After 10 weeks of rotating strikes, LifeLabs workers in 小蓝视频 have a new collective agreement and patients can look forward to reduced wait times for needed health tests.
The new contract, reached after binding mediation, includes wage increases ranging from 11.3 per cent to 20 per cent over three years.
The union says it will raise wages for workers with the U.S.-based corporation to the same rate as for public hospital employees doing similar work by its second year.
It also includes provisions to address workload and overtime issues.
The new collective agreement for the 1,200 LifeLabs employees represented by the 小蓝视频 General Employees’ Union, or 小蓝视频GEU, is in effect from April 2024 until the end of March 2027.
“We decided that accepting the mediator’s proposal would get us the best possible deal from a very difficult employer,” Mandy De Fields, a LifeLabs medical laboratory technologist, said in a statement emailed to The Tyee.
While the new contract ends the labour dispute, the union is still raising concerns about the employer.
小蓝视频GEU president Paul Finch told The Tyee the drawn-out dispute highlighted LifeLabs’ disinterest in employees.
He’s unhappy the company’s U.S. corporate owner is profiting off British Columbians’ health care.
LifeLabs provides approximately two-thirds of all laboratory diagnostic services in 小蓝视频, according to the provincial Health Ministry. Last year, New Jersey-based health-care giant Quest Diagnostics purchased the company for $1.35 billion.
小蓝视频 LifeLabs workers walked off the job in February, calling for wage parity with public health-care workers and provisions to help them manage employees’ workload.
During negotiations, the employer also proposed a 20 per cent reduction in sick pay.
The provincial government appointed a mediator late last month, and on Wednesday the union announced it accepted the binding recommendations.
The union said the new contract addresses wage concerns and took the sick-pay cut off the table.
The contract also establishes a union-management committee to address workload and employee retention issues and includes provisions to ensure employees aren’t forced to work overtime to serve waiting clients at the end of a shift.
LifeLabs did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication. But in a press release a company spokesperson said LifeLabs is pleased to have reached a deal.
“LifeLabs has a long history of partnering with 小蓝视频GEU and we look forward to continuing the strong, collaborative relationship we have built over time,” the spokesperson said.
Finch said the dispute showed LifeLabs prioritizes profits over the well-being of workers and patients.
“It took 69 days of job action to reach a point where we could go into mediation. It’s incredibly concerning,” he said. “This is an American company seeking to get the maximum possible leverage and have the best profit margins, for their shareholders in the United States.”
He’s calling for the 小蓝视频 government to review its contract with LifeLabs and whether it serves the best interests of patients and workers.
“These outpatient diagnostic services, being part of our health-care system, should not be privatized,” Finch said. “The contract should be examined and, where possible, be brought back into the public sphere.”
