CSSEA was established by government to coordinate collective bargaining for publicly-funded employers in the sector. CSSEA negotiates three collective agreements in the sector. These collective agreements cover approximately 210 employers and close to 28,000 employees working in community social services. The cost of labour under these collective agreements is approximately $1.7 billion.
The three agreements in the community social services sector are established by the Community Services Labour Relations Act and they are typically negotiated at the same time and with many common terms.
CSSEA was established on January 13, 1994 and was mandated to serve four key functions in the social services sector:
To act as the bargaining agent for its members accreditated under the Labour Relations Code and the Public Sector Employers Act.
To co-ordinate:
To encourage collaboration and consultation with the Unions in the community social services sector.
To work in conjunction with government to achieve the objectives and strategic directions determined by the Public Sector Employers' Council.
In October 2002, CSSEA was placed under the guidance of a public administrator whose recommendations were approved by government in March 2003. These recommendations included a revised membership criteria that included only unionized agencies, a new governance model, and a new structure for collective bargaining. The work of Peter Cameron in the role of the public administrator led to the introduction of the Community Services Labour Relations Act in 2003.