Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancements - Directions to Community Social Services Employers

Background

As part of the Provincial Government’s Early Care and Learning Recruitment and Retention Strategy, front-line Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) working in eligible licensed child care facilities receiving Child Care Operating Funding (CCOF) will be eligible to receive a $2 per hour increase to their ECE Wage Enhancement (ECE WE), bringing the total wage enhancement to up to $4 per hour. This increase follows the $1 per hour increase that was available as of September 1, 2018, and the additional $1 per hour increase that was effective April 1, 2020. Additional funding for Statutory Benefits^[1] has been, and will continue to be provided. The $2 per hour increase to the ECE WE will be effective in March 2022, with payments retroactive to hours worked from September 1, 2021.

Front-line ECEs (as defined in the Funding Guidelines, including those who are also owner/operators of a licensed child care facility, are eligible for the wage enhancement if they are directly employed by a licensed child care facility that:

• Receives Child Care Operating Funding (CCOF) and has opted in to the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (CCFRI) if eligible to do so;
• Receives Child Care Operating Funding (CCOF) but is not eligible for CCFRI funding (i.e., preschools, school age facilities that do not have continuous kindergarten enrolments, and facilities that do not charge parent fees); or
• Has been approved as a Universal Child Care Prototype Site.…

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2021 Annual Report Now Available

CSSEA’s 2021 Annual Report, containing excerpted highlights from our approved audited financial statements, is now available online.

If you have any questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , Director of Communications.…

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Government Seeks Further Feedback on Permanent Paid Sick Leave

Further to government’s initial request for employers to complete a survey on permanent paid sick leave, which is set to launch in BC in January 2022, the province has now moved onto the second phase of its public consultation process. This phase involves an online “Options Paper,” which consists of paid sick leave options that were informed by employer and employee survey responses. Employers are invited to review and provide feedback on possible options for the new permanent sick and can do so until 4:00 pm on October 25. A link to the Options Paper can be found here.

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Final Days to Register for AGM and Conference with Discounted Early Bird Rate

There are just three days remaining to take advantage of the early bird rate for CSSEA’s 2021 AGM and Conference, Resilience Builds Strength, which will take place virtually from October 19-21. The conference early bird rate of $79 is set to expire on September 24, after which date the regular registration fee will be $99. This year’s conference will cover a range of important topics, including a survey of this year’s top HRLR issues, social services mergers, building Indigenous relationships, and more. You can view the full Schedule of Events here and register for the event here.

Special Note about CSSEA’s 2021 AGM

We encourage all voting members to attend CSSEA’s Annual General Meeting, taking place October 19 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. Registration is required for voting purposes but the AGM alone is free. Please note that if you register for the AGM General Session on October 19, you will also automatically be registered for your respective Divisional Session, taking place prior to the General Session. Participation links to all meetings will be e-mailed to participants one day prior and dates for Divisional Sessions are as follows:

Indigenous Services – October 5, 1:00 to 2:00 pm
General Services – October 12, 10:00am to 12:00 pm
Community Living Services – October 12, 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm…

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PHO Responds to Questions From Social Services on Mandatory Vaccines

The Office of the Provincial Health Officer has responded to questions posed at a recent social services roundtable meeting on mandatory vaccinations for those working in the sector. At this time, the PHO will not be mandating vaccinations for social services.

The communique also provides information on the government’s recently-implemented vaccine card, which will now be required to enter some events, services and businesses. You can access the full communication here.

If you have any questions, please contact your HRLR Consultant/Advocate.

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Announcing 2021 Community Social Services Awards of Excellence Recipients

CSSEA is excited to announce this year’s Community Social Services Awards of Excellence recipients, after a one year pause. The awards, now in their sixth year, honour the work of individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the social services sector. On behalf of a member panel who reviewed and shortlisted all nominations, as well as an external judging panel who evaluated and ultimately narrowed shortlisted nominations to a single winner in each category, we congratulate the following recipients:

Rising Star: Alexandra Bissley

Quality Assurance and Communications Manager, Inclusion Powell River Society, Community Living Services

Occasionally, someone comes to an organization and makes such a lasting impression that an employer will bend over backwards to retain them. Such was the case with Alexandra, who was initially hired at Inclusion Powell River Society on a temporary job creation project. Alexandra immediately impressed her peers and supervisors with her inquisitiveness, passion and drive, leading to her permanent hire as their Quality Assurance and Communications Manager. Alexandra dove right in to her new role, taking on responsibilities that would be overwhelming for most. She led the CARF Accreditation Process, which required her to become expertly knowledgeable on 2,000 standards. Alexandra has also been instrumental in coordinating the agency’s soon-to-open Affordable Housing Project, which involves extensive liaising with community members, senior management and partners like BC Housing. Through her graceful tackling of these large-scale projects, Alexandra has shown her ability to work with others and manage complex work. Much of what Alexandra does is behind-the-scenes, and in fact, shines a spotlight on the work done by the agency as a whole. This was all the more reason she has proven to be deserving of special recognition of her own.

Hero: Florence Kao

Program Coordinator, Self Employment and Entrepreneur Program, DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society, General Services

Having left her role as Senior Human Resources Manager at a global private sector company in Taiwan to immigrate to Canada, Florence found herself in an unfamiliar city starting from scratch. Her sheer determination, professional skills and desire to assist individuals in similar circumstances would eventually lead to DIVERSEcity, where she started as a Labour Market Settlement Worker and assisted immigrants and refugees in providing resources, orientation and guidance. It was at DIVERSEcity that Florence would find her perfect fit, as she would eventually lead the agency’s Immigrant Entrepreneur Program and leverage her business acumen to help newcomers find their professional niches and launch small businesses. Part teacher and part mentor, Florence helps individuals of the program develop business plans, find partnerships and gain confidence to succeed in their entrepreneurial endeavours. She is described by colleagues as a powerhouse who is always evolving her approach to program delivery but also, a confidante and friend whose sole focus is to help individuals turn their dreams into reality.…

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FAQs - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

On August 4, 2021 we issued a CSSEA Info addressing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, to be commemorated on September 30.

As mentioned, the BC government recognizes the importance of honouring a day for Truth and Reconciliation. The government advised all provincial public sector employers that they should recognize September 30 as a holiday on an interim basis while the province begins to engage with Indigenous partners and the business and labour communities to determine the most appropriate way to commemorate this day going forward. Since the issuance of the CSSEA Info, members have posed a number of questions to CSSEA staff, and this bulletin is intended to share the answers more broadly.

Must an employer close all its programs to commemorate this day?

Where employers are able, the government has advised that the Day should be recognized, including by closing their programs on September 30 as an interim measure this year.…

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Negotiation of Local Issues Agreements Under MOA #1

Under MOA#1 (Local Issues) of the Collective Agreements, an Employer wishing to renegotiate any part of its current local issues agreement must serve written notice to its union(s) by September 30, 2021.

If you are generally satisfied with the terms of your current local issues agreement, there is no requirement for you to serve notice to renegotiate. If you are not sure whether it would be beneficial to renegotiate its terms, please discuss this with your HRLR Advocate/Consultant.

If you do provide notice, CSSEA should be copied. If you do not serve notice, the union may still wish to re-open the local agreement and negotiate changes.…

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Time Off For Employees to Vote September 20, 2021

A federal election will be held Monday, September 20, 2021. Pursuant to the sectoral collective agreements between CSSEA and the Community Social Services Bargaining Association and the Canada Elections Act, employees are entitled to a minimum number of hours off without loss of pay during voting hours. Polls will be open 7:30 am – 7:30 pm Mountain Time and 7:00 am – to 7:00 pm Pacific Time.

Employees Covered by Collective Agreements

According to Article 20.5 (Elections) in the collective agreements:

Any employee eligible to vote in a federal, provincial, municipal, First Nation or other Aboriginal election or a referendum shall have four consecutive clear hours during the hours in which the polls are open in which to cast their ballot.

Employers are not obligated to grant each employee four hours off work to vote where unnecessary. Rather, employers must provide sufficient time away from work to make up a four hour block of time during the period that the polls are open.

For example, if an employee in the Pacific time zone is scheduled to work from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm, the employee could:

• Start work at 11:00 am, thus having the four consecutive hours from 7:00 am to 11:00 am in which to vote; or
• Finish work at 3:00 pm, thus having the four consecutive hours from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm in which to vote.…

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Employer Vaccination Status Collection Policy Template

On  August 23, 2021, we issued a CSSEA Info on a Provincial Health Officer (PHO) Order detailing a requirement for mandatory vaccination status collection in long-term care and assisted living worksites. This order will impact a small number of CSSEA members who have licensed assisted living worksites.  

While there are no immediate plans to expand the requirement for mandatory vaccination and vaccination status collection beyond “single site staffing” facilities, the PHO may extend its requirements to new services/worksites in the future as circumstances require. In the meantime, CSSEA is providing a template COVID-19 Vaccination Status Collection Policy that employers may use. The need for a template policy has intensified over the last few days with the announcement that “non-essential” venues, such as restaurants and gyms, will soon require vaccination passports for entry. Since clients attend at these venues and are supported by staff, their vaccination status may need to be understood in advance so staffing decisions can be made with as much notice as possible.

The above linked policy is subject to change given rapidly unfolding developments. When implementing the policy, please ensure that the “Note to Employers” in red font is deleted, and that the employer-specific information is included, before placing on your agency letterhead. We expect that there will be questions arising from the implementation of this policy and we will compile them for a future update. CSSEA will continue to provide additional information on developments as it becomes available.…

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