RICHMOND – Civilian staff of the Organized Crime Agency of B.C. (OCABC) voted to join CUPE. The approximately 170 specialized professionals who deliver operational and administrative support to the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia (CFSEU-BC) will form a new bargaining unit in CUPE Local 718.
“We are pleased to welcome employees of the Organized Crime Agency of B.C. to our union,” said Dal Benning, President of CUPE 718. “We are honoured to include our new members who provide core support to investigations into organized crime and help keep communities safer from gang violence.”
As a designated police agency in B.C., the OCABC is responsible for reducing and eliminating organized crime in the province. Integrated with 14 law enforcement agencies, including the municipal police departments and the RCMP, OCABC civilian employees provide key analytical resources to the province’s response to gang activity.
“Our new OCABC members do crucial work and deserve job security and better wages, benefits, and working conditions to help their efforts supporting important investigations,” said Benning. “We want our new members to succeed in their jobs and equipping them with a fair contract is the best way to do that.”
CUPE 718 will soon work with the new bargaining unit to negotiate their first collective agreement. Members will elect a bargaining committee and set priorities for what they would want to achieve in negotiations.
