Support Staff Collective Bargaining 2025
For the 2025 bargaining round, local support staff bargaining began in March 2025.
The Provincial Framework Agreement bargaining commenced in April 2025 and concluded in April 2026.
For further information about 2025 collective bargaining in the K-12 public education sector please see Collective Bargaining 2025 – Backgrounder – Process and Timeline.
Bargaining Updates
April 17, 2026
The Provincial Framework Agreement (PFA) for support staff collective bargaining in B.C.’s public education system has been approved by both parties. This now means that local school district bargaining can work towards completion. Following 16 negotiation sessions over 12 months, a tentative agreement was reached on April 11, 2026, based on the 2025 Balanced Measures Mandate. Both the BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) Board of Directors and the CUPE K-12 Presidents’ Council have now endorsed the tentative agreement.
In Kindergarten to Grade 12 public education in B.C. there are approximately 43,000 unionized support staff working in 60 school districts. These employees work in roles such as education assistants, Indigenous support workers, administrative assistants, information technology, custodial and facilities, maintenance, trades, and transportation staff. Throughout the province, unionized support staff are represented by 69 collective agreements (57 CUPE and 12 other support staff unions).
For local support staff collective bargaining, after the PFA is approved, boards of education bargain directly with their union locals at the school district level. To support local negotiations, the CUPE K-12 Presidents’ Council and Support Staff Unions (consisting of support staff union representatives) bargains with BCPSEA at the provincial level to develop the PFA. This agreement in principle deals with key province-wide matters including compensation. The PFA traditionally forms part of the memoranda of settlement negotiated at the school district level.
With the renewed provincial agreement now in place, local school districts and unions can now include the PFA as part of their local table negotiations and ratifications. Local negotiations are now underway, and it is anticipated that local negotiations will be completed by January 15, 2027.
Provincial Framework Agreement highlights:
For the 2025 bargaining cycle, bargaining to create the PFA took place over 16 sessions. Agreement was reached on April 11, 2026.
Highlights of the agreement include:
Term, Wages and Benefits
- Four-year term from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2029.
- A general wage increase of 3% per year in each of the four years, totaling 12% over the term of the agreement.
- Annual ongoing funding of $4,100,000 for Labour Market Adjustments (allowances applied to specific positions where there is demonstrated recruitment and retention challenges), that are centrally approved for a three-year period. If the local parties determine there is not a need for labour market adjustments, or there is a balance remaining in their allocation, then they can choose to use the funding for the Provincial Classification Support System or to increases to Education Assistant FTEs or hours.
- An additional $13,995,000 of ongoing annual funding by the end of the agreement for the Public Education Benefits Trust (PEBT), which provides benefits for support staff. This is on top of the annual funding of $19,428,240 already provided.
- Effective July 1, 2028, $6,000,000 in ongoing annual funding to improve benefits, which may include counselling benefits. Benefits improvements will be determined by a joint committee.
Health and Safety in the Workplace
- Critical incident support for employees who experience a work-related traumatic incident.
- Maintenance of a Violence Prevention Toolkit to support safe school environments.
- Continuation of a Provincial Joint Health and Safety Taskforce.
Other
- $15,900,000 for local bargaining tables to negotiate ongoing service and learning improvements that have a direct or supporting connection to student learning.
- $2,050,000 of ongoing annual funding allocated for professional learning opportunities for support staff through the Support Staff Education Committee, including educational opportunities to enhance Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and educational opportunities to support equity, diversity, inclusion and cultural safety.
- Genuine consultation with local support staff unions regarding new or expanded internal (board-operated) child care programming on school district properties.
- Finalizing the Provincial Classification Support System and supporting implementation in school districts that choose to use the system.
April 13, 2026
The BC Public School Employers’ Association and the CUPE K-12 Presidents’ Council and Support Staff Unions have reached a tentative Provincial Framework Agreement based on the Balanced Measures Mandate.
The parties have been bargaining since April 2025 and tentative agreement was reached on April 11, 2026. Details will be made available once both parties have reviewed the tentative agreement with their members.
This tentative agreement sets the stage for local school district bargaining to begin. For support staff collective bargaining, boards of education bargain directly with their union locals at the school district level. To support local negotiations, the CUPE K-12 Presidents’ Council and Support Staff Unions bargains with BCPSEA at the provincial level to develop the Provincial Framework Agreement. This agreement in principle deals with key province-wide matters, including compensation, and traditionally forms part of the memoranda of settlement negotiated at the school district level.
In Kindergarten to Grade 12 public education in BC there are approximately 43,000 unionized support staff. These employees work in roles such as education assistants, Indigenous support workers, administrative assistants, information technology, custodial and facilities, maintenance, trades, and transportation staff.
March 15, 2026
Provincial bargaining for the Provincial Framework Agreement with support staff unions is scheduled for March 25 & 26 and April 9 & 10, 2026.
February 6, 2026
BCPSEA and the CUPE K-12 Presidents’ Council and Support Staff Unions will be bargaining next on February 17, 2026.
November 26, 2025
Provincial bargaining continues for both teachers and support staff. Thus far, agreement has been reached on 11 items with the BCTF and nine items with the K-12 Presidents’ Council and Support Staff Unions. Both tables continue to discuss monetary items. The next provincial bargaining dates with teachers are December 16 and 17, 2025, and for support staff the parties are currently booking dates, likely in January.
November 4, 2025
Provincial bargaining continues for both teachers and support staff. Thus far, we have reached agreement on seven items with the BCTF and nine items with the K-12 Presidents’ Council and Support Staff Unions. The next provincial bargaining dates with teachers are November 17, 18, 24, and 25. The next provincial bargaining dates with support staff are November 19 and 20.
October 2, 2025
Collective bargaining continues at the provincial level (i.e., Provincial Framework Agreement negotiations) with progress being made and items agreed-to at the table. Bargaining dates are set between BCPSEA and the K-12 Presidents’ Council and Support Staff Unions for October 16-18 and November 4-5.
Local support staff bargaining is also in progress at many school districts on non-monetary items.
July 31, 2025
The parties have met six times thus far. Additional bargaining dates for during the 2025-2026 school year are being set. The first two dates will be September 22-23, 2025.
May 30, 2025
Local support staff bargaining
BCPSEA has received and approved all local support staff bargaining plans (69 plans in total). Support staff tables are open and bargaining of non-monetary items can begin.
Provincial support staff framework agreement bargaining
BCPSEA and the K-12 Presidents’ Council and Support Staff Unions met again for two days on May 26 and 27, 2025, for a total of five bargaining days so far. The parties are engaging in meaningful and respectful discussions.
April 29, 2025
BCPSEA and the K-12 Presidents’ Council and Support Staff Unions met for three days from April 14-16, 2025. Both parties tabled their opening proposals. We will be bargaining next on May 26 and 27, 2025.
March 12, 2025
The BCPSEA provincial bargaining table team for Support staff Provincial Framework Agreement bargaining is as follows:
- Justin Rempel – Lead Negotiator
- Tara Sweet – BCPSEA bargaining team member
- Tammy Sowinski – BCPSEA bargaining team member
- Diana Lozano – BCPSEA bargaining team notetaker
- Ken Dawson – Public Sector Employers’ Council Secretariat representative
- Shirley Wilson – Trustee, Abbotsford School District
- Rob Zandee – Trustee, Okanagan-Similkameen School District
We have set the following dates with the K-12 Presidents’ Council:
- April 14 – 16
- May 26 – 27
- June 19