CEO Update - March 2019

Sectoral Funding Challenges

The last round of bargaining was the most successful in CSSEA’s history but implementation, particularly how this year’s $20 million in Low Wage Redress (LWR) would flow to agencies, has come with challenges. The problem is further compounded by the fact many agencies have multiple funders and each funder has their own funding model and/or template. Early in 2019, CSSEA worked with funders to ensure the distribution of LWR would be accurate and timely but funding systems have many limitations.

MCFD FUNDING
Many of you have received a letter from MCFD, dated March 12, outlining the ministry’s funding process, which is based on an average (blended) LWR percentage number for your agency. However, if you have employees covered by the paraprofessional pay grid, the LWR blended number will likely be insufficient to cover all of the LWR wage increases due April 1, 2019. We understand that MCFD is aware of the issue and that members will need to “demonstrate” how their costs will increase on April 1, 2019 compared with costs in 2018 for delivering the same or similar services based on the new classification grids. This will provide funders with the opportunity to address those funding discrepancies, and while not a simple process, it is currently the only option available with MCFD.

NON UNION EMPLOYEES WAGE INCREASES

CSSEA has just been made aware by government that it will only fund the General Wage Increase (GWI) for non-union employees (doing union-like work) but at the current time, they will not fund the Low Wage Redress (LWR) portion that their union colleagues are scheduled to receive April 1. This is a departure in funding practices since 2014 and came as an unexpected surprise to CSSEA and your Bargaining Committee. We will keep the members informed of any government changes on this important issue for the sector.…

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CEO Update - February 2019

Awards of Excellence

CSSEA will be hosting its 5th annual Community Social Services Awards of Excellence in partnership with TELUS on October 9, 2019. Now is the time to start thinking about nominating a deserving colleague, as the nomination process will open in early March. For full details on the nomination criteria, please go to CSSEA’s Awards of Excellence webpage or contact Doris Sun, Director of Communications at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . 

Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancements

The provincial government announced last September that front-line Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) working in eligible licensed child care facilities would be eligible to receive a $1 per hour wage enhancement beginning in early 2019 and retroactive to September 1, 2018. Another $1 per hour is scheduled for April 1, 2020. Since the announcement, CSSEA has been working with government and union stakeholders to define eligible employees and determine a process to allocate funds. CSSEA recently provided information on Early Childhood Educator (ECE) wage enhancements funding, as well as a template that can be used by employers and unions to assist with the implementation. Both CSSEA and the CSSBA have agreed to provide the same consistent direction to their respective employers and union representatives on this process and full details can be found in this CSSEA Info. 

Employers Interpretation Manual Updated

With the 2019-2022 Collective Agreements mostly in effect, CSSEA has revised the relevant Employers Interpretation Guides on the website. To access the guides by article, log in on CSSEA’s website and go to Members Home/Bargaining/2019-2022 Employers’ Guide.…

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CEO Update - January 2019

Funders Meeting

Last month, CSSEA hosted a Funders Meeting to address various upcoming employer cost increases. The meeting was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Child and Family Development, Community Living BC, Public Sector Employers’ Council, BC Housing, Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Ministry of Health, as well as Health Authorities. It focused on 2019-20 Collective Agreement cost increases, including health and statutory benefits increases, cost pressures, allocation of low wage redress funds and initiatives to control costs. A copy of the presentation can be found here.

February 1 and April 1 Wage Increases

CSSEA released updated wage grids that incorporate the recently announced Economic Stability Dividend (ESD) and general wage increase for Community Living Services, General Services and Indigenous Services divisions. New wage grids for Indigenous Services Delegated Programs are also available. The new wage grids incorporate a 0.75% ESD increase, as well as a 1.0% general wage increase, both of which come into effect on February 1, 2019. An additional 2.0% wage increase, as well as the first $20 million allocation of the Low Wage Redress, will come into effect April 1, 2019 and those wage grids are also available online.

2019 Updates, Consultation and Survey Orientation Sessions

CSSEA’s Research and Knowledge Management team will once again be holding sessions around the province this spring to discuss various important topics, including: bargaining updates (the April 1, 2019 monetary changes will be discussed); consultation on the $20 million Year 2 Low Wage Redress distribution; 2019 CSSEA reports highlights; and 2019 Compensation and Employee Turnover orientation. Members are encouraged to save the date and bring their questions to one of the sessions below. A registration link will be distributed as soon as it is available.…

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CEO Update - November 2018

Economic Stability Dividend

Statistics Canada recently announced that BC’s economy grew by 3.8% in 2017, exceeding the province’s growth forecast of 2.3% and therefore triggering the Economic Stability Dividend (ESD). The ESD formed part of the 2014-2019 collective agreements, and allows for general wage increases when the provincial Gross Domestic Product (GDP) exceeds projections. The final ESD wage increase, effective February 1, 2019, will be 0.75%. CSSEA will distribute new wage grids once they are finalized. 

PSEC Excluded Compensation Guidelines

The PSEC Secretariat recently released a reference guide on compensation for management and excluded staff working at employers’ associations. The guide includes a new reporting and approval process for certain management wage increases, as well as a Q&A section for commonly asked questions.  Please note that excluded staff compensation increases currently remain unfunded. A copy of BC Public Sector Employers’ Guide to Accountable Compensation can be obtained by contacting PSEC. 

Employer Health Tax

CSSEA recently provided details on the upcoming Employer Health Tax (EHT), including calculation and remittance regulations for both regular employers and charity/non-profit employers. In addition, CSSEA provided feedback to government on the impact of the tax on our sector. As the EHT is coming into effect on January 1, 2019, employers are asked to inform their payroll administrators and to make the necessary plans to accommodate implementation.…

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CEO Update - October 2018

2018 AGM and Conference

On behalf of CSSEA’s staff, I would like to extend my thanks to all who attended last week’s AGM and Conference and contributed to making it a success. All available workshop presentations have now been posted on the conference website. I would once again like to congratulate this year’s Awards of Excellence recipients: Vanessa Burnett, Rising Star; Sheena Sharp, Hero; Shari Mahar, Leader; and Eyob Naizghi, Legend, as well as those who were nominated. You are encouraged to view the video vignettes of each award recipient on our Awards of Excellence website to learn more about each winner’s achievements. For attendees who have not yet filled out a conference e-evaluation, you are invited to do so at your earliest convenience so staff can review and improve for next year – CSSEA’s 25th year celebration. We will be hosting you in Vancouver once again for the 2019 AGM and Conference, from October 8-10 at the Marriott Pinnacle Hotel.

2019 Board and Panels

2019 Board and Panel members were selected at CSSEA’s Annual General Meeting on October 9 in Vancouver. We are pleased to announce your divisional panel and board representatives. (Note: members elected this year are in bold and board representatives are marked with a *)

Indigenous Services

Bernadette Spence (Chair) *, Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society
Kathleen Bennett, Northwest Inter-Nation Family and Community Services Society
Lyndale George(Vice Chair)/Karen Wainwright, Haida Child and Family Services Society|
Colleen Lucier, Lii Michif Otipemisiwsak Family & Community Services
Colleen Spier, Island Métis Family & Community Services Society

Community Living Services

Tammy Khanna (Chair), Independent Living Housing Society of Greater Victoria
Janice Barr*, Richmond Society for Community Living
Fernando Coelho*, posAbilities Association of British Columbia
Dawn Hein (Vice Chair) *, Mission Association for Community Living
Tanya Sather, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion
Anita Sihota, Delta Community Living Society
Ellen Tarshis, Victoria Association for Community Living dba Community Living Victoria
Julie Unger, Chilliwack Society for Community Living…

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CEO Update - June/July 2018

2019 Collective Bargaining and Ratification

CSSEA’s Bargaining Committee and the Community Social Services Bargaining Association have now reached tentative three-year agreements for all three divisions – Indigenous Services (IS), Community Living Services (CLS) and General Services (GS). A ratification meeting is scheduled for July 18 in Vancouver and a ratification package with details on the tentative agreements will be sent next week.

The tentative agreements were made under government’s 2019 Sustainable Services Negotiating Mandate and provide wage increases for employees and key language improvements for employers to address recruitment and retention challenges and improve access to services for individuals served. They are set to run from April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2022 and include the following highlights:

• General wage increases (GWI) of 2% on April 1st of each of the three years of the agreements.
• A $60 million low wage redress fund over three years to address comparability with the health sector. A joint wage rate review will determine how those funds will be allocated.
• Agreement on a sectoral province-wide Occupational Health and Safety Council.
• Improvements in Appointment Policy language (Article 24.3), which will reinforce a merit-based approach for the selection of employees to supervisory vacancies.
• Removal of Class 5 driver’s licenses as a reimbursable expense.
• Removal of the $10 extended health reimbursement for paraprofessional services in year three.
• Temporary Market Adjustments for Social Program Officers (Child Protection) in Indigenous Services.
• A one cent mileage increase for each of the three years, not to exceed the Canada Revenue Agency limit.…

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CEO Update - May 2018

2019 Collective Bargaining

The Bargaining Committee has been meeting since May 16 and plan to continue meeting into June. Both sides are discussing non-monetary issues using an interest-based approach to encourage collaborative solutions to Collective Agreement language that challenges employers in providing service and improving on accessibility for clients. As negotiations continue, members will be kept informed of key developments through regular Bargaining Updates.

2019 Bargaining - Impacts to Service

With the commencement of 2019 bargaining, CSSEA staff, particularly HRLR Consultants, are exceedingly busy. We ask for your understanding in advance if our response times are longer than usual. As well, please consider the urgency of your matter when getting in touch, as we will be prioritizing our limited resources.

2018 Compensation and Employee Turnover Survey – Immediate Input Required

Given our early start to bargaining, your timely completion of the 2018 Compensation and Employee Turnover Survey is crucial, as we are currently using 2017 data for costing and will update it with 2018 data as surveys are received. The data you provide is used to report the sector’s total compensation cost to PSEC and support the securing the money to fund the new (as well as the old) provisions of the Collective Agreements. The survey can be accessed on CSSEA’s website and is required to be submitted by May 31. Any questions can be directed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .…

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CEO Update - April 2018

2019 Collective Bargaining to Start in May

The Community Social Services Bargaining Association recently accepted CSSEA’s formal invitation to begin bargaining on May 15th, 2018. This window of opportunity to bargain before the current agreement expires provides the parties with the prospect to build on the success of 2014 bargaining and address our members’ many challenges in attracting and retaining qualified staff. In preparation for negotiations, CSSEA has (and continues to) conduct bargaining consultation sessions in order to gain insights on the issues that are of greatest importance to members. In addition, we have consulted HR practitioners, panel members, ministries, PSEC and benefit providers and have compiled a comprehensive list of employers’ proposals for our Bargaining Committee to finalize. For a list of 2019 Bargaining Committee members, please refer to this previous CEO Update.

As we prepare for and during bargaining, CSSEA staff will be exceedingly busy, therefore we ask for your understanding in advance if our response time is longer than usual. As well, please consider the urgency of your matter when getting in touch, as we will be prioritizing resources in an effort to minimize service impact to members.

Awards of Excellence - One More Week to Nominate

We are accepting nominations for the 2018 BC Community Social Services Awards of Excellence for one more week and I encourage anyone thinking about nominating a colleague to fill out a nomination soon. The awards are a wonderful way to recognize individuals who go above and beyond in their roles in BC’s publicly funded social services sector. Nominations will close on April 20 at 5pm.…

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CEO Update - March 2018

AGM Resolutions Update

We recently communicated that three resolutions were passed at the 2017 AGM, which took place in Kelowna last October. Since then, efforts have been made to address them and our initiatives to date can summarized as the following:

1) BE IT RESOLVED THAT The CSSEA Board of Directors ensure that the 2019 Provincial Collective Agreement be fully funded and the funding captures all costs.

This motion was discussed at CSSEA’s Board Meeting on January 8, which involved representatives from the two main funders. In addition, compensation costs for the upcoming fiscal year and government funding commitments were reviewed in detail at the annual funders meeting hosted by CSSEA in November. A copy of the 2017-18 funders presentation can be found on our website.

2) BE IT RESOLVED THAT CSSEA be proactive in providing LR/HR ongoing training for managers at local agencies.

In consultation with the panels and HR practitioners in the sector, it was determined that performance management was the topic where most managers would benefit from targeted training sessions. Given the interest, we have launched a series of province-wide education regional sessions, which started earlier this month and will be ongoing until the beginning of May. We thank those who have already attended and invite others who are interested to register online for a session near them.…

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CEO Update - February 2018

Registration Now Open for Upcoming Bargaining, Data Collection and Education Regional Sessions

With the focus in 2018 being on collective bargaining, we are now taking online registrations for our bargaining, data collection and education regional sessions. Please note that a few dates and locations have changed since we first announced the sessions in January. Attendance at the bargaining consultation sessions is restricted to excluded/management staff. To register for the location closest to you and to view the most up-to-date schedules, please check our registration webpage.

Upcoming Transportation and Meal Allowance Increases

Employers are reminded that as of April 1, a number of increases are set to come into effect. Per Article 26.9 of the collective agreements, the transportation allowance will increase to $0.48/km for CLS and GS members and $0.52 for AS members. Meal allowances will also increase per Article 26.10 for employees conducting business away from their worksites. Eligible employees will be entitled to reimbursement for meal expenses incurred to a maximum of: $10.56 for breakfast; $12.94 for lunch; and $22.44 for dinner. Complete details can be found in members’ respective Collective Agreements.

2018 Compensation and Employee Turnover Survey

The 2018 Compensation and Employee Turnover Survey is now available for completion. Your participation is crucial, as the data gathered will be used to report the sector’s total compensation cost to PSEC and assist in drafting the 2019 bargaining mandate. The survey can be accessed on CSSEA’s website and is due on May 31.…

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