BURNABY—Representatives of CUPE’s Community Health Services and Support members are set to begin talks with the employer this week.
Delegates to a bargaining convention in October put wages and benefits at the top of the priority list. Members also directed their representatives to the bargaining table to seek improvements in compressed work week arrangements, job security, special leave, shift differential and to oppose concessions.
Delegates to the convention elected Pat Taylor, a certified dental assistant at the Robert and Lily Lee Centre and Jill Stromnes, an Administrative Supervisor, as their representatives to the bargaining table. CUPE National Representative Justin Schmid will be CUPE’s lead negotiator. Terry Howard, a research facilitator at Positive Living Society of B.C. was elected as the alternate representative.
500 CUPE members are covered by the Community Health collective agreement. CUPE is a member of the union bargaining association, also called the Community Bargaining Association. The BC Government and Service Employees’ Union represents the majority of workers in the community health sector. The collective agreement expires in March 2012.
