Pacific Blue Cross workers in Burnaby, B.C., vote for job action

Comes after bargaining fails

Pacific Blue Cross workers in Burnaby, B.C., vote for job action
Pacific Blue Cross provides health, dental, life and disability coverage for more than two million people working primarily in education, municipal, health care and government. GOOGLE STREET VIEW

More than 600 members of The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 1816, working at Pacific Blue Cross (PBC) in Burnaby, B.C., voted overwhelmingly in favour of job action after a strike vote.

The strike vote came after several rounds of bargaining failed to result in a tentative agreement. The latest PBC proposal includes concessions to retiree benefits and the extended health care plan, including drug coverage, paramedical services, and vision care. It also includes a small lump-sum payment in lieu of wage increases, said the union.

“Our members have made it absolutely clear that they will not accept concessions that strip away important benefits for either current or future employees, and I think this strike vote is a reflection of that,” said Beth Miller, CUPE 1816 president.

Pacific Blue Cross provides health, dental, life and disability coverage for more than two million people working primarily in education, municipal, health care and government.

CUPE 1816 members working at Pacific Blue Cross represent a wide range of job classifications including underwriters, benefit examiners, disability claim representatives, benefits administrators and call centre employees.

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