News & Updates

Consolidations: an overviewLast spring, Lower Mainland health employers issued a notice to HSA members working in diagnostic imaging: services throughout the Lower Mainland would be consolidated region-wide. The employers said their objective was to reduce the diagnostic imaging budget by 10 per cent. Employers have since announced plans to consolidate five other service areas, with the aim of cutting up...

Delegates to the 40th annual convention of the Health Sciences Association of BC have returned Reid Johnson as president of the 17,000-strong union of health science professionals working in hospitals and communities throughout BC. Johnson has been President of the Health Sciences Association of BC since April 2007. The union represents more than 17,000 health science professionals in the public...

Following more than a year and a half of negotiations, members of the community social services bargaining committee have been unable to reach a tentative collective agreement. Members gave the unions bargaining representatives direction to negotiate improvements in layoff and bumping language, and improved job security. The committee made heroic efforts to negotiate improvements that protect members against job loss...

Fraser Health Authority and union representatives are set to resume negotiations concerning the employers plans to consolidate hospital and community-based pharmacy services across the Lower Mainland. The discussions will focus on the development of a labour adjustment plan that deals with issues such as employment transfer and a consolidated seniority list for all pharmacists in the Lower Mainland.The consolidation plan...

Since January 10 of this year, the union has met with Providence on three occasions to negotiate a labour adjustment agreement. Three more meetings are scheduled. The intent of these meetings is to negotiate a labour adjustment agreement that mitigates the impacts of the employers proposed consolidation structure for our members working in Health Information Management. HSA is concerned that...

The Report: April 2011 vol.32 num.1 IN AUGUST OF 2009, a violent patient at Eric Martin Pavillion punched a pyschiatric nurse. Then he kicked her. Then he beat her head repeatedly against the hard floor. The nurse was so severely injured she may never work again. After another violent incident just a few months later, in March, the patient was...

The Report: April 2011 vol.32 num.1 MEDICAL RADIATION TECHNOLOGIST Christin Lumsden credits an innovative school program for pointing her in the direction of a job she loves. She considers herself lucky to have found a profession that perfectly fits her interests: its varied, offers meaningful human relationships, lets her use sophisticated technology, and provides many opportunities for continual learning and...

The Report: April 2011 vol.32 num.1 WHEN I BECAME PRESIDENT OF HSA IN APRIL OF 2007 I made a commitment to leadership that relies on hearing, understanding, communicating, and acting on the priorities of the community that is our membership. I still stand by those words. Over the last few months, whether at ratification vote meetings around the province, in...

NEWS RELEASE: Yesterday, Royal Inland Hospital announced a radical cut in outpatient x-ray services, with no consultation with the community. The hospitals x-ray technologists are raising the alarm that Royal Inland Hospital is putting patient services at risk. -Royal Inland announced yesterday that starting Sunday, patients should no longer come to the hospital for routine outpatient x-rays," said Reid Johnson...

The Community Social Services Bargaining Associations last push to achieve a contract ended this week, with talks breaking off Wednesday after 18 months at the bargaining table. HSAs board of directors has approved a recommendation by HSAs representatives in the multi-union bargaining association to take a strike vote. -Our bargaining team went to the table with direction from members to...