The Report

The Report: July / August 2002 vol.23 num.3 n May 6, 2002, trustees of the HSA Long Term Disability (LTD) Plan #2 approved an increase in the payroll deduction that HSA members pay to fund the plan. The payroll deduction is increasing from 1.75 per cent of earnings to 2.25 per cent of regular earnings. The rate increase is effective...

The Report: July / August 2002 vol.23 num.3 by CINDY STEWART ince the provincial government began its overhaul of our health care system, health care unions and advocacy groups have been anticipating a massive privatization of services. View HSA's submission to the provincial lab review When the government introduced legislation allowing for contracting out of health care services, HSA worked...

The Report: July / August 2002 vol.23 num.3 by JACKIE SPAIN On April 23, the provincial Liberal government brought together the six regional health authorities in Vancouver to announce radical changes to BCs health care system. Because Health Services Minister Colin Hansen deliberately left some details very vague, it took some time for health care advocates to figure out what...

The Report: July / August 2002 vol.23 num.3 by BRUCE WILKINS I am a permanent part-time pharmacist. My position is designated a 0.5 Full Time Equivalent (half time, in other words), but because of staff shortages, I regularly work extra hours to help out in the department. Do these extra hours count in the calculation of the supplemental employment benefits...

The Report: July / August 2002 vol.23 num.3 by JEANNE MEYERS n the aftermath of a legislative onslaught by the Gordon Campbell government, described in a recent Globe and Mail national editorial as “legislative vandalism,” HSA’s legal department has been working on many fronts to counter the government’s agenda. Several labour relations matters are currently before the Labour Relations Board...

The Report: April / May 2002 vol.23 num.2 by DR. MARK LEIER f protests, rallies, petitions, and strikes didn’t work, we would all still be working 10 hours a day, six days a week. There would be no holidays, no EI, no healthcare, and women wouldn’t have the vote. These, and much more, were won using those same tools. Dr...

The Report: April / May 2002 vol.23 num.2 by MIRIAM SOBRINO hen the Liberal government was elected nearly a year ago, it was clear that the health care and social services systems were in for massive changes. Despite their promise to protect health care and education, it was clear the Liberals couldn’t do everything they had promised without someone paying...

The Report: April / May 2002 vol.23 num.2 by CINDY STEWART he full effects of the Campbell era in British Columbia hit us on April 1, the first day of the new fiscal year. In the coming weeks and months we will learn exactly what the regional health authorities have planned in their mission to achieve the funding targets put...

The Report: April / May 2002 vol.23 num.2 by AUDREY MacMILLAN lmost a year has passed since the Liberal government was elected, and already the signs are clear that British Columbians are taking a second look. On February 20, I joined with several HSA members and another 2,000 people for a rally in Chilliwack to protest the mean-spirited Campbell agenda...

The Report: April / May 2002 vol.23 num.2 by JEANNE MEYERS How does Bill 29 affect my rights to “bump” when faced with a lay-off? An HSA member facing lay-off is able to “bump” a more junior employee. Articles 10.01 and 10.05 of the Paramedical Professional Collective Agreement have been found by arbitrators to extend “bumping” rights to HSA employees...