Bulletins

Health care workers providing direct care ... in the same room or in close contact ... to SRI patients are advised to wear properly fit-tested N-95 respirators The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is urging health care workers and members of the public to take note of concerns raised by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)...

HSA is offering two one-day workshops this Summer: Dates: Friday, June 12 (Vancouver - HSA office)Thursday, June 18 (Victoria ... Hotel Grand Pacific) HSA members who work in a supervisory role will have the opportunity to attend a one-day workshop in either Vancouver at the HSA office or Victoria at the Hotel Grand Pacific. Supervisors have particular concerns and needs...

On Tuesday May 12, 2009 citizens of British Columbia will head to the polls and vote for their representative in the legislature. The BC Health Coalition urges everyone to ask your candidate where they stand on the key public health care issues in your community - and to vote for the candidate who supports public health care and public innovation...

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is calling on the Canadian government to appoint special prosecutors to step up enforcement of laws to protect workers on the job. In conjunction with observances marking the 25th National Day of Mourning for workers killed and injured on the job in Canada, NUPGE president James Clancy has written to Rob...

April 28th, 2009 marks the 25th Anniversary of the Day of Mourning. Held in 100 countries around the world, it is a day to reflect on the terrible toll of workers killed and injured on the job. Last year, 160 workers in BC were killed or died as the result of an occupational disease. Since 2002, workplace fatalities and serious...

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE) are urging health care workers and members and the public to take note of an announcement by Ontario's chief medical officer concerning an outbreak of severe respiratory illness (SRI) that began in Mexico and is spreading globally. For more information, follow this link.

Delegates to HSA's 38th annual convention April 24 and 25 called on the union to take action on publicizing the impact of cuts to legal aid services. A concrete step members can take is to sign the WestCoast LEAF and Pivot Legal Society petition calling for the restoration of legal aid in the province. The recent continuation of cuts to...

Members of the Nurses' Bargaining Association, including registered psychiatric nurses who are members of the Health Sciences Association, have overwhelmingly ratified an extension of the provincial collective agreement. The overall margin was 96 per cent in favour. The retention and recruitment agreement provides labour market adjustments of three per cent on April 1, 2010 and April 1, 2011. These market...

HSA President Reid Johnson will join with BC Federation of Labour President Jim Sinclair and HEU members in a rally and march to support hospital housekeepers currently in contract discussions with their employers Aramark, Sodexo and Compass. HSA members are invited to demonstrate their support at the rally and march as follows: Date: Thursday, April 9th Time: 4 p.m....

The BC Health Coalition is urging the provincial government to investigate recent charges by a Kelowna surgeon that private surgical companies are illegally billing patients for publicly insured cataract surgeries across the province. In a March 24th letter to the Health Minister, Dr. Francois Theriault cited a BC College of Physicians and Surgeons report that 4,482 cataract extractions were performed...