The Report

The Report: December 2003 vol.24 num.6 SA members at St. Pauls Hospital in downtown Vancouver are becoming increasingly concerned about violence in their workplace. For example, employees working in the hospitals emergency department ... especially in the psychiatric emergency unit ... deal with violent incidents on a daily basis. What is violence? The Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Regulation, section...

The Report: December 2003 vol.24 num.6 by CAROL RIVIERE he Union Bargaining Association (UBA) and the Community Social Services Employers Association (CSSEA), began talks during the first week of October to negotiate a new collective agreement covering nearly 15,000 workers in the community social services sector. Talks have proceeded slowly and cautiously in this very complex round of bargaining in...

The Report: December 2003 vol.24 num.6 by SARAH O'LEARY he Supreme Court of Canada brought down a landmark decision for workers on October 3, 2003, one that has been 10 years in the works. The entire labour and injured-worker community had been eagerly awaiting this decision ... and the courts have ruled firmly in favour of injured employees and their...

The Report: December 2003 vol.24 num.6 by CINDY STEWART n November 3, the Fraser Health Authority announced that St. Marys Hospital in New Westminster will be closing. Well, actually, not exactly. The Fraser Health Authority said it will no longer purchase services from the hospital and that the future of St. Marys will be decided by the Saint Marys Board...

The Report: December 2003 vol.24 num.6 by JEANNE MEYERS SAs legal department has been working actively in the past year to support the work of the labour relations department. While HSA has tried to find labour relations solutions wherever possible, in the current climate, we are experiencing an approach by the Health Employers Association of BC, some Health Authorities and...

The Report: December 2003 vol.24 num.6 by AUDREY MacMILLAN ith two elections in the not so distant future, a presentation by the Canadian Labour Congress at the recent BC Federation of Labour policy convention in Vancouver gave union members in British Columbia a lot to think about. Danny Mallette, national director of the CLC, and Lily Olson, a CLC representative...

The Report: December 2003 vol.24 num.6 by BRUCE WILKINS Does the collective agreement contain all of the rights that I hold in my relationship with my employer? No. A recent Supreme Court of Canada decision holds that union members also enjoy the rights that come from other employment-related statutes. No matter how thick you may think your HSA collective agreement...

The Report: October 2003 vol.24 num.5 by MIRIAM SOBRINO t started at work. HSAs communications and member mobilizing department participated in a womens health care event. We were on hand to give out information about the annual breast cancer awareness and fundraising event, the Run for the Cure. Our mission was to let people know that HSA is the union...

The Report: October 2003 vol.24 num.5 by CINDY STEWART ast fall, HSA was deeply involved with yet another provincial review of laboratory services. At that time, I shared with you my skepticism about the process, but said the union was willing to give it a try because we have consistently advocated for review of the system to make it better...

The Report: October 2003 vol.24 num.5 by RON OHMART y now, most members have seen the newspaper ads the provincial government is running about the cost of health care. The clear message in the ads is: ‘if only health care professionals would just stop getting so much money, our public health care system would be better off.’ That’s the tune...