On April 28, workers and their families are invited to pay tribute to those who have been injured or killed on the job, or stricken with occupational disease.

Every day in Canada, three workers are killed on the job and 685 workers suffer work-related injuries or occupational diseases. Last year in British Columbia, 181 workers died as a result of workplace accidents or diseases and more than 17,000 BC workers were injured.

Community social service workers have voted in favour of a two-year contract that provides a wage increase while protecting health and welfare benefits.

Community Living workers ratified the tentative agreement by 71 percent. General Services ratified by 84 percent. The weighted average ratification vote for both sectors was 76 percent. HSA represents almost 800 community social services workers covered by these two agreements.

More than 300 HSA union activists welcomed delegates from new certification: Whistler Health Centre. "Welcome to the family!"

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THE REPORT: APRIL 2013

BY REID JOHNSON
PRESIDENT, HSA

As The Report magazine went to press, our community social service members were just voting on their tentative agreement. But for most members, another hard round of bargaining has come to an end.

Community social service professionals represented by HSA are invited to participate in a joint multi-union bargaining association telephone town hall scheduled for next week.

Telephone town hall meeting details:

Vancouver Sun 

By: Darryl Walker, Barry O'Neill and Bonnie Pearson And Reid Johnson

Representatives of the Community Social Services Bargaining Association met earlier this week to plan for upcoming ratification votes, which will be held between mid-March and the third week of April.

A vote schedule, and a comprehensive report outlining the terms and conditions of the proposed collective agreement, will be made available to members later next week.

In addition to producing written documents detailing the contents of the tentative contract, CSSBA will be holding a one-hour telephone town hall on Thursday, March 21 at 7 p.m.

Times Colonist (Victoria) 

Workers who care for some of the province's most vulnerable citizens have reached a tentative two-year deal with the B.C. government.

The agreement calls for community social service workers to receive 1.5 per cent wage increases on April 1 and Jan. 1, 2014.

In response to one of the unions' key demands, entry-level workers will get an additional 1.5 per cent hike on April 1.

Union officials had complained that the starting wage in the sector had declined over the past decade to $15.54 an hour from $16.83 in 2002.

After a marathon bargaining session of 13 days, the multi-union Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA) has reached a tentative collective agreement with the employer.

The two-year proposed agreement includes an across the board wage increase while protecting health and welfare benefits.

Highlights include: