HSP Tentative Agreement Information
Publish date: Monday, November 21, 2022
HSP - Health Science Professionals
For almost 20 years, provincial governments in BC worked deliberately to drive down wages for specialized health professionals in BC.
In many cases, they succeeded, leaving health professionals earning some of the lowest wages relative to their colleagues across Canada. It was a misguided attempt to control healthcare costs; instead, it slowly undermined the healthcare system even before the pandemic created the current crisis of dire shortages and crushing workload.
- With the tentative agreement just secured on behalf of all health science professionals, this begins to turn around:
- For the first time in decades, this proposed agreement provides significant pay increases, delivering members an increase of approximately 12 to 14% more, at the minimum, over three years.
- Cost of Living Adjustments are built in to protect pay against longer-term increases in inflation.
- Improvements to premiums for on-call, short-notice, super shifts and weekend shifts will put more money in many members’ pockets.
- A long-overdue update to the classification system provides more recognition of the complexity and scope of work, more opportunity for career advancement, and more respect.
- Specific provisions address the recruitment and retention crisis.
- Occupational health and safety changes address mental health under duress, unsafe workloads, infection control standards, access to personal protective equipment and prevention of violence in the workplace.
- Enhanced education leaves support for professional development.
- A new focus on implementing recommendations to support the inclusion of Indigenous workers, patients and clients will work toward reconciliation and culturally-safe health care.
- Inclusion of communities that experience marginalization in the healthcare system is a major priority.
Please plan on attending one of the upcoming ratification meetings (details were emailed to all members) to review and ask questions about the tentative agreement. In the meantime, you can learn more about the details of the agreement through the links below:
Ratification Overview
Ratification FAQs
Ratification FAQs - Part 2
Wage Calculator
Ratification Vote: December 14-21, 2022
Voting on ratification of the tentative agreement will open Wednesday, December 14 at 8:00 a.m. PST and close on Wednesday, December 21 at midnight. Scrutineering will be held at 8:45 a.m. on December 22, and the results will be announced later that morning.
Members will receive an email from the PEA with their voting credentials to their preferred email address on Wednesday, December 14, at 8:00 a.m. PST. The email will contain a link to the voting site and their unique credential information (login and password).
If you do not receive the email from Simply Voting, please check your junk mail folder. If it isn't there please contact the PEA via email at voting@pea.org or by calling 1-800-779-7736 ext # 200. Adding pea@simplyvoting.com to your address book can facilitate the delivery of your voting credentials.
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.
