Becoming a Member

To become a CSSEA member, an organization must meet a set of membership criteria and have been designated a member by Order in Council.

Members benefit from a specialized set of resources and services all provided under one roof: a personal HRLR Consultant, a collective bargaining negotiator and up-to-the-minute sectoral news. CSSEA provides members with a crucial link to developments in the social services sector and assists them in achieving their own organizational goals.

What are the membership criteria?

To become a member of CSSEA, your organization must:

• be unionized
• receive at least 50 percent of its total revenue from provincial ministries and/or authorities through ongoing, direct service contracts, including provincial fee-for-service contracts
• receive at least 50 percent of its provincial contract revenue from non-health ministries or authorities
• not be a stand alone alcohol and drug service provider
• have an interest in the community social services sector
• have its unionized component including related management/administration receive at least $250,000 from provincial ministries and/or authorities through ongoing, direct service contracts, including provincial fee-for-service contracts, excluding:
• revenue for parent/provincial government shared-cost daycare programs
• revenue from a federal/provincial funding transfer agreement where service contracts continue to be directly with the federal government. This revenue will be included when the service contracts are converted to the Province; and
• grants, bequests, interest or other revenues generated by the agency; or
• be eligible under Information Appendix D - Continuity of Service and Employment Memorandum.

What if we don't meet this criteria?

You may be eligible for associate organization status. Look under Becoming an Associate Organization for more information.

What are the membership fees?

There are currently no fees for membership in CSSEA.

Services to members

Human resources

CSSEA provides our members with advice and assistance in the areas of interpretation of employment standards, human rights and WorkSafeBC discipline and dismissal, attendance management, harassment in the workplace, performance management and recruitment and selection.

Labour relations

CSSEA is the sole and exclusive bargaining agent for our members and provides advice on certification, decertification and other proceedings at the Labour Relations Board, sectional collective bargaining, collective agreement interpretation and administration, and dispute resolution through the Labour Relations Board.

Research and Knowledge Management

CSSEA performs data collection from the community social services sector to generate reports on employee turnover, compensation, benefits, and other human resources metrics. They also perform job classification analysis and monetary proposal costing for bargaining teams.

Other services

CSSEA also offers advice on health and welfare issues, management and excluded, staff compensation and benefits in addition to specialized management training.

How do we join?

You can request a membership application form by contacting our office at 604.687.7220 or toll-free at 1.800.377.3340.

What happens after we've submitted the form?

CSSEA reviews the information provided and if your organization meets the criteria for membership, it is assigned to one of three membership divisions: aboriginal services, community living services, or general services that best meets its needs and reflects its community of interest.

You will then be sent an introductory letter with all of the information and resources you need to start off, including the name of the HRLR Consultant assigned to service your organization.