News & Updates

The Report: April / May 2000 vol.21 num.2 by PAM BUSH and REBECCA MAURER HSA members in the Capital Health Region have helped put the brakes on a plan by their employer to introduce an extreme form of program management. The plan, championed by CEO Tom Closson, would have seen the elimination of key departments such as physiotherapy, social work...

The Report: April / May 2000 vol.21 num.2 During the past few months, the HSA office has received several inquiries about Bill 14, the new workers compensation legislation that was enacted by the provincial government last year. In response to those questions, HSAs occupational health and safety experts have produced this article, outlining the key changes in the legislation. In...

The Report: April / May 2000 vol.21 num.2 by CINDY STEWART This year, with convention being scheduled for the end of March, HSAs annual cycle is two months shorter then usual. In many contexts, two months may not seem like a long time, but it is significant when a 12-month cycle is tight at the best of times. We have...

The Report: April / May 2000 vol.21 num.2 Organizing efforts continue at MDS Vancouver Island HSA is continuing our efforts to organize over 250 employees at MDS Laboratories on Vancouver Island. These employees include lab technologists, lab assistants, and couriers. They work in analytical labs, as well as in patient service centres, which are community-based specimen collection facilities. Organizer Janice...

The Report: April / May 2000 vol.21 num.2 by YUKIE KURAHASHI Wendy Webb Radiation Therapist BC Cancer Agency - Cancer Centre for the Southern Interior People often ask Wendy Webb why she chose radiation therapy as a career. "I work with cancer patients every day, so people ask me if I find it really depressing," she says. "But its not...

The Report: April / May 2000 vol.21 num.2 by MARYANN ABBS and YUKIE KURAHASHI My department manager insists that the budget is tight, and that there is no money for education leave this year. Is there anything that I can do about this? Traditionally, education leave is a very important issue for HSA members, who take pride in their expertise...

The Report: February / March 2000 vol.21 num.1 by SARAH O'LEARY Some favourable news for members who are injured or disabledfrom working: previously, some HSA members have had problems collecting Long TermDisability benefits when they had been injured at work and collected workerscompensation. Workers will sometimes find that their WCB benefits are terminatedbefore they are ready to return to work...

The Report: February / March 2000 vol.21 num.1 by YUKIE KURAHASHI Most stewards agree: the work as a union rep is rewarding, butthe workload can be intense. That was the answer stewards gave HSA in a 1994 surveydesigned to assess the needs of HSA activists. As a result, the union made a decision later that year to implement theOrganizing Model...

The Report: February / March 2000 vol.21 num.1 When to call your LRO Before calling your Labour Relations Officer, contact your steward first regarding workplace concerns. At most facilities, a list of your stewards is posted on your union bulletin board. For regional labour relations issues, or if your steward can't help, contact your LRO. For all provincial, national, or...

The Report: February / March 2000 vol.21 num.1 by RACHEL NOTLEY and YUKIE KURAHASHI The final report of the BC Ultrasonographers' study reveals that 91% of survey respondents have experienced musculoskeletal pain and discomfort at some point during their sonography career. The final results of the BC Ultrasonographers study are in and theypresent a disturbing picture of the dangers associated...