News & Updates
Contract ratified: 85 per cent vote in favour of accepting new contract for BC's nurses
May 13, 2016
Nurses covered by the Nurses Bargaining Association (NBA) contract, including the 900 Registered Psychiatric Nurses represented by HSA, have voted 85 per cent in favour of accepting a new collective agreement.
The new agreement features wage increases for all nurses, some changes to benefits coverage, and a number of contract changes that address staffing issues, education, and violence in the workplace.
ACHIEVEMENTS
The tentative agreement achieves eight of the 11 priorities HSA's RPNs set for bargaining, including:
Delegates approve increase in dues to protect services and members
May 12, 2016
Confronted with increasing demand for member services, support for stewards facing growing caseloads and the mounting cost of defending members against hostile raids by the BC Nurses, delegates to HSA’s 45th annual convention voted overwhelmingly in favour of a small dues increase, the first in 19 years.
Towhey elected as Region 8 director
April 20, 2016
HSA members in Region 8 have elected Kevin Towhey to serve a two-year term as their representative on the union’s Board of Directors. Towhey is a medical radiation technologist at Royal Inland Hospital.
This is Towhey’s first term on the union’s Board of Directors. He currently serves as the Chief Steward at Royal Inland Hospital.
The other candidate for the board position was Cherylee Hale, a cardiology technologist at Kelowna General Hospital.
Hay elected as Region 6 director
April 20, 2016
HSA members in Region 6 have elected Nancy Hay to serve a two-year term as their representative on the union’s Board of Directors. Hay is a social worker at St. Paul’s and Lions Gate Hospitals.
This is Hay’s first term on the union’s Board of Directors. She currently serves as the Chief Steward at St. Paul’s Hospital.
The other candidate for the board position was Shirley Clarkson, a registered psychiatric nurse at St. Paul’s Hospital.
Sebastian re-elected as Region 4 director
April 20, 2016
HSA members in Region 4 have re-elected Joseph Sebastian to serve another two-year term as their representative on the union’s Board of Directors. Sebastian is a medical radiation technologist at Vancouver Hospital.
Sebastian first joined the union’s Board of Directors in April 2014. He has served on the Occupational Health and Safety and Constitutional and Organization Policy committees, and has served as a steward at Vancouver Hospital.
The other candidate for the board position was Sarah Chapple, a social worker at Vancouver Hospital.
Hoyt re-elected as Region 2 director
April 20, 2016
HSA members in Region 2 have re-elected Derrick Hoyt to serve another two-year term as their representative on the union’s Board of Directors. Hoyt is a pathologist’s assistant at Royal Jubilee Hospital.
Hoyt first joined the union’s board of directors in November 2013. He has served on the Constitutional and Organizational Policy Committee (COPS) and Committee for Equality and Social Action and Elections Committee. He is a former Chief Steward at Royal Jubilee Hospital.
Despite concerns about process, HSA advises "yes" vote on tentative nurses agreement
April 19, 2016
A summary of the tentative agreement 2014 – 2019 for the Nurses Bargaining Association, and instructions on how to vote on the agreement, will be mailed to all NBA members shortly.
Mail ballots must be returned to HSA by the end of the day on Friday, May 6.
Tentative agreement telephone town hall information meetings set
April 13, 2016
Following last week’s signing of a tentative agreement for a renewed collective agreement for all nurses in BC’s public health care system, HSA will hold two telephone town hall meetings to provide members with information about the terms of the tentative agreement.
HSA, PEA welcome decision from LRB protecting labour relations stability in health care
April 12, 2016
The Health Sciences Association (HSA) and Professional Employees Association (PEA), the two unions that represent psychologists and psychometrists in BC's public health care system, welcome yesterday's Labour Relations Board (LRB) decision to deny a BC Nurses' Union (BCNU) application to further destabilize labour relations in BC's hospitals.
Update on CBA Comparability Increases
April 7, 2016
The current Health Services and Support Community Subsector collective agreement gives approximately 80 per cent of the FTEs (full time equivalents) in the Community Subsector comparability increases of 1 per cent in April 2016, 0.5 per cent in April 2017 and 0.5 per cent in April 2018. These increases will narrow the gap between Community jobs and higher paid Facilities jobs doing the same or similar work, and which have comparable benchmarks.