HSA report on Workplace Racism now available
From Jan. 20 to Feb. 7, 2020, Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) HSA members were invited to complete an online survey investigating experiences of racism at work. Over 200 HSA members working in health care and community social services shared personal accounts of how racism and white supremacy operate within their workplace cultures and impact their daily lives. Survey results provide insight into how discrimination operates at the institutional level, impeding career growth, professional development, and employment opportunities.
HSA is grateful for the many members who participated in this project, and is pleased to launch the survey’s final report, “Confronting racism with solidarity: An analysis of the 2020 HSA Workplace Racism Survey.” The report provides a deep dive into the survey responses, and explores how Canada’s ongoing history of settler colonialism and policies of racial discrimination connect to the realities of the workplace. It examines inspiring examples from other North American labour unions that have centered racial justice in their work and used collective bargaining as a tool to achieve racial justice.
Members’ eye-opening accounts speak to the urgent need to organize together in the face of racial injustice. Recommendations from HSA members are enlightening, and are aimed at helping the union take concrete steps forward in an era where racist behaviours and systemic racism continue to be prevalent in our society.
Download the report summary here.
On August 11, HSA hosted an online panel to launch the report. You can watch the event here. We apologize that due to technical difficulties, the recording begins during the first panel presentation.