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In November, the BC Government-mandated 5 days of paid sick leave per year starting January 1, 2022. This change happened after months of advocacy from UFCW 1518, union members, and the labour movement. To provide clarity about the paid sick leave program, we have collected responses to some of the recurring questions members have asked about BC’s Paid Sick Leave program.

FAQ

Q: What happens if I am a casual or part-time worker and my employer denied me access to the 5 paid sick days?

Please contact your union representative to report the issue. If you don’t know who your union representative is, please call us at 604.526.1518.

Under the Employment Standards Act, unionized employers are required to meet or exceed leave provisions under the Act. Each collective agreement is different, so speak to your union representative for further clarification.

Q: If I’m new at work, do I get the 5 paid sick days?

Only employees who have worked for the employer for at least 90 days qualify.

Q: Can I use the 5 days for any type of illness?

Yes, you can use the 5 paid sick days for any type of illness.

Q: Do I need to take the 5 days consecutively?

No, you do not need to take the 5 days consecutively.

Q: What if my employer already offers 5 paid sick days, do I get 5 more days?

No. If your employer offers 5 days or more, then your employer already complies with BC’s Paid Sick Leave Program. Nevertheless, the 5 days of paid sick leave is a big win for workers who were not offered a paid sick leave before this mandate.

Q: If I don’t get sick for one year, can I carry over the 5 days to the following year?

No. Workers cannot carry the paid sick days year to year. They will expire annually if left unused.

Q: How will the 5 days of paid sick leave impact my collective agreement?

If you have specific questions about the paid sick leave program and how it relates to your collective agreement, please reach out to your union representative.

Q: What other government-mandated leaves should I know about?

Yes, under the Employment Standards Act, employees can take:

• 3 days of unpaid sick leave
• up to 5 days of unpaid family responsibility leave
• up to 5 days of paid leave and 5 more days of unpaid leave per calendar year if they are impacted by domestic or sexual violence

For more information on leaves of absence under the BC employment standards, check out the BC Government website.

BC Labour Minister Harry Bains announced today that all workers in BC will have five paid sick days. This is a historic moment in the province’s history. The program begins on January 1, 2022, and will be employer-funded.

Today’s announcement improves upon the government’s temporary plan providing three days of COVID-related paid leave. The new, permanent plan provides five (5) paid days for any sickness or illness.

UFCW 1518, the labour movement, and other advocates have been fighting for a permanent, universal, employer-funded sick leave program since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Today’s win is a momentous occasion in the advancement of workers’ rights in British Columbia and sets the stage for more improvements here and elsewhere.

“This is a big moment for worker rights, and it is long overdue. Paid sick days has always been a health and safety issue, which every worker should have access to,” UFCW 1518 President Kim Novak explained. “This is an important day for every worker who has not had access to paid sick days. Thank you to all of our members and every worker who shared their stories on why permanent paid sick days are so important. This helps make us a stronger society coming out of a pandemic than we were going into it.”

Today’s announcement means that far fewer people will have to choose between going to work sick and paying their bills. This legislation will help women and racialized workers who predominantly make up low-wage workers. The majority of these workers have not had access to permanent paid sick leave before.

You can learn more about the permanent sick leave plan on our FAQ page.

UFCW 1518 will continue to press the province to add more days to the permanent employer-funded sick leave program.

The BC Budtenders Union grew larger today after workers at Burnside Buds voted to join UFCW 1518.

Burnside Buds has one location in Victoria, where they have served cannabis to the public for several years.

The workers voted unanimously to join the BC Budtender Union, a division of UFCW 1518.

Initially, workers at Burnside Buds reached out to UFCW 1518 in late 2021, seeking more respect and better working conditions.

After the successful union vote, UFCW 1518 made an immediate impact at Burnside Buds. The union brought the case of a fired union supporter to the BC Labour Relations Board. As a result, the worker won his job back. It is illegal to fire an employee for supporting or voting for a union.

Over the next few months, the union and workers will begin negotiating with the company on workplace changes. In the past, BC BUD members have won higher wages, training and certification, and other major improvements to their workplaces. For example, workers at nearby Clarity Cannabis negotiated employer-paid Cannabis Sommelier training, among other major improvements.

Budtenders at Burnside Buds are looking forward to beginning the bargaining process and fighting for fairness at work.

If you are a budtender and you would like to find out how to join UFCW 1518 and improve your job, check out ufcw1518.com/cannabis.

UFCW 1518 is excited to announce that we have reached an agreement with Sobeys to bring all Safeway Extra stores back under the Safeway collective agreement.

As of December 5, 2021, all UFCW 1518 members at the three Safeway Extra stores (Willowbrook, Burquitlam and Dawson Creek) will join thousands of other UFCW 1518 members working at Safeway stores across the province under one superior contract.

Workers at Safeway Extra will now have access to provisions of the Safeway agreement, including things like:

• Wage increases for all employees (including Grid A and B), scheduled for January 1, 2022
• Cross-classification scheduling for all employees to capture more hours
• Student seniority

This new agreement will help to build strength, solidarity, and momentum as Safeway members approach new contract bargaining in 2023.

In addition to implementing the terms of the Safeway collective agreement, the Union and Employer will meet within 30 days to review job postings that will go up in these stores. These will be full-time job postings for anyone in the geographic area to apply for and will be awarded by seniority.

UFCW 1518 congratulates the Safeway Extra Bargaining Committee, made up of Viril Anderson, Teresa Vegh and Marlene White, for helping to secure this transition agreement.

We are also pleased to share that UFCW 247 has also reached an agreement to move their members back to the Safeway agreement.

Retail workers who are interested in gaining collective bargaining strength by joining a union can learn more at ufcw1518.com/retail.