News & Updates

The United Steelworkers (USW) announced this week the launch of a fundraising campaign and the creation of a trust account to provide support to the workers of Babine Forest Products and their families in the wake of an explosion at the Burns Lake, B.C. sawmill. The tragedy in Burns Lake has affected the whole community, including the many HSA members...

HSA is offering the following 2-day OH&S steward training workshops at the HSA office: Basic OH&S Steward Training dates: Registration closes:February 13 & 14, 2012 February 3, 2012March 26 & 27, 2012 March 5, 2012 Occupational health and safety issues are very important to HSA members, and OH&S stewards play a vital role in promoting a safe work environment and...

Health Sciences Association (HSA), on behalf of the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association, called on the Health Employers Association of BC (HEABC) in a meeting today to rescind the notice it gave earlier this month that it plans to roll back hospital pharmacists wages by as much as $12,000 a year.Jeanne Meyers, HSAs executive director of legal services and labour...

Ensuring the safety of patients in BCs health care facilities is the priority for nurses, as they began bargaining this week for a new contract with the provinces health authorities. HSAs Registered Psychiatric Nurses are represented by Lions Gate RPN Val Barker and Senior Labour Relations Officer Pat Blomme. HSA President Reid Johnson said psychiatric nurses want to ensure they...

In order to comply with a requirement to provideemployees transferring to Fraser Health Authority under the Lower Mainlandpharmacy consolidation, HSPBA, the bargaining association that representshospital pharmacists facing a 9 ... 14 per cent wage rollback, has developed aform for pharmacists to provide to Fraser Health Authority. Download the form here

Prince George Citizen TheNorthern Health Authority has a prescription to cure potential labour unrest atUniversity Hospital of Northern B.C. Theorganization is refusing to accept a provincial push to reduce the wages of itshospital pharmacists. TheHealth Employers Association of B.C. recently requested that health authoritiesend a temporary eight to 13 per cent increase in hospital pharmacists wagesthat was adopted in 2006...

Representatives of the Provincial Nurses Bargaining Association ... including Registered Psychiatric Nurses represented by HSA ... are heading to the bargaining table this week. The constituent unions are meeting today. Bargaining with the employer begins January 24-25. More bargaining dates are set February 20-24. RPN & Lions Gate Hospital Chief Steward Val Barker will represent HSA RPNs, along with Senior...

This memo is available for download here.

The new Health Care Innovation Working Group announced at this weeks Council of the Federation meeting is an opportunity for the provinces to build on the many positive public solutions that make Medicare stronger and avoid unaffordable for-profit care, says the BCHealth Coalition.-The provinces must look for ways to build the capacity of public non-profit health care delivery and protect...

The BC Federation of Labour's officers have thrown their support behind the Canadian Federation of Students National Day of Action, Federation President Jim Sinclair announced today. See full news release.