The Professional Employees Association (PEA) said its members have voted to ratify a tentative agreement with the British Columbia government’s Public Service Agency.
The union represents more than 1,800 licensed professionals working for the province, from foresters to pharmacists.
The PEA said members voted nearly 96 per cent in favour of the agreement.
The union said the deal comes after 10 months of bargaining and an eight-week strike alongside the B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) last fall.
“We took the longest strike in our union’s history to get a deal that respects the professionals who have dedicated their careers to serving this province,” said PEA Executive Director Melissa Moroz in a statement. “This ratification means members are backing an agreement that recognizes their value and strengthens their rights.”
PEA members began job action on Sept. 2 alongside the B.C. General Employees’ Union.
The PEA said in late October it would return to negotiations with the province after the BCGEU announced it had reached a tentative agreement.
The PEA announced on March 12 that a tentative agreement had been reached.
It said the four-year agreement provides an annual general wage increase of three per cent each year, the same increase BCGEU members received.
The union says the agreement also includes non-monetary gains, employment security, improved health and wellness benefits, improvements to overtime compensation and key terms for government lawyers.
The province says just over 220,000 people are currently covered by tentative or ratified agreements reached in the 2025 round of bargaining.
