Become a Member

CSSEA Members

To become a CSSEA member, an organization must meet a set of membership criteria and be designated as a member by a Government Order in Council.

Members benefit from a specialized set of resources and services all provided under one roof, including: a dedicated HRLR advisor, collective bargaining services for your collective agreement, access to employee demographic and HR reports, access to online resources and news, and opportunities to participate and learn at the CSSEA AGM and Conference.

colleagues around sign reading "new hire"

What Are The Membership Criteria?

To be approved by government to be a member of CSSEA, your organization must:

Be unionized
Have your unionized component, including related management/administration, receive at least $250,000 from provincial ministries and/or authorities through ongoing, direct service contracts, including provincial fee-for-service contracts, excluding:
- Revenue for parent/provincial government shared-cost daycare programs
- Revenue from a federal/provincial funding transfer agreement where service contracts continue to be directly with the federal government. This revenue will be included when the service contracts are converted to the Province
- Grants, bequests, interest or other revenues generated by the agency
Receive at least 50 percent of your total revenue from provincial ministries and/or authorities through ongoing, direct service contracts, including provincial fee-for-service contracts
Receive at least 50 percent of your provincial contract revenue from non-health ministries or authorities
Not be a stand alone alcohol and drug service provider; and
Have a community of interest with the community social services sector
Be eligible under Information Appendix D - Continuity of Service and Employment Memorandum.

Frequently Asked Questions

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What if we don't meet the criteria?

You may be eligible for associate organization status. Look under Becoming an Associate Organization for more information.

What are the membership fees?

There are currently no fees for membership in CSSEA.

How do we join?

You can request a membership application form by contacting our office at 604.687.7220 or toll-free at 1.800.377.3340.

What happens after we've submitted the form?

CSSEA reviews the information provided and if your organization meets the criteria you will be notified as such. You will be assigned to one of three membership divisions and we will collect additional information to aid us in preparing the application to have your agency designated as a member of CSSEA pursuant to the Public Sector Employers Act and Regulations. This process may take up to a few months. Once the application has been prepared you will receive including the name of the HRLR Consultant assigned to service your organization.

Services To Members

Human Resources
CSSEA provides our members with advice on the interpretation of employment standards and human rights legislation, discipline and dismissal, attendance management, and performance management.
Labor Relations
CSSEA is the sole and exclusive bargaining agent for our members and provides advice on the certification process and other proceedings at the Labour Relations Board, collective bargaining, and collective agreement interpretation and administration.
Research And Knowledge Management
CSSEA conducts data collection from the community social services sector to generate reports on employee turnover, compensation, benefits, and other human resources metrics. CSSEA also conducts job classification analysis and monetary proposal costing for bargaining.
Other Services
CSSEA also offers advice on other topics such as health and welfare benefits, management and excluded issues and compensation, and specialized management training through its annual conference and other professional development opportunities.

New Certifications

When a community social services agency becomes newly unionized by the Labour Relations Board and meets CSSEA's membership criteria - upon approval of membership by government - the agency becomes a party to a "sectoral" collective agreement. The sectoral collective agreement sets out the terms of the employment relationship between the agency and its unionized employees. This typically requires changes in terms of employment from current policies and procedures, and an increase in labour costs.

CSSEA supports and advises member agencies who become newly unionized or newly "certified" by the Labour Relations Board. The links below will direct newly certified agencies to information that will assist them in navigating the next steps in the unionization process following certification should they become CSSEA members.

New Certification Checklist

Please connect as soon as possible with your assigned HRLR Advocate/Consultant to review and discuss topics that include the following:

The 12 month statutory "Freeze Period" and continued application of current policies and procedures
Phasing-in operational and monetary provisions of the Collective Agreement
Updating Job Descriptions and the Job Evaluation process
Establishing a Seniority List
Negotiating "Local Issues" terms not covered by the main Collective Agreement
Negotiating Non Provincially Funded (NPF) program terms, if applicable
Applying for the Municipal Pension Plan (MPP)
Securing an approved health and welfare benefits carrier
Maintaining communications with agency funders
Collective Agreement costing

REFERENCE DOCUMENTS – NEW CERTIFICATIONS

The following CSSEA Guide provides more detail about next steps following the certification of a union at an agency, and the application of the sectoral Collective Agreement:

Management Guide for Newly Certified Employers - November 2020

For those employers that are in the midst of an organizing drive by a union prior to a Labour Relations Board certification hearing, please see the Labour Relations Board website for materials on the organizing process.