With so many union contracts expiring in the coming months, and the rate of inflation at a nearly 40-year high, B.C. could be in for some significant labour unrest.
One of the largest public-sector unions is now planning for possible strike action after talks with the province broke down.
“Now we ramp up our preparations for job action should we need to take it,” said Stephanie Smith, president of the B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU).
The BCGEU represents 33.000 public servants affected by the contract talks collapsing.
“The most commonly known probably are your public liquor store, public cannabis store, wildland firefighters, park rangers, conservation officers,” Smith said.
“But it includes every administrative professional who works in every ministry office, your service B.C. offices, social workers, employment assistance workers. I mean the list is endless.”
Smith said the union is now ramping up preparations for possible job action.
“We are currently in what’s called essential services negotiations,” she said. “It’s important to note that essential services under the labour code are very different than the jobs that were deemed essential over the course of the pandemic, so we are negotiating with the employer.
“There will be some jobs, obviously, some positions that cannot participate in job action because of the potential risk to human life and human health.”
Other public service sector unions, including the B.C. Teachers’ Union (BCTF), are closely monitoring the developments between the BCGEU and the provincial government.
“Make no mistake. Everybody’s watching what’s happening with the BCGEU,” said Susan Bauhart, president of the Central Okanagan Teachers Association (COTA).
That’s because the contract between the BCTF, which represents 41,000 public school teachers, and the employer, B.C. Public Schools Employers Association, expired on June 30.
It means negotiations towards a new contract will likely start later this summer.
“Latter part of August, and then, of course, it would continue into September,” Bauhart said.
“It’s going to be a very difficult round for the government,” she said. “It’s not an unfair request to ask to try to keep up with what’s happening out there.”
Bauhart referred to an inflation rate of 7.7 per cent, which hasn’t been seen in B.C. since 1983.
Smith agreed, adding that concerns around the rapidly rising cost of living will make their way into bargaining sessions.
“People are losing spending power and I don’t have to tell anybody watching just how expensive it is, groceries, gas, hydro, all of those things,” Smith said.
Smith also added that workers are expected to push hard for better compensation following the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Those are the workers who kept the lights on, the wheels turning, provided all of those critical services for people who were so impacted by the pandemic,” she said. “They went to work every day, putting their own health or their family’s health on the line, and they’ve learned their worth.”
Another important contract that will have to be negotiated soon involves nurses.
The B.C. Nurses’ Union (BCNU) told Global News nurses have been without a contract since the end of March.
The BCNU’s bargaining association will begin negotiations this fall.
But it’s not just public sector workers negotiating for better compensation; thousand of workers in the private sector are in similar positions.
In B.C, about 10,000 workers employed by Loblaws, which owns 28 Superstore locations across the province, as well as three distribution warehouses, are currently voting on a new contract proposal by the employer.
This week’s vote will determine whether or not workers will accept a new collective agreement or issue a strike notice against Loblaws.
The workers are represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW) Local 247.
According to UFCW’s news release, union members rejected an initial offer from Loblaw in April, with 97 per cent of members having voted in favour of a strike in May.
The ballots will be counted this Friday.