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"What makes UBC Childcare special is the dedication and patience of BCGEU/NUPGE early childhood educators who bring out the best in the kids they care for." — Andrea Duncan, BCGEU Vice-President.
Vancouver (15 Jan. 2015) — Members of the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE) who work as early childhood educators at the University of British Columbia (UBC) Childcare Services ratified their new collective agreement by 87 per cent on January 12.
Early childhood educators negotiate improvements to collective agreement
“I want to personally congratulate all UBC child care members on the ratification of their new deal and thank the elected bargaining committee for their hard work in securing this agreement,” said BCGEU Treasurer Paul Finch.
The new collective agreement runs for five years (2014-2019) with scheduled wage increases of 5.5 per cent, plus any Economic Stability Dividend. The UBC Childcare has confirmed that all retention bonuses will be added to the salary scale and become pensionable earnings as of April 1, 2015
“We are very pleased to be able to roll the retention bonuses into regular pay,” said BCGEU Vice-President Andrea Duncan, who represents early childhood educators.
“Many parents send their application to UBC Childcare Services when they first conceive, in the hope that their child will eventually be admitted years later. What makes UBC Childcare special is the dedication and patience of BCGEU/NUPGE early childhood educators who bring out the best in the kids they care for,” says Duncan.
From 2018, the over 120 BCGEU/NUPGE members at UBC Childcare Services will be accredited with the Early Childhood Educators of B.C. (ECEBC). As part of this agreement, UBC will cover this professional accreditation cost.
Thse members are all licensed early childhood educators. UBC Childcare Services operates 26 child care programs or approximately 550 licensed child care spaces, plus an independent kindergarten.
The BCGEU/NUPGE is the leading child care union in British Columbia, representing over 1,500 early childhood educators in 150 bargaining units.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE