Pandemic Information
Mandatory Vaccine
The PEA continues to encourage members to follow BC Health Orders and to be fully vaccinated. If you have been impacted by the employers COVID-19 vaccination policy, please contact labour relations officer, Melissa Moroz. Your labour relations officer can provide assistance if you are seeking a human rights-based accommodation.
Health and Safety Responsibilities When Working From Home & In the Office
WorkSafeBC has provided guidance on employer and worker responsibilities for ensuring their workspace is healthy and safe. The employer is also required to provide an effective plan that includes general measures to reduce the risk of communicable disease and additional measures for when there is an elevated risk of communicable disease - please see the WorkSafeBC guide here.
Duty to Accommodate
If the risk of COVID-19 has a particular impact on certain members based on their membership in a protected group under the Human Rights Code (such as if a member is immunocompromised, is elderly, is pregnant or possibly if they are in a caregiving relationship with someone who is at high risk) a duty to accommodate may arise.
In this circumstance, a member should consider requesting an accommodation that limits their risk of acquiring the illness. Please connect with a Labour Relations Officer if you are in this situation.
Mental Health - Employee & Family Assistance Services
Employee and Family Assistance Services are offered through Morneau Shepell. Call toll-free 24 hours per day, seven days a week: 1 800 655 5004
Employee and Family Assistance Services (EFAS) includes a range of services provided by the Agency through a contract with Morneau Shepell.
Services include:
Short-term Counselling
Career Support Services
Family Support Services
Financial and Legal Services
Healthy Living Services
These are free, voluntary services available to everyone, including auxiliary employees, co-op students, and employees receiving Short Term Illness and Injury Plan or long term disability benefits. Family members who normally reside with an employee can also access these services.
What are my rights to refuse unsafe work?
We understand that most of you have shifted to working at home while some of you remain in the workplace. This information will apply to members who may be asked to work in an area that they believe to be unsafe.
Under health and safety legislation, employees have the right to refuse unsafe work. This is not specific to potential exposure to COVID-19. A member who makes a work refusal is expected to have reasonable cause to believe that the work at issue puts themself or someone else at risk.
Recommended PEA Member Procedure For Refusing Unsafe Work:
- Report the unsafe work condition to your supervisor
- Your supervisor must immediately investigate and ensure that any unsafe condition is remedied without delay
- Your supervisor must inform you if they consider the reported unsafe condition to be safe.
- If you still believe the work is unsafe and decline to carry out the work assigned please contact your PEA Labour Relations Officer to move this process forward.
Further information on this process can be found here:
COVID-19 information for BC Public Service Employees
Letter to the Deputy Minister to the Premier
Members can view the correspondence the PEA has had back and forth with Lori Wanamaker, Deputy Minister to the Premier regarding the GLP pandemic survey results, the return to office date and the mandatory vaccine policy HERE.
PEA Office Closure Extended
The PEA’s Victoria office will remain closed until further notice. Staff will continue to work from home and will remain available to our members via email and phone. You can find PEA staff contact information on our website at pea.org/contact-us.
In this section
The PEA was formed in 1974, by a group of professionals working in the public sector. The story goes that the founders of the union mortgaged their houses to fund negotiations of the union’s first collective agreement.
Now, the PEA is BC’s union for professionals. We represent a wide range of professionals including lawyers, foresters, engineers, agrologists, teachers, veterinarians, fundraisers, physiotherapists, pharmacists, psychologists program managers, librarians and more.
Our union is led by the PEA Executive. They represent members from across the chapters of the PEA and set the overall vision and direction for our union.
Resources for our members
Navigating a union can sometime be a challenging process. Under this section of the website you will find resources to help you navigate the PEA. In the members section you'll find expense claim reimbursements, information on the PEA's scholarship and bursary program and our grants and donations program.
Collective bargaining and job action resources explain the process of collective bargaining and what to do in the unlikely event of job action.
Local reps can also find resources to help them complete their job more effectively. This includes ways to welcome new members, how to take notes in investigation disciplinary meetings and more.
The heart of our union
The PEA is made up of nine chapters, or groups of members who either work for the same employer or are in the same field of work. Each chapter has an elected executive tasked with running the affairs of the chapter. Each chapter is entitled to representation at the PEA Executive, the governing body of the union.
Our members work for a range of employers: the Province of BC, the University of Victoria, St. Margaret's School, the Family Maintenance Enforcement Program, the Oil and Gas Commission, the Law Society of BC, Legal Services Society, the Okangan Regional Library and health authorities across BC.
Professionals need unions now more then ever
Since the 1970’s, when the PEA was formed, our mission has been to ensure our members can work in safe, productive environments and receive fair and reasonable wages and benefits for the valuable work they do. We help individuals and groups of professional workers to understand the challenges they face in their workplaces and some of the solutions available to them.
We work with potential members to become certified as a union and achieve the wages, benefits and respect they deserve.
