CEO Update - February 2013

Bargaining 2012

While the parties did not meet in January, CSSEA and the Union Bargaining Association (UBA) have agreed to return to the bargaining table and the unions have agreed to suspend all job action until further notice.

A preliminary meeting is scheduled for Friday, February 15, and bargaining will resume the following week.

Remember to check CSSEA’s website for updates or contact Kathie Best ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) if you have bargaining related questions.

Strike Activity

Following the Christmas holiday hiatus we have seen an increase in union strike activity with a rotating strike action impacting 30 agencies across the province, some of them for the second time. The HRLR Consultants have contacted every agency affected, most within the first 12 hours of receiving notice of impending job action to answer questions and provide LR support when necessary.

As a reminder please remember to contact your HRLR Consultant and/or Nicole MacIsaac ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) within 24 hours of the conclusion of job action to report the number of hours and the number of employees that were off work. This information will enable CSSEA to accurately cost the union portion of the benefits. Thank you to those agencies who have been prompt reporting job action figures.

Dispute Resolution Training

In January, CSSEA staff and union representatives attended a workshop on mediation and restorative justice hosted by the Semiahmoo House Society.  During the workshop we learned the principles and values of mediation and restorative justice and how they could possibly be applied in our sector to holistically resolve conflicts. Thank you to the Semiahmoo House Society, Paul Wheeler and Doug Tennant for hosting this very informative workshop.

Meetings

Although I did not plan on travelling as much during the month of January, I did spend some time meeting with Milieu Family Services, Connexus Family and Children Services, the John Howard Society of the Central and South Okanagan and the Trail Family and Individual Resource Centre Society to listen to their issues and aspirations for the sector.

At the end of January, Eric Peraro, Executive Director of Research and Knowledge Management, and I spoke at the BC CEO Network updating the group on the status of bargaining, presenting results from the annual turnover survey report and the new sector data project.  The report is available on our website at http://ow.ly/htPHC.  

Feel free to contact Eric ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) to discuss the findings and what it means for your agency.

If you would like me to visit your organization, please contact my assistant Karri McDonald ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) at 604.601.3148.

New Staff

I am very happy to announce that Thomas Marshall has joined CSSEA as our new Director of Communications. Thomas has a wide range of skills, experience and knowledge gained from working in the public, the non-profit and the private sectors. Most recently Thomas worked in the Office of the Premier of BC as a communications advisor where his primary focus was increasing awareness of government initiatives. Previous to working in government Thomas worked for Canuck Place Children’s Hospice as a core member of the team responsible for raising over $7 million annually to fund the hospice’s operations.

We are very lucky to have him join CSSEA and have his expertise to develop a plan to improve communications with members, government and the public. I know he is very eager to meet with you and discuss your thoughts and concerns regarding communication at CSSEA.

Contact him by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 604.601.3127.

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