2025 Contract Bargaining Preparations are Underway: How to Get Involved

With collective agreements covering HSA members working under public sector contracts expiring in March 2025, work is underway to set priorities for bargaining for HSA members working under the Health Science Professional (HSPBA) Community Health (CBA), Community Social Services (CSSBA), and Nurses (NBA) collective agreements.

Your collective agreement is the most important tool you have to define and enforce your legal rights. Contract negotiations are critical to your working conditions and rights. All members are encouraged to participate in setting the direction for your next contract. Watch your union bulletin board and email for information about important meetings coming this fall.

How does bargaining work?  This 4-minute video takes you through HSA’s bargaining process.

Submitting Bargaining Proposals

Members may not submit bargaining proposals directly to the union.

Throughout the fall, HSA worksite chapters are holding local meetings for members to propose and vote on bargaining proposals to forward to the bargaining proposal conferences. Delegates from across the province will consider the proposals to take forward to the negotiating table and vote on setting the bargaining priorities for the HSA representatives on the four bargaining committees.

Check your union bulletin board and email, or contact a member of your HSA steward team, for information on the bargaining proposal meeting at your worksite.

• Deadline for submission of HSPBA bargaining proposals to the HSA office is October 11, 2024.
• Deadline for submission of CSSBA, CBA, and NBA bargaining proposals to the HSA office is October 4, 2024.

Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSBPA)

A majority of HSA members are covered by the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) collective agreement. Every member is encouraged to participate in local worksite-based meetings to suggest and vote on proposed contract changes. These meetings are organized by local steward teams. All contract proposals must be voted on by members at the worksite, and will be forwarded to the bargaining proposal conference November 5 – 8 in Burnaby for consideration by about 100 delegates elected from around the province who will set the priorities for bargaining.

Deadline for submission of bargaining proposals to the HSA office by HSA Stewards is October 11, 2024. An online form is available on the HSA Steward Portal. 

HSPBA Bargaining Proposal Conference delegate elections

Delegates to the November bargaining proposal conference will be elected from HSA’s 10 geographic regions at the union’s annual regional meetings. Members interested in serving on the bargaining committee are strongly encouraged to get elected to attend their local annual regional meeting, and stand for election as a delegate to the November bargaining proposal conference. The schedule of regional meetings is here.

Members do not have to attend their Regional Meeting to put their name forward for election as a delegate to the Bargaining Proposal Conference. All members, whether they attend their Regional Meeting or not, are invited to submit a written expression of interest not longer than 250 words to have their name put forward for election as a delegate from their HSA Region to the Bargaining Proposal Conference. To find out what region you work in, see here.
 
Nominations must be submitted in advance of the Regional Meeting. See the deadlines for submitting nominations here.

HSPBA Bargaining Proposal Conference November 5-8, 2024

At the November conference, delegates will elect seven members to sit on the union bargaining committee. The bargaining committee will include one member from each of the province’s health authority employers, one member representing affiliated worksites, and, if among those committee members, there is no representative representing community-based worksites, an additional member representing community-based members will be elected. In addition, two members of the Board of Directors will serve on the bargaining committee, one of whom will chair the committee.

Members do not have to be a delegate to the Bargaining Proposal Conference to put their name forward for election as a member of the Bargaining Committee. Details about how to put your name forward to be a member of the Bargaining Committee will be published in mid-October.

Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA), Community Bargaining Association (CBA), Nurses’ Bargaining Association (NBA)

The bargaining proposal conference for HSA members covered by the Community Social Services (CSSBA), Community Health (CBA), and Nurses’ (NBA) contracts is set for October 28-30 in Vancouver.

Deadline for submission of CSSBA, CBA, and NBA bargaining proposals to the HSA office is October 4, 2024.

Delegates to the Bargaining Proposal Conferences are appointed or elected from each worksite to attend. Chapters are encouraged to hold local worksite meetings to discuss bargaining proposals and elect a delegate or delegates to the conference. The Lead Steward is an automatic delegate but can assign another member if they are unable to attend or are covered by another collective agreement. If your chapter is entitled to send more than one delegate to the Bargaining Proposal Conference, additional delegates must be elected. To see how many delegates your chapter is entitled to send to the Bargaining Proposal Conference, see the document here.  

At the conference, delegates will elect one member representative to participate on the bargaining association negotiating committee with HSA’s staff negotiator. The union leading bargaining for CSSBA and CBA is the BCGEU. The union leading bargaining for NBA is the BC Nurses’ Union.

Members do not have to be a delegate to the Bargaining Proposal Conference to put their name forward for election as a member of the Bargaining Committee. Details about how to put your name forward to be a member of the Bargaining Committee will be published in mid-October.

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