Impasse at the Bargaining Table for BCGEU

Impasse at the Bargaining Table for BCGEU

The BC General Employees Union (BCGEU)—representing more than 33,000 public-sector workers in the province—has declared an impasse in bargaining with BC’s Public Service Agency (PSA). The deadlock comes amid the government agency’s failure to bargain a cost of living adjustment (COLA) for BCGEU workers. The PSA’s offers to this point represent a significant pay cut for members in real terms, falling well below the current cost of inflation. “What [PSA] offered was less than half of COLA,” BCGEU president Stephanie Smith said.

The PSA’s proposals suggest a potentially troubling trend in BC public-sector bargaining for 2022. FSA President Colin Jones notes that “the [BC]GEU typically provides a model for how bargaining will go for other unionized public workers in the province. Hundreds of thousands, including FSA members, will bargain new collective agreements this year, with BCGEU among the unions setting a standard for those of us coming after.” BCGEU provincial bargaining has a direct impact on the FSA because of the pattern bargaining that the provincial government imposes upon public-sector unions in BC.

At the FSA, our work preparing for this year’s round of bargaining has been going on for months behind the scenes. We have completed bargaining research, established a Collective Agreement Committee, and appointed a Bargaining Team. We will continue keep you informed of developments as they arise.