News & Updates

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...

All HSA Registered Psychiatric Nurses are reminded that you will have until next Thursday, February 27, 2014 to file a grievance about lack of drug coverage. Decisions about grievance remedies will be made after February 27 once a full review of every individual grievance has been completed. To file a grievance on your behalf HSA requires that you complete the...

Agreement includes wage adjustments and pay increases Community social service workers have voted by 85 per cent in favour of ratifying a new collective agreement that includes wage adjustments and increases of up to 11.5 percent over five years. The new collective agreement will be in effect from April 1, 2014 until March 31, 2019. Community Living workers ratified the...

Mandi Ayers, a lab technologist at Bulkley Valley District Hospital, will join the HSA Board of Directors in April 2014 as the Regional Director representing Region 10. At the close of deadline for nominations for election to the board, Ayers and Jameel Khan, a lab technologist from University Hospital of Northern BC, had been nominated. Khan withdrew his nomination this...

(deadline extended from original date of FebRUARY 28) HSA is offering scholarships and bursaries to all members and their children. Ten scholarships will be awarded for full-time studies, twenty bursaries for full-time studies and four bursaries for part-time studies. Two aboriginal scholarships will be awarded to aboriginal students in BC. The criteria and details are set out on the application...

Allen Peters has been selected to return as the Region 8 representative to the HSA Board of Directors. He was acclaimed after the deadline passed with no further nominations. Peters is a Medical Radiation Technologist at Nicola Valley General Hospital, and has served on the union's Board of Directors since 2011. He currently chairs the union's Occupational Health and Safety...

Anita Bardal has been selected to return as the Region 6 representative to the HSA Board of Directors. She was acclaimed after the deadline passed with no further nominations. Bardal is a Medical Radiation Technologist at St.Paul's Hospital, and has served on the union's Board of Directors since 2010. She has served as chair and member of a number of...