B.C. LifeLabs workers start job action, threaten rotating strike

More than 1,500 unionized workers at LifeLabs began job action on Saturday afternoon.

More than 1,500 union members who work for LifeLabs in B.C. began job action Saturday afternoon.

The move is likely to impact wait times and appointments at some locations of the largest diagnostic lab company in the country.

According to the B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU), the first phase is a rally Saturday afternoon in Burnaby, a ban on workers doing overtime, and a work-to-rule campaign at all 94 locations where the union represents workers.

Some locations, where workers are not unionized, will be unaffected.

The union, which has previously said one of the main unresolved issues in the bargaining process is wages, said in a news release workers will be “performing their jobs precisely as outlined in their job descriptions and their last collective agreement.”

“Workers are prepared to escalate to the next phase of job action, which would include picket lines at specific locations, if their employer fails to offer a fair deal by Monday, Nov. 1,” the release reads.

LifeLabs and the union have been negotiating since April, according to the company.