News & Updates

The Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA) has reached a tentative agreement for a new collective agreement with the Community Social Services Employers’ Association. See full bulletin here. Visit the CSSBA website here

The Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA) continues to negotiate with the Community Social Services Employers’ Association (CSSEA) on non-monetary proposals. Both parties have agreed to increase their negotiating days and are therefore preparing to work through the weekend towards an agreement. See full information bulletin here. Visit the CSS Fair Deal website here

HSA members in Region 8 have elected Cherylee Hale as their representative on the union’s Board of Directors. Her election is effective immediately for a two-year term that ends at conclusion of HSA’s annual convention in 2020. Hale is a cardiology technologist working at Penticton Regional Hospital and Kelowna General Hospital. She has also worked at Kootenay Lake Hospital and...

The Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA) has now concluded its third week of negotiations with the Community Social Services Employers’ Association (CSSEA). The groups exchanged more proposals with a focus on occupational health and safety issues and concerns. See full information bulletin here. Visit the CSS Fair Deal website here.

­­­­ HSA REPORT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2018 How privately-funded health care hurts us On May 1, the B.C. Health Coalition (BCHC) presented two B.C. private surgical clinics with an invoice for $15.9 million. It was a symbolic gesture seeking to highlight how unlawful extra-billing by private clinics across the province is costing the public health care system. Supporters gathered with placards...

HSA REPORT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2018 President's Report, Val Avery HSA members have known for a quite some time what works and what doesn’t when it comes to the delivery of quality health care, and our work in promoting policy recommendations has been grounded in this expertise. We are pleased to see that many of our recommendations are now coming to...

HSA REPORT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2018 National Nursing Week was celebrated from May 7-13, marking the important contribution nurses make to our health care system. Registered psychiatric nurses work on interdisciplinary teams in a variety of health care settings, including psychiatric units in hospitals, community mental health centres, and on community outreach teams. “Learning is continuous,” says Kiran Rama, an HSA...

HSA REPORT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2018 Linda Bessant of Victoria, B.C. is the recipient of this 2018 David Bland Award. “I am humbled by the award,” said Bessant, but she is sobered by the tragic workplace accident that killed HSA member David Bland. “The award is given out unfortunately because someone lost their life, and as appreciative as I am to...

HSA REPORT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2018 It’s be en nearly on e ye ar since the Cam pbell Riv er Sobering and Assessment Centre, operated by the Vancouver Island Mental Health Society, opened its doors to the public in July 2017. “We’ve been in continuous operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week since that time,” said HSA member and...

A second week of bargaining has wrapped up between the Community Bargaining Association (CBA) and the Health Employers Association of British Columbia (HEABC) in Vancouver. Talks are aimed at achieving a new collective agreement for members in community health. The CBA represents roughly 16,000 employees working in community health around B.C. The majority are represented by the BCGEU, which is...