News & Updates

HSA REPORT MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 2016 Member surveys reveal that workload and shortages continue to be the greatest workplace concern -- and HSA is taking action. After consulting extensively with members through a series of surveys over the summer, HSA is rolling out a multi-level effort to raise public awareness and get the provincial government to take action on the dire...

HSA REPORT MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 2016 BY LAURA BUSHEIKIN "I love what I do. I can't believe I get paid for it." HSA member Eric Cheng is a respiratory therapist at Eagle Ridge Hospital in Port Moody, and a co-founder of the Canadian charity Respiratory Therapists Without Borders. Being a respiratory therapist (RT) puts Cheng on the front lines of health...

Your elected HSA representatives and staff have been hard at work since the union's 45th convention in May. The upcoming regional meetings will be a good opportunity to provide updates on that work, and a chance for stewards and other activists to connect and discuss the issues in your region. In preparation for those meetings, please take a few minutes...

HSA REPORT MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 2016 HSA members are looking ahead to the May 9, 2017 provincial election, and getting the training they need to make a real difference. Stasia Hasumi is already jumping in with both feet. "I've been a community activist for a while, but after serving on HSA's Political Action Committee last year, I saw how important it...

HSA REPORT MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 2016 BY DAVID DURNING, HSA OHS OFFICER In recent months there have been reports of hazardous asbestos abatement incidents in several BC health care facilities and labs. This is potentially exposing workers and members of the public to deadly asbestos fibres. It's estimated that more than 145,000 Canadian workers are exposed to asbestos in their workplaces...

Members have told HSA that workload issues caused by shortages of key health science professionals have reached critical levels. In a series of surveys conducted over the summer, members from across BC and a range of professions expressed concern that workload was making it difficult to deliver quality care, and leaving patients waiting too long for important procedures. To address...

You're invited to join with HSA and other labour unions as part of the Multi-Union Pride group in the Vancouver Pride Parade on Sunday, July 31, 2016. Arrive between 12 and 12:30 pm. Marching is open to all HSA members, their families and friends. We will meet on Thurlow Street, between Robson and Haro, by 12:15 pm at the latest...

During bargaining for the current community health collective agreement, the parties agreed in Memorandum of Agreement #34 to investigate the need to establish a new benchmark for the job Medical Office Assistant. To assist with the required investigation, a union survey has been developed for distribution to Community Health Subsector members whose job description features the job title Medical Office...

Members working at West Coast Medical Imaging have voted in favour of accepting the terms of a new collective agreement. 73% voted in favour of ratification during votes in Vancouver and Victoria earlier this week. The agreement provides improvements in sick leave, family illness, vacation access and uniform policy. Over the coming months, HSA and the employer will meet to...

Nadeem Zia (centre, blue tie) HSA REPORT MAGAZINE, JULY 2016 Surrey Memorial Hospital pharmacist Nadeem Zia was recently invited as a guest speaker to the 19th International Pharmacy Conference and Exhibition in Lahore, Pakistan. “I was very interested to go so I started planning the overseas trip,” said Zia. “My first challenge was getting vacation time, and the second was...