Reach Child and Youth Development Society workers vote by overwhelming majority to join HSA
The Health Sciences Association (HSA) is pleased to welcome 163 new members from the Reach Child and Youth Development Society, who voted 81 per cent to unionize. The BC Labour Relations Board counted and confirmed the vote today.
The union’s newest members deliver a wide range of services for children and youth in Delta, Surrey, and Langley, and adds to the growing group of workers in the child development sector represented by HSA. Workers at reach include Early Childhood Educators, Speech Language Pathologists, Behavioural Consultants, Supported Child Development Consultants, Occupational Therapists, Infant Development Consultants, Respite Caregivers and many other members of the team supporting families and children.
“HSA is pleased to welcome this remarkable group of caring workers to their new union and the broader union movement. The workers at Reach were clear throughout the months of the organizing drive that they value the support and protection a union contract offers to workers in the social services sector,” said HSA President Kane Tse.
“The more connected we are across our many programs, the stronger we can be for ourselves, our families, and our communities,” said Mandip Sidhu, an Infant Development Program Consultant at Reach. Sidhu works in Reach’s Infant Development Program providing support for families of children birth to age 3 who may be at risk or have developmental delay or who have a diagnosed disability.
“The vote to join HSA is just the starting point for addressing issues in our workplace. Through this process we’ve recognized that when we work together, we all benefit,” Sidhu said.
In joining HSA, workers at Reach Child and Youth Development Society join the voices of HSA members across the province advocating for services for children and families who depend on specialized support for children and families.