The Report

HSA REPORT, MARCH 2014 Ok, so we have a five year deal. How do you propose to take advantage of the break from bargaining? Despite the fact that we won't be at the bargaining table, we have some important work to do. The workloads for many professions are causing our members a lot of stress. And when people are under...

HSA REPORT, MARCH 2014 In response to escalating police involvement in what has been called a mental health crisis, the Vancouver Police department recently produced a report which points to a steady increase in mental health related police incidents and proposed an action plan aimed at moving away from a crisis response model to a more community based, stakeholder driven...

HSA REPORT, MARCH 2014 Several HSA members are working with their professional associations to encourage the provincial government to regulate their professions under the Health Professions Act, and to create a joint regulatory college to oversee the practice of these health science professions. Approximately 6,000 HSA members would be regulated by this joint college. This initiative is supported by the...

HSA REPORT, MARCH 2014 Nicole Gilliss had a burning issue that motivated her to run for office. "When I decided to run for council in 2011, there was no doctor in our little town of Hudson's Hope, and hadn't been for three years. I wanted desperately for council to work towards recruiting a resident physician," says Gilliss. "I've always been...

HSA REPORT, MARCH 2014 BY LAURA BUSHEIKIN Making a positive change in your workplace starts with one simple step: talk to someone. That's how Naleena Gounder sees it. Gounder is a care coordinator at the Assertive Community Treatment Program (ACT) based at Vancouver General Hospital. "If you have concerns, don't just sit on them. Don't assume you can't have a...

HSA REPORT, MARCH 2014 BY JEANNE MEYERS, LABOUR RELATIONS AND LEGAL SERVICES As many members know, the process of transitioning to a 37.5 hour work week has been frustrating. From the beginning, employers have misunderstood and misinterpreted the terms of the negotiated agreement. They have attempted to reduce hours of work, eliminate earned days off and even layoff members. None...

HSA REPORT, MARCH 2014 BY VAL AVERY, PRESIDENT, HEALTH SCIENCES ASSOCIATION Negotiating contracts is a big part of what unions do for their members. But it's not the only thing. Yet for the last several years, HSA and other unions have expended the bulk of their resources and time negotiating contracts with governments intent on imposing austerity terms on public...

Surrey Memorial Hospital RPNs Abi Ologani, Tanya Maksymiw and Amanda Farrand HSA REPORT, MARCH 2014 A year ago, Tanya Maksymiw didn't know a lot about HSA. In fact, the RPN didn't know a lot about any unions, despite belonging to one union or the other over the last 20 years. And when HSA staff put on an information meeting on...

HSA REPORT, MARCH 2014 BY DENNIS BLATCHFORD Q: Now that the collective agreement has been ratified, how will HSA go about moving to a joint governance model for delivering health and welfare benefits? And what does it mean in the short-term? A: Allow me to answer the second question first. It means no change to your health and welfare benefit...

HSA REPORT, MARCH 2014 BY DAVID DURNING In British Columbia workplaces, employers are required to undertake investigations into any accident or incident that: resulted in injury requiring medical treatment, or did not involve injury to a worker or involved a minor injury that did not require medical treatment, but had the potential to cause serious injury, or is required to...