Three more 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 41 (Burnaby) and CUPE Local 379, representing 1,125 employees, negotiated to increase hours for education assistants and provide recruitment and retention supplementary pay to heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) technicians;
• SD 46 (Sunshine Coast) and CUPE Local 801, representing 225 employees, negotiated to modestly increase shiftwork premiums, as well as increase standby premiums for maintenance employees to support after-hours service delivery; and
• SD 48 (Sea to Sky) and CUPE Local 779, representing 222 employees, negotiated more professional learning days during the school year for education assistants and school clerical staff to attend training.

These 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:

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