, our goal is to conclude agreements with our unions at the earliest opportunity.

Salary adjustments negotiated through collective bargaining will be processed as soon as possible after an agreement is reached and ratified. Until that occurs, please be assured that the current collective agreements remain in full effect.

We also believe it is important to keep everyone informed with accurate information as bargaining unfolds. Updates will continue to be posted to this website.

Last updated: October 18, 2022

Further to our update on the status of collective bargaining on September 23, here is a short update on the status of collective bargaining at UVic and elsewhere in the province.

UVic update

• Collective bargaining with the Faculty Association reconvened in September and is continuing, with dates booked throughout the fall.
• Collective bargaining with Component 3 of CUPE local 4163, representing sessional instructors and music performance instructors, began on September 29 and is continuing, with dates booked through the fall.
• Collective bargaining with CUPE local 951 and CUPE local 917 got underway on October 13 and 14 respectively. Both parties have exchanged proposal packages and are scheduled to meet again in the coming weeks to begin discussions in more detail.
• Collective bargaining with the PEA was originally scheduled to begin on October 3, but due to unforeseen circumstances has been delayed until October 31, with further dates booked on November 3 and 4.

BC universities and colleges

Bargaining is just getting underway at most BC universities and colleges. Two tentative agreements of note have recently been reached.

UBC has reached a tentative agreement with CUPE local 116, representing 2,400 support staff, and the Post-Secondary Employers’ Association (PSEA) has reached a tentative agreement at the Support Staff Multi-Employer Table with the BCGEU.

This tentative agreement covers approximately 3,800 BCGEU members at seven institutions, including BCIT and Kwantlen. 

Provincial update

As reported last month, milestone tentative agreements have been reached between the Facilities Bargaining Association and the Health Employers’ Association of BC, between the BCGEU and the Public Service Agency, and between the CUPE K-12 Presidents Council, representing support staff working in school districts and the BC Public School Employers’ Association.

Most recently, a tentative agreement was reached between CUPE 1767 and BC Assessment. The tentative agreements involving the BCGEU and the Facilities Bargaining Association were ratified this month.

These tentative and ratified agreements cover over one-third, or 137,000, of the 393,000 unionized employees across the BC public sector and are the first to be negotiated under the province’s 2022 Shared Recovery Mandate. As we noted in June, bargaining in the broader BC public sector—including at UVic—is governed by negotiation mandates established by the provincial government.

These agreements continue to establish benchmarks for a three-year contract, with provisions addressing general wage increases and the impacts of inflation. All tentative and ratified agreements to date provide a $0.25-per-hour wage increase plus a 3.24% wage increase on top of that, retroactive to April 1, 2022 (for those agreements renewed as of that date).

In year two, depending on the rate of inflation, employees represented by these unions will receive a wage increase of 5.5 to 6.75%. In year three, the inflation-dependent wage increase will be 2 to 3%. Unions may negotiate lower general wage increases in exchange for other monetary benefits and entitlements, or targeted wage increases that address disparaties.

Our goal is to conclude agreements with our unions at the earliest opportunity, given the challenging labour market and the expected positive impact that the basic general wage increases and cost-of-living adjustments associated with the Shared Recovery Mandate will have on our employees’ salaries in these unusual inflationary times.

Salary adjustments negotiated through collective bargaining will be processed as soon as possible after an agreement is reached and ratified. Until that occurs, please be assured that the current collective agreements remain in full effect.

We also believe it is important to keep everyone informed with accurate information as bargaining unfolds. To facilitate that, this bargaining website includes a section for each employee group. Updates will continue to be posted to this site.

Last updated: September 23, 2022

Further to our update on the status of collective bargaining on June 1, milestone tentative agreements have now been reached with three key unions in the BC broader public sector.

Tentative agreements have been reached between the Facilities Bargaining Association and the Health Employers' Association of BC, and between the BCGEU and the Public Service Agency. The third tentative agreement, announced on Sept. 15, is between the CUPE K-12 Presidents Council, representing support staff working in school districts, and the BC Public School Employers' Association. Ratification votes for these tentative agreements will occur over the next few weeks.

These three tentative agreements cover approximately one-third, or 130,000, of the 393,000 unionized employees across the BC public sector and are the first to be negotiated under the province's 2022 Shared Recovery Mandate. As we noted in June, bargaining in the broader BC public sector—including at UVic—is governed by negotiation mandates established by the provincial government.

These agreements set benchmarks for a three-year contract, with provisions addressing general wage increases and the impacts of inflation. All three agreements provide a $0.25-per-hour wage increase plus a 3.24% wage increase on top of that, retroactive to April 1, 2022 (for those agreements renewed as of that date). In year two, depending on the rate of inflation, workers in these unions will receive a wage increase of 5.5 to 6.75%. In year three, the inflation-dependent wage increase will be 2-3%.

Now that that these three agreements are in the ratification process towards establishing the BC government's Shared Recovery Mandate for public-sector negotiations, collective bargaining with the university's CUPE and PEA locals is expected to occur throughout the fall. Similarly, bargaining with the Faculty Association recently reconvened.

Given the challenging labour market and the expected positive impact that the basic general wage increases and cost-of-living adjustments associated with the Shared Recovery Mandate will have on our employees' salaries in these unusual inflationary times, our goal is to conclude agreements with our unions at the earliest opportunity.

Salary adjustments negotiated through collective bargaining will be processed as soon as possible after an agreement is reached and ratified. Until that occurs, please be assured that the current collective agreements remain in full effect.

We also believe it is important to keep everyone informed with accurate information as bargaining unfolds. To facilitate that, we created this bargaining information website. It contains a section for each employee group, where updates will continue to be posted.