News & Updates

Community social services workers resume job action this week, and will focus on delivering their message to provincial politicians that it's time to end wage and benefit discrimination for workers in this sector.Today, striking care-providers in the Lower Mainland will rally at Finance Minister Joy MacPhail's community office at 3:00 p.m. (2365 East Hastings, Vancouver)."Community social services workers have waited...

Workers in the community social services sector will resume strikeaction on Monday, March 15. Pickets will go up at selected worksites inthe Lower Mainland and Prince George.The four unions representing workers in this sector -- B.C. Governmentand Service Employees' Union, Canadian Union of Public Employees,Hospital Employees' Union and Health Sciences Association - say thegovernment's refusal to address wage and benefit...

Paramedical professionals represented by the Health Sciences Association of BC have voted 94 per cent in favour of the contract recommended by Mediator Brian Foley.HSA represents more than 90 per cent of paramedical professionals across the province."This contract is good news for HSA and for all paramedical professionals," says Chief Negotiator Rick Lampshire. "Given the current political and economic climate...

Ten thousand workers in the community social services sector will commence a province-wide strike on International Women's Day, March 8, in an effort to end wage and benefit discrimination for women in the sector.Negotiators for the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU), Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Hospital Employees' Union (HEU) and Health Sciences Association (HSA) outlined the...

The Report: February / March 1999 vol.19 num.6 by RICK LAMPSHIRE Congratulations to all of you! We can be proud of ourselves. Ninemonths of negotiations and over ten days of mediation have resulted in a collectiveagreement acceptable to 94 per cent of our paramedical professional membership. The 0-0-2wage mandate was pre-determined by the time we arrived at mediation. But we...

The Report: February / March 1999 vol.19 num.6 by CINDY STEWART On February 17 the Labour Relations Board ruled that HSA is theappropriate union to represent clinical perfusionists in the health sector, and have beenso since the sprint of 1997 when they applied to be paramedical professionals. In Februaryof 1997, clinical perfusionists sought paramedical professional designation on the basisthat a...

The Report: February / March 1999 vol.19 num.6 by LYN BLENKINSOP In September of 1997, I was fortunate enough to be chosen as one of 16health care workers, and one of five HSA members, to be trained by the Healthcare LabourAdjustment Agency to deliver peer counselling services to employees who have beendisplaced, threatened with future displacement or affected by changing...

The Report: February / March 1999 vol.19 num.6 by YUKIE KURAHASHI In 1971, Pat Holisky was instrumental in the formation of HSA as aunion to represent the rights of paramedical professionals in the workplace. Twenty-eightyears later ... as she retires ... HSA was able to pay back a big debt of gratitude,with a significant settlement of a longstanding policy grievance...

The Report: February / March 1999 vol.19 num.6 Y2K bug = vacation ban? Some health employers have stated recently that they will be banningall vacations for employees from December 31, 1999 to March 15, 2000. The employers arguethat the potential effects of a Y2K disaster on health care delivery warrants this move,and that health facilities may need staff available to...

The Report: February / March 1999 vol.19 num.6 Heres how the unemployed paid down the federaldeficit by KEVIN HAYES Unemployment Insurance is at the heart of the Chrétiengovernments fiscal strategy. Cuts in UI benefits account for over half of thereduction in program expenditures since Paul Martins first budget in 1994. From deficit to surplusThere is no federal surplus if the...