News & Updates

Unions say mediation has been a "complete waste of time"The Paramedical Professional Bargaining Association today announced that it will issue 72-hour strike notice to the Health Employers' Association of BC on Tuesday, January 5. Cindy Stewart, President of the Health Sciences Association of BC (HSA), says HEABC's intransigence at the bargaining table leaves the unions with no other choice."Our bargaining...

The Report: January 1999 vol.19 num.5 by CINDY STEWART The recent job action taken by HSA paramedical professionals clearlygave our bargaining team the momentum we needed to get a fair collective agreement. Byputting pressure on health employers, we were able to get the provincial governmentinvolved in our negotiations, forcing HEABC to address our issues seriously. But our job action strategy...

The Report: January 1999 vol.19 num.5 by JACKIE SPAIN About two years ago I was in the process of deciding whether I had theright skill set ... and indeed the determination, motivation and conviction ... tohold the position of HSA Regional Director for Region 9 (Kootenays). I was also at the point that I knew it was time to embark...

The Report: January 1999 vol.19 num.5 Welcome to new members at the Central Okanagan Child Development Association HSA extends a warm welcome to 63 new members at the Central OkanaganChild Development Association in Kelowna. Our new members at COCDA include physiotherapists, occupationaltherapists, speech / language pathologists, infant development consultants, preschoolteachers, clerical workers, and supported child care workers. The employer at...

The Report: January 1999 vol.19 num.5 The BC Business Summit has not delivered on its promise of new ideasfor reviving the BC economy, according to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. -All we have heard is a repeat of the same old ideas the businesslobby has been pushing for decades: lower taxes, cut regulations, privatize services, andrepeal labour and environmental...

The Report: January 1999 vol.19 num.5 by RACHEL NOTLEY and CAROL RIVIERE HSA is assisting with a study of the effect of occupational chemicalexposure on the respiratory health of various groups of health care professionals. Thisstudy is being conducted by members of the Occupational and Environmental Lung DiseasesResearch Unit of the Department of Medicine, in conjunction with the Occupational HygieneProgramme...

The Report: January 1999 vol.19 num.5 by SARAH O'LEARY Can I be fired for being absent too often from work? If you are absent from work on a prolonged basis due to a chronic, long-term health problem, you are protected by the BC Human Rights Code. The Code imposes a duty on the part of the employer to seek some...

Unions call HEABC's attitude at the bargaining table "irresponsible"Talks at the paramedical professional bargaining table came to an abrupt halt this morning. The Paramedical Professional Bargaining Association, which represents over 10,000 health care professionals across the province, says the Health Employers Association's attitude at the bargaining table is risking further disruption in BC's health care system."You would think that on...

More than 9,000 paramedical professionals represented by the Health Sciences Association of BC will take a strike vote November 16-19 to back the union's efforts for a fair collective agreement.HSA is the lead union in the Paramedical Professional Bargaining Association which represents approximately 10,000 health care professionals including lab technologists, x-ray technologists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, child development workers, social workers and...

The Report: November / December 1998 vol.19 num.4 by RICK LAMPSHIRE As the Paramedical Professional Bargaining Association heads intomediation, I want to take this opportunity to thank all HSA members for their strongsupport during these negotiations. Many of our key issues are complicated and not easy to communicate in a30-second sound bite. Unlike other health tables, HSA does not have...