Nurses' bargaining: Strike vote to be held May 8-11
Learn more at province-wide town hall Wednesday at noon
All RPN members are urged to have their say in an online strike vote that will be held starting Friday, May 8 at 9:00 am and closing on Monday, May 11 at 9:00 pm.
“After over a year of negotiations, the employer is still refusing to treat members of the Nurses' Bargaining Association with respect,” says HSA President Sarah Kooner.
“They have rejected most of our proposals, and they won’t even offer the same terms given to other health care and public service workers.”
“It’s time to send them a message they cannot ignore. A strong YES vote in favour of job action will give your bargaining committee the support they need to make real progress on the top priorities identified by RPNs: benefits, wages, retention, overtime and compliance with ratios.”
How does a strike vote work?
The strike vote will be held online from 9:00 am (Pacific time) on Friday, May 8 to 9:00 pm (Pacific time) on Monday, May 11. All members will be sent voting credentials via email when voting begins. The email with your voting credentials will come from Simply Voting, a trusted independent voting platform used by HSA and other unions for elections and other important votes. Your voting credentials email will include your member ID, a secret password, and a link to access your ballot directly.
You will not be able to vote if you have not provided the union with your personal email address. Take a second now to confirm that the union has your current personal email by using the member contact update form or by reaching out by email to info [at] hsabc.org.
A strike vote is one of the strongest tactics available in collective bargaining. Voting yes does not mean we are going on strike. It shows the employer that nurses are united, serious, and ready to defend what matters. A strong vote demonstrates collective strength and gives your bargaining committee a clear mandate moving forward. A strong vote creates real pressure at the table.
Learn more by joining telephone town halls
You're invited to join one of two province-wide telephone town halls prior to the strike vote. These are a great opportunity to hear details from HSA President Sarah Kooner and your bargaining representatives, Nicole McIntosh and Colette Barker.
Join us on:
- Wednesday, April 29 at 12:00 pm (Pacific time)
- Thursday, May 7 at 8:00 pm (Pacific time)
To join, simply answer your phone when it rings at the beginning of the meeting, or join the audio stream online.
You deserve a fair deal – we need a “yes” vote to make that happen.
In the coming weeks, bargaining committee representatives and HSA staff will also be visiting many of your worksites to offer a bargaining update and provide further information about the strike vote.
You can also review our Job Action FAQs and Bargaining FAQs for more information.
This is important – help us let your colleagues know
If you know of a co-worker who isn’t receiving these emails, please forward this message and encourage them to use the member contact update form on the HSA website or reach out by email to @email so they can get more details about bargaining.
You can also download and print off these posters and leaflets to post on your bulletin board or provide directly to your colleagues: