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New West post-secondary, union ratify new three-year agreement

Douglas College in New Westminster and the faculty association representing 1,000 members have come to terms under B.C.'s shared recovery mandate.
Kyle Balzer
Kyle Balzer
Douglas College
Douglas College main campus in New Westminster. | File photo

Douglas College faculty represented by the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators (FPSE) have ratified an agreement.

Roughly 1,000 faculty members working at the New Westminster post-secondary are covered by the collective agreement, recently agreed to terms between the union members, as well as the boards of Douglas College and the Post-Secondary Employers' Association (PSEA).

The agreement was ratified under B.C.'s Shared Recovery Mandate, according to a news release from the province on Sept. 29.

The PSEA is the employer bargaining agent for all 19 public colleges, institutes and teaching universities in B.C.'s post-secondary sector.

Priorities of the 2022 mandate include the following:

  • protecting the services that people in British Columbia depend on
  • improving health care and preparing for future needs and challenges
  • supporting a strong economic recovery that includes everyone in B.C.

"The negotiations were focused on providing a fair and reasonable offer to public-sector workers that include significant inflation protection while ensuring that government has the resources to continue to invest in building a stronger province for everyone," the release reads.

The new three-year ratified agreement — July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2025 — includes:

  • General wage increases
    • Year 1 — a flat increase of $455 to annual salaries which provides a greater percentage increase for lower-paid employees, plus 3.24 per cent
    • Year 2 — 5.5 per cent plus a potential cost-of-living adjustment to a maximum of 6.75 per cent (maximum 6.75 per cent triggered as of March 21, 2023)
    • Year 3 — Two (2) per cent plus a potential cost-of-living adjustment to a maximum of three (3) per cent
  • A negotiable flexibility allocation of up to 0.25 per cent in the first two years to support mutually beneficial outcomes for both parties
  • Other achievements in this round of negotiations include increasing professional development budgets for faculty members, providing paid cultural leave for Indigenous employees and introducing a new allowance for green commuting