Five K-12 support staff agreements have been ratified by the local union, the local school district and the BC Public School Employers’ Association board of directors under government’s Sustainable Services Negotiating Mandate.

The agreements focus on improving services for people and ensuring fair and affordable compensation, and include:

• three-year terms of July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2022;
• general wage increases of 2% per year;
• SD 6 (Rocky Mountain) and CUPE Local 440, representing 254 employees, negotiated to fund professional development activities for education assistants, youth care workers, intervenors and administrative assistants;
• SD 10 (Arrow Lakes) and CUPE Local 2450, representing 49 employees, and SD 19 (Revelstoke) and CUPE Local 523, representing 67 employees, each negotiated to establish a professional learning fund for all CUPE employees in the district;
• SD 36 (Surrey) and CUPE Local 728, representing 3,824 employees, negotiated funding to add incremental hours to part-time education assistants in elementary and secondary schools, with any residual funds earmarked for professional development; and
• SD 39 (Vancouver) and CUPE Local 15, representing 1,571 employees, negotiated to modestly increase premiums to employees who perform nursing duties or administration of medication to students, with any residual funds going to a joint committee for developing employee skills.

The ratifications complete the process begun by the September 2018 Provincial Framework Agreement, which paved the way for collective agreements to be negotiated between K-12 local support staff unions and the 60 public school district employers throughout B.C.

The Sustainable Services Negotiating Mandate supports the government’s commitment to improve the services people count on, make life more affordable and invest in sustainable economic growth. The mandate is consistent with B.C.’s commitment to balanced budgets and sound fiscal management. Currently, there are more than 226,000 public sector employees covered by tentative or ratified agreements reached under the mandate.

Learn More:

Learn more about public sector bargaining in B.C.: www.gov.bc.ca/psecbargaining