Region 4 Regional Director Candidates
Three candidates have been nominated to represent HSA members who work in HSA Region 4 on the union’s board of directors.
The three candidates in the election are Tammam El-Khodor, Joseph Sebastian, and Alexandra Thompson.
The successful candidate will assume the position of Regional Director for a two-year term at the conclusion of HSA's 2022 annual convention, April 28-30, 2022.
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All members in the region with a personal email address on file with the union will receive voting credentials for online voting by email.
Please add Simply Voting to your safe senders list to ensure your voting instructions are not caught in your spam filter. All emails related to the vote will originate from @email and from one of the following domains: simplyvoting.com or o3.email.simplyvoting.com
If you are not sure if HSA has your current email on file, please click here to update your contact information.
For members without an email contact with HSA, candidates information and voting credentials will be sent by postal mail by the third-party election provider, Simply Voting, and will include information on how to vote online.
Members will have an opportunity to meet and hear from the candidates at an online all candidates’ meeting hosted by HSA on Monday, March 1 at 7 p.m.
Online voting will be open from 6 a.m. Saturday, March 12 to 11:59 p.m., Sunday March 27, 2022.
Under HSA policy, candidates are entitled to contact HSA members by e-mail for the purpose of campaigning in the election.
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[collapsed title=Tammam El-Khodor: Candidate Statement]
Dear HSA Region 4 Members,
My name is Tammam El-Khodor and I am an occupational therapist at GF Strong. I wanted to introduce myself and respectfully ask for your vote to be your next Region 4 Director.
First, let me share my journey with HSA. I got involved with HSA to advocate for a change in our classification system. I found it unacceptable that allied health professionals were not rewarded for their expertise in an equitable manner. I communicated this concern in an open letter to then president, Val Avery. Shortly after, I recognized that change requires strategic vision, perseverance, planning, and ongoing organized actions. As such, I have been a steward for the past five years and a Member-at-Large for the past four. I participated on different committees, the Political Action Committee and the Constitutional and Organizational Policy Committee. I suggested that our chapter submit a resolution during Convention for HSA to switch to an electronic voting system during in-person Convention, which passed! I am running for the Regional Director position to advocate on a policy and governance level a more open, efficient, and accountable union to all our members. I believe that voting on the board of director affects front line members.
I am running for the director position to make a difference for the issues that matter to us. If I am elected as a Regional Director, I will advocate for various interests, which include:
- Prioritizing a better pay during bargaining.
- A better allocation of funds and resources to improve and expedite members’ grievances.
- Improving the classification system to one, which rewards expertise and competency.
- Work towards equity and inclusivity in our union.
I will be your vote on the Board of Directors!
In Solidarity,
Tammam El-Khodor
https://www.tammam4region4director.ca
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[collapsed title=Joseph Sebastian: Candidate Statement]
Dear members of region 4,
I respectfully ask for your vote to continue to serve as your regional director.
It has been a challenging and difficult time to fulfill the needs of our region, especially in the last two years with COVID-19. I continue to bring your concerns to the leadership of the union. Your wages/benefits and having a decent work life balance are still highly relevant concerns especially for our lower mainland region 4 members.
I continue to try to communicate with as many members as possible given the many challenges due to the diversity of our work schedules and workloads, which prevent many from participating in the processes of the union given the current system.
I will be contacting all region 4 members with valid email addresses with more news and information shortly via email only.
As always, kindly contact me if there are any questions and concerns and especially if you don't receive a follow up email from me. Jtsebastian77@gmail.com
It is highly important for all members to get engaged, participate and vote, whether it is for me or any other candidate.
We as HSABC, the members of the union, need to hold our leadership accountable and demand democratic changes and modernization. I represent only 1/11th of the decision making process.
Respectfully,
Joseph Sebastian
Vancouver General Hospital site, Medical Radiation Technologist
(off work due to work-related injury)
(*Please note: I was unavailable due to medical reasons last September till December 2021 and unable to respond to emails. Please email me again if needed. Thank you.)
Jtsebastian77@gmail.com
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[collapsed title=Alexandra Thomson: Candidate Statement]
My name is Alexandra Thomson and I’m seeking your vote to represent you and our region on the HSA Board of Directors.
I’m a Neurophysiology Technologist and the Assistant Chief Steward at Vancouver General Hospital. Please visit my website https://thomsonalexandra.wixsite.com/portfolio to learn about my background and education (pursuing my Masters degree), to read my blog about healthcare issues, and to understand my extensive union involvement (Member-at-Large, Core Member Engager, Bargaining Prioritization Committee member, and VGH Chapter delegate for Convention and Regional Meetings).
I’m proud to be a frontline worker with lots of experience helping all patients including those with COVID. I work on-call 24/7 for a week so I can relate to call-back experiences. You're most likely to meet me at VGH on Neurosciences wards performing an EEG, in the Seizure Investigation Unit finding the seizure focus for brain surgery candidates, in the operating room providing intra-operative monitoring, in the lab performing pre-operative baseline testing, in ICU doing long-term monitoring, or in the steward office problem-solving. I also have experience at GF Strong performing nerve conduction studies during my clinical practicum.
I’m passionate about improving your working conditions and was nominated for the David Bland Memorial Award (for demonstrating leadership related to Occupational Health & Safety).
I’m determined to help HSA members get the pay they deserve! I successfully negotiated a pay increase for one group of professionals with the employer (outside of collective bargaining) due to the significant amount of additional duties being performed that were above entry to practice work. Those of you working at tertiary hospitals or in specialized programs providing exceptional care should feel supported!
Please vote for me if you are ready for a change and want a Regional Director that is optimistic, driven, and hardworking! I’m ready to advocate for you!
In solidarity,
Alexandra Thomson
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[collapsed title=All Candidates' Meeting]
Members had an opportunity to meet and hear from the candidates at an online all candidates’ meeting hosted by HSA on Monday, March 1 at 7 p.m. A recording of the meeting is available on YouTube.
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