Professionals Making A Difference
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The PEA is a labour union. Its constitution sets out similar objectives, and labour law gives it the same rights and obligations to represent its members in collective bargaining as apply to other labour unions in British Columbia.
PEA members are distributed among ten different bargaining units. The employees in each bargaining unit have a separate employer. The PEA carries on collective bargaining with each employer for the purpose of concluding collective agreements which define the salaries, benefits and employment terms that apply to employees for the term of the agreement.
As indicated in its name, the Professional Employees Association comprises primarily professional employees. The PEA Constitution defines a professional employee as one typically engaged in exercising a predominantly intellectual skill customarily acquired by completing a prolonged course of instruction in an institution of higher learning.
Most PEA bargaining units are exclusively professional. However, the Constitution permits the Association to represent bargaining units which include non-professionals provided that a majority of employees is professional.
The PEA's bargaining units are:
The PEA engages in collective bargaining for the purpose of settling collective agreements in which employees are assured that salaries, benefits and working conditions will be set at agreed, defined levels.
For each of its bargaining units the Association acquired the right to bargain collectively because a majority of the employees in the units voted to be represented by the PEA. Based on a majority vote of employees, the Labour Relations Board has authorized the PEA to bargain on behalf of the employees in the nine bargaining units. This authority is called a “certification.”
