What you need to know: HSPBA Strike Vote 2025

You can find results for the official strike vote here. 

Your HSPBA bargaining committee and the HSA Board of Directors have determined that an official strike vote was taken December 4 - 17, 2025. All members belonging to the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association were eligible to participate in the vote, which was held online.

The big issue right now for health science professionals is not simply wages; we have been offered the same 3% per year over 4 years as other unionized public sector workers in BC. However, the employer has to date refused to offer the full monetary package being provided to other unions. 

Specifically, while other public sector unions have been offered significant funding to tackle recruitment and retention, health science professionals have been offered much less — about $100 million less (when adjusted for our membership) in additional funding than other unions — even as workload and burnout are so severe that 1 in 3 health science professionals are thinking of quitting.

A strong YES vote will provide your bargaining committee with a strong mandate that demonstrates to the employer that we're not backing down on our contract priorities.

What does a strike vote mean?

Your union needs a strike vote to take any sort of job action, like an overtime ban, work to rule, or a rotating strike.

But right now, your bargaining committee is asking you for a strong strike vote because they need something to take back to the bargaining table in January 2026. A strong strike vote is a good way to show the employer that health science professionals are standing united behind their bargaining committee.

What are the issues?

The big issue right now for health science professionals is not simply wages; we have been offered the same 3% per year over 4 years as other unionized public sector workers in BC.

Rather, the issue is the many other ways that your contract financially affects you and your job, and helps with workload and retention. Health science professionals are being offered about $100 million less (when adjusted for our membership) in additional funding than other unions. This means insufficient money to help with things like:

  • premiums – for regular workers, for evening/night/weekend shifts, for workers in student supervision and preceptor roles, etc.
  • retention incentives such as an add pay system and improvements to paid time off to reward workers who stay in the public system
  • continued reimbursement for professional fees
  • correcting outstanding issues with the classifications system
  • professional development funding for 2026 and beyond
  • maintaining our extended health and welfare benefits

HOW Does the STRIKE VOTE WORK?

The strike vote was held online from 12 noon (Pacific time) on Thursday, December 4 to 12 noon (Pacific time) on Wednesday, December 17. All members were sent voting credentials via email on the day the voting begins. The email with your voting credentials came from Simply Voting, not HSA. Your voting credentials email will include your member ID and a link to access your ballot directly.

You will not be able to vote if you have not provided the union with a personal email address.

What COULD a strike look like?

A strike, also called job action, can take many forms. Often job action starts small and gradually expands to increase pressure on the employer. For example, it could start with a something as small as a ban on overtime, expand to “work to rule” – where you don’t do duties like portering, and eventually expand to specific departments or professions walking a picket line.

As health science professionals, we simply can’t all walk off the job. Even during a full strike, many HSA members will go to work to provide essential services that are needed to keep British Columbians safe and healthy. Members who work essential services shifts are expected to help out with picketing at least one day per week.

Members who are not working essential services shifts are expected to perform job action, which usually means picketing. Your union pays you for time spent performing job action, at a rate of $18 hourly (up to $675 weekly). There are no deductions taken off job action pay, so you receive the full amount.

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