Issues, Campaigns and Government Relations
A MESSAGE FROM HSA PRESIDENT VAL AVERY THE REPORT, DECEMBER 2013 HSA and other unions have been hunkered down in ceaseless and difficult negotiations for almost five years. The effort has expended enormous resources – resources that we need to focus on helping members deal with their daily workplace challenges. So when mediators approached HSA and other unions about early...
Registered psychiatric nurses represented by HSA have a lot of questions about pressure tactics currently employed by the BC Nurses Union and the Union of Psychiatric Nurses. Both BCNU and UPN have recently pressured members already represented by HSA, and we've been getting questions about whether it's possible to cancel these memberships. The deadline is now Depending on exactly when...
HSA REPORT, DECEMBER 2013 In late November, the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association reached a tentative agreement for the 17,000 health science professionals delivering modern health care in BC's hospitals and communities. It is a five-year agreement that expires March 31, 2019. The agreement was reached in advance of the expiry of the current agreement, set to run out on...
Do I have to get the flu shot?The policy upheld by the arbitrator states that if you do not get a flu shot, you can still work, but must wear a mask at all times during the declared flu season. When does flu season start?Flu season is declared by the Provincial Health Officer. It is typically declared between late-November and...
health care workers who don’t get a flu shot, or wear masks at work, face risk of being fired An arbitrator has ruled on the controversial flu shot policy for health care workers, siding with the health authority policy that dictates all health care workers must get immunized against seasonal influenza, or wear a mask at all times during the...
The Canadian (CLC) has endorsed a national consumer boycott of the following Labatt imported products: Stella Artois Staropramen Stella Artois Light Bodingtons Beck's Bass Brahma Löwenbräu Hoegaarden Ozujsko Pivo Leffe The boycott is in support of National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) members on strike at the Labatt’s plant in Newfoundland & Labrador. They have been on strike...
HSA members throughout the province who are running for office or working in upcoming municipal by-elections may apply to HSA for financial support from HSA's Political Action Fund. Municipal, Board of Education and Regional District elections 1. Members who are candidates in a civic election may apply for up to 5 days of wage replacement and/or up to $200 to...
Families and advocates for children with serious mental health challenges are speaking out against a month-long closure of the child psychiatry inpatient unit at BC Children’s Hospital. The month-long closure from July 19 to August 19 is to allow for a redesign of the treatment model used at the unit. The program is being redesigned from a 24/7 inpatient program...
THE REPORT: JULY 2013 Major corporations and their political allies in Canada are pushing for the type of "Right to Work" laws found in most of the poorest states in the US. Such laws make it harder for workers to form a union. They also allow workers in a unionized workplace to opt out of paying dues, while still being...