Issues, Campaigns and Government Relations
83% of HSA RPNs reject raid campaign to date Registered Psychiatric Nurses at Surrey Memorial Hospital and Abbotsford Regional Hospital have voted to stick with HSA despite an aggressive and well-funded raid campaign by the BC Nurses' Union and the Union of Psychiatric Nurses. The results in Surrey and Abbotsford are consistent with dozens of other votes held at worksites...
Take Action Against Domestic Violence Over a recent 5 year period, an estimated 183,000 British Columbians were victims of domestic violence. Domestic violence impacts victims and their families and has a serious effect on those who witness it. Health care costs related to domestic violence in Canada are estimated to be in the billions of dollars. Social and emotional costs...
Plaque at l'Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal On December 6, 1989, Marc Lépine, armed with a rifle and a hunting knife, entered a classroom at l'Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal, separated male from female students, claimed he was "fighting feminism", and shot all nine women in the room, killing six. He then moved through other areas of the university specifically targeting women...
A MESSAGE FROM JEANNE MEYERS, HSA LABOUR RELATIONS AND LEGAL SERVICES HSA REPORT, DECEMBER 2013 As this issue of The Report goes to press, the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association has reached a tentative agreement for a renewed contract running from April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2019. The proposed five-year agreement has a number of elements that I and...
A MESSAGE FROM HSA PRESIDENT VAL AVERY THE REPORT, DECEMBER 2013 HSA and other unions have been hunkered down in ceaseless and difficult negotiations for almost five years. The effort has expended enormous resources – resources that we need to focus on helping members deal with their daily workplace challenges. So when mediators approached HSA and other unions about early...
Registered psychiatric nurses represented by HSA have a lot of questions about pressure tactics currently employed by the BC Nurses Union and the Union of Psychiatric Nurses. Both BCNU and UPN have recently pressured members already represented by HSA, and we've been getting questions about whether it's possible to cancel these memberships. The deadline is now Depending on exactly when...
HSA REPORT, DECEMBER 2013 In late November, the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association reached a tentative agreement for the 17,000 health science professionals delivering modern health care in BC's hospitals and communities. It is a five-year agreement that expires March 31, 2019. The agreement was reached in advance of the expiry of the current agreement, set to run out on...
Do I have to get the flu shot?The policy upheld by the arbitrator states that if you do not get a flu shot, you can still work, but must wear a mask at all times during the declared flu season. When does flu season start?Flu season is declared by the Provincial Health Officer. It is typically declared between late-November and...
health care workers who don’t get a flu shot, or wear masks at work, face risk of being fired An arbitrator has ruled on the controversial flu shot policy for health care workers, siding with the health authority policy that dictates all health care workers must get immunized against seasonal influenza, or wear a mask at all times during the...
The Canadian (CLC) has endorsed a national consumer boycott of the following Labatt imported products: Stella Artois Staropramen Stella Artois Light Bodingtons Beck's Bass Brahma Löwenbräu Hoegaarden Ozujsko Pivo Leffe The boycott is in support of National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) members on strike at the Labatt’s plant in Newfoundland & Labrador. They have been on strike...