Thoughts on BC Politics and More

As BC government workers launch their first day of strike action, a different kind of labour dispute affecting provincial services is playing out in historic fashion on Vancouver Island. Transit workers in the Cowichan Valley are approaching their seventh month of job action, collapsing BC Transit service in the mid-Island region. At more than 200 days, it is the longest transit strike in British Columbia history. The lengthy Cowichan dispute and the strike action that began Monday by the BC General Employees’ Association (BCGEU) are entirely different affairs. But the Cowichan case does highlight the extreme reluctance the BC NDP government has in legislating an end to labour conflicts, and how much rope it’s willing to give to the idea that lasting deals are only found at the bargaining table ... CLICK HERE for the full story

As collective agreements covering more than 125,000 federal public servants expire in October, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) has entered what will likely be a contentious round of bargaining. What’s more, a potentially massive cut to the federal workforce is looming, which is already having significant impacts on workers and service users alike.  Federal public servants deliver key social programs, including Employment Insurance and child and senior’s benefits, and are also responsible for a wide range of technical and physical infrastructure on which Canadians depend. If planned government cuts come to pass, the jobs of the workers who deliver those services could be at great risk ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

It is a sign of true political mismanagement when a government can offend and alienate even its base of support. But David Eby’s BC NDP administration is hard at it. As it bargains with its largest union, it has abruptly discovered—stumbled upon, more like it—a term called austerity. Most of us know this term, but it is far, far off-script from a government that has spent and taxed and restrained prosperity so as to create record debt and deficits—probably $14 billion this fiscal year—and prompted a degrading of the province’s credit rating. This, a government that inflated the size of the public sector and suddenly signals it can’t afford all the hired hands ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

One of British Columbia’s biggest public sector unions could be headed for job action amid an “impasse” in contract negotiations. The B.C. General Employees Union (BCGEU) says more than 34,000 of its members will hold a strike vote after negotiations with the provincial government broke down over wages, remote work and a “modernized contract.” “Workers are facing an affordability crisis, and if wages don’t keep up with the cost of living, we lose skilled workers – that means fewer wildfire fighters defending our communities, fewer healthcare workers keeping our families healthy, and fewer administrative professionals providing access to services" ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

LifeLabs workers rallied outside the company’s main office in Burnaby on Sunday afternoon to kick off a series of rotating strikes. Workers, who have been without a contract since April 2024, say they are striking to address issues related to wages and benefits, staffing levels, and concerns about the recent purchase of LifeLabs by Quest Diagnostics, a U.S. health care company valued at nearly $19 billion ... CLICK HERE for the full story

2023 was widely regarded as a great year for Canada’s labour movement. There were some of the largest, highest profile strikes in decades that raised expectations for workers and re-established unions in the public eye as vehicles for tangible improvements to daily life. But a month into 2024, and workers’ fighting spirits show no sign of slowing: Transit workers shut down Vancouver for two days, a labour leader was arrested this week picketing with 500 civilian military support staff on strike and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is preparing for another possible port strike. So, what more can we expect this year? Here’s a look at just a few of the biggest upcoming contract battles of 2024 . . . . CLICK HERE for the full story