More than 5,000 long-term care and assisted living workers at directly contracted sites are expected to return under the facilities bargaining association (FBA) agreement.
The Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) reached as part of a tentative agreement between the FBA and HEABC is subject to ratification by the parties, expected to be completed by December 19, 2025.
Download the agreement to see details of the MOA:
What this means
This MOA is an important step toward restoring common labour standards and fair working and caring conditions in provincially funded seniors’ care homes - standards that existed before 2002.
Bringing more operators back under HEABC will rebuild fairness, strengthening public health care, and undoing the damage caused by decades of privatization, and the gutting of labour standards by the former BC Liberal government.
This win belongs to all HEU members. It strengthens public health care, lifts up workers and improves care for seniors.
HEU will continue fighting for the seniors’ care workers who are not covered by this change.
What to expect
The move back into the FBA for eligible worksites will happen in two phases, beginning in October 2026 and ending in September 2028.
Based on the language in the MOA, it is expected that HEU will know which sites are covered by this by February 1, 2026:
For all operators in receipt of wage levelling, The MOH and HEABC will assess which operators with unionized employees currently meet HEABC membership criteria and share this information with the FBA by February 1, 2026.
More details about timelines and implementation will be shared as they are confirmed.
What sites are covered?
Eligible sites are unionized long-term care and assisted living operators that receive the majority of their funding from the provincial government and are not currently Health Employers Association of British Columbia (HEABC) members, but who meet HEABC membership criteria and directly employ staff.
HEU will update members once a complete list of sites that meet these criteria is available.