FAQs: 2025 - 2029 CSS Tentative Agreement

The Community Social Services sectoral agreement is negotiated by the Community Social Services Union Bargaining Association (CSSBA) with the Community Social Services Employers' Association (CSSEA).

The CSSBA is a multi-union association, with the BCGEU as lead. HSA is a constituent union in this association and has representation on the bargaining committee to ensure that HSA members’ interests are well represented in contract negotiations.

About 20,000 are covered by the CSS agreement, of which 1,000 are HSA members and the rest are members belonging to other unions including BCGEU, CUPE, HEU, LiUNA, CLAC, UFCW, USW 1-417 and BCNU.

Three agreements are negotiated under the CSSBA umbrella: Community Living Services, General Services, and Indigenous Services.

Community social services workers are the unsung heroes of every B.C. community. We support at-risk youth, families, elders, women and children escaping violence, and young people who are aging out of foster care. We also provide support services to Indigenous families, children and adults with developmental and physical disabilities, and people with mental health challenges.

Bargaining began in late May 2025 and continued over several months of negotiations. A tentative agreement was reached on April 23^rd, 2026.

The 4-year tentative agreement features significant gains in many of the priorities that members identified.  The new contract is for four years, from April 1^st, 2025, to March 31^st, 2029. Some of the highlights include:

• 3%/year general wage increase for four years
• Shift premiums, beginning 2028
• Renewed funding for the targeted wage adjustments that supportive housing workers won in 2024, so that it is fixed and ongoing for the life of the agreement*
• Health and Welfare benefits improvements
• Mileage rates increase to 65 cents
• Regular employee retention incentive of $1,100 per FTE as of January 2027, payable April 2027
• Support for gender affirming care
• Wage adjustments for Indigenous Services members

Because supportive housing workers are officially members of the community health bargaining association and already voted for the wages and working conditions that will kick in starting April 1, 2027, they will not receive a ballot. However, if the deal ratifies all of the wage increases and improvements secured will apply to these workers for the remainder of their time under the community social services agreement.

Our union is currently negotiating a transfer agreement for a fair and smooth transition into the community health agreement. It remains our position that your current base wage rates, inclusive of the 3% increases outlined above, should be matched with the same base wage rates in the community health agreement, so that you do not lose money. In terms of shift premiums, you should see a boost when you transfer into your new agreement in 2027.

All members will have the opportunity to vote on the new tentative agreement.  The voting period will open on May 14^th at 2:00 pm and will close on May 21^st at 2:00 pm. If you work in Community Social Services, watch your email for more information about how to vote.

Voting will be done online through Simply Voting, an independent and neutral third party. Individual responses will not be released; only aggregate results will be shared.