News & Updates

Times Colonist (Victoria) Workers who care for the disabled, counsel battered women and provide support to sexual-assault victims walked off the job at 13 agencies in Greater Victoria Thursday to push for higher wages. It was the largest job action since 15,000 community social-service workers across the province began a series of rotating strikes Oct. 16. The 10 unions that...

Printer-friendly version The strike was working. Why did it get called off?Two days of rotating job action, and the prospect of more, got the governments attention. Veteran mediator Vince Ready was brought in by mutual agreement of the parties. We were seeing some real movement on some long-standing issues, and were optimistic we could clear the table of those issues...

South Delta Leader The union representing health science professionals in B.C. has called off job action that cancelled or postponed some medical procedures at Delta Hospital last week, but workers remain without a contract with the province. The Health Sciences Association of B.C. (HSABC) triggered a job action across the province last Thursday and Friday, despite the fact both sides...

Westside Weekly Laboratory services are running normally this week, Interior Health says. Unionized health-care workers have decided not to withdraw their services to back contract demands. Members of the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association had threatened to walk off the job, leaving only emergency service levels in place at IH labs. But health science professionals called off upcoming rotating strikes...

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 forms (below). Completed application forms and transcripts must...

Thursday saw the largest strike action undertaken by Community Social Services workers since they began rotating job actions almost two months ago. Workers from thirteen agencies are off the job December 13, sending a strong message to government: stop putting vulnerable families last, and provide the resources needed to improve wages and working conditions. A multi-union event took place from...

Nanaimo News Bulletin Instead of picketing group homes, social services workers in Nanaimo opted to back their demand for better wages by giving away coats, blankets and coffee Thursday. The job action happened at Diana Krall Plaza downtown, where Hospital Employees' Union and Health Sciences Association members gave away clothing, cookies, hot chocolate and coffee to people in need. "We're...

Times Colonist (Victoria) Workers from 13 community social services agencies will be off the job today in the largest job action since rotating strikes began two months ago. The workers will be at Centennial Square between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., with a rally at noon. Agencies targeted for job action include Victoria Women's Transition House Society, Community Living Victoria...

Times Colonist (Victoria) Expect to see some Greater Victoria firefighters wearing surgical masks this flu season. Greater Victoria fire chiefs have endorsed a policy patterned after one used by the B.C. Ambulance Service, in which members who choose not to get flu shots are required to wear surgical masks when attending to ill people, the elderly or when entering patient...

The Delta Optimist Delta Hospital was targeted for job action last Friday Patients scheduled for medical imaging procedures were notified their appointments had been cancelled. The Health Sciences Association (HSA), represented by the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA), last week said rotating strikes at various facilities would take place on Thursday and Friday. This occurred despite health science professionals...