Negotiations Update – Summary of Proposed Changes

September 3, 2019
Provincial News

Dear Members: 

I am pleased to confirm that we have successfully reached agreement on all outstanding matters related to the collective bargaining Agreement in Principle reached on July 19th. We have also concluded the preparation of a Summary of Changes document, which details 183 pages of Collective Agreement language changes into 26 pages. Both the summary and the actual bargaining agreed language are linked below and available for download now.

There remains one outstanding action which this agreement is predicated on. That is, the issuing of a time-limited exemption to Section 4 (Overtime & Hours of Work) of the Employment Standards Act, via an Order in Council (OIC) by the BC Provincial Government. We expect the draft OIC to be introduced to Government Cabinet on Wednesday, September 4th, and finalized shortly after. We will advise members as soon as this occurs.

We now move to the next stage of the bargaining process- ratification. We will be meeting with our Provincial Executive Board (PEB) on September 4th to review the proposed agreement. Immediately after, on September 5th, we’ll start the first of several information sessions for members. These information sessions will be your opportunity to speak to members of the Negotiations Team and ask any questions you may have about the proposed agreement. Please do your best to attend one or more.

We’ve also established an FAQ page, which we will populate with some frequently asked questions about the proposed agreement. This page is located in the members area, under information and collective agreements, or by the link below.

Please see these links and downloads to review these important documents:

At this time, we are planning for two separate online webinar information sessions. September 5th from 1100-1400hrs and September 9th from 1800-2100hrs. You can register for one or both of the webinars here: https://bit.ly/2jVF9Ss The webinars will be recorded and posted in our members area of the website for those who are unable to attend an information session.

Please stay tuned for further dates / times about in-person information sessions happening in select locations, starting Friday September 6th.

Following the conclusion of these information sessions, we will commence a ratification vote. This vote will occur via our secure online voting system at www.apbc.ca/vote. Please make sure you have current access to our members area now, so you can ensure you’ll be able to vote on this important decision. 

This proposed agreement represents over a year of preparation and hard work by your Negotiations Team. Everyone on this team has worked tirelessly while exploring every avenue to bring you the best possible agreement, which we believe moves us forward on many fronts. Although we recognize we were not able to achieve all of our goals, we have achieved many, while adding nearly $40 million in value to our Collective Agreement. I hope you to will agree that this agreement is positive for the future of our professions as Paramedics and Dispatchers.

The 873 Negotiating Committee and Team unanimously, and unambiguously recommends ratification of the 2019-2022 Tentative Agreement.

Sincerely, 

Cameron Eby
President / Lead Negotiator
Ambulance Paramedics of BC
CUPE Local 873