News & Updates

The Report: December 2003 vol.24 num.6 SA members at St. Pauls Hospital in downtown Vancouver are becoming increasingly concerned about violence in their workplace. For example, employees working in the hospitals emergency department ... especially in the psychiatric emergency unit ... deal with violent incidents on a daily basis. What is violence? The Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Regulation, section...

The Report: December 2003 vol.24 num.6 by CAROL RIVIERE he Union Bargaining Association (UBA) and the Community Social Services Employers Association (CSSEA), began talks during the first week of October to negotiate a new collective agreement covering nearly 15,000 workers in the community social services sector. Talks have proceeded slowly and cautiously in this very complex round of bargaining in...

The Report: December 2003 vol.24 num.6 by SARAH O'LEARY he Supreme Court of Canada brought down a landmark decision for workers on October 3, 2003, one that has been 10 years in the works. The entire labour and injured-worker community had been eagerly awaiting this decision ... and the courts have ruled firmly in favour of injured employees and their...

The Report: December 2003 vol.24 num.6 by CINDY STEWART n November 3, the Fraser Health Authority announced that St. Marys Hospital in New Westminster will be closing. Well, actually, not exactly. The Fraser Health Authority said it will no longer purchase services from the hospital and that the future of St. Marys will be decided by the Saint Marys Board...

The Report: December 2003 vol.24 num.6 by JEANNE MEYERS SAs legal department has been working actively in the past year to support the work of the labour relations department. While HSA has tried to find labour relations solutions wherever possible, in the current climate, we are experiencing an approach by the Health Employers Association of BC, some Health Authorities and...

The Report: December 2003 vol.24 num.6 by AUDREY MacMILLAN ith two elections in the not so distant future, a presentation by the Canadian Labour Congress at the recent BC Federation of Labour policy convention in Vancouver gave union members in British Columbia a lot to think about. Danny Mallette, national director of the CLC, and Lily Olson, a CLC representative...

The Report: December 2003 vol.24 num.6 by BRUCE WILKINS Does the collective agreement contain all of the rights that I hold in my relationship with my employer? No. A recent Supreme Court of Canada decision holds that union members also enjoy the rights that come from other employment-related statutes. No matter how thick you may think your HSA collective agreement...

The Report: December 2003 vol.24 num.6 by YUKIE KURAHASHI ithin the first minute of meeting Suzanne Bennett, you might not think “passionate union activist” or “tireless community social services advocate.” You would probably think “ecstatic young grandma.” In the subsequent five or six minutes, you’d realize that Suzanne Bennett is all these, and more. Suzanne Bennett Chief Steward & Member-at-Large...

The Report: December 2003 vol.24 num.6 hen she was just four years old, Kathleen Collin might already have known she'd grow up to be a pharmacist. "I was so excited to get to the drugstore - because I'd been promised a popsicle - that I pushed on a 'pull' door and fell right through the screen door," she laughed. "I...

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