A 3% wage increase is now in effect for registered psychiatric nurses covered by the Nurses’ Bargaining Association provincial contract.
You can see your new wage rate here.
BY REID JOHNSON
PRESIDENT, HSA
As The Report magazine went to press, our community social service members were just voting on their tentative agreement. But for most members, another hard round of bargaining has come to an end.
BY LAURA BUSHEIKIN
Registered psychiatric nurse Danielle Garden is a woman with a mission: making life better for psychiatric patients.
This goal shapes everything she does — her interactions with patients, her relationships with co-workers and supervisors, her career choices, and her union involvement.
Are you a registered psychiatric nurse with a disability date of April 1, 2012 or later? If you have applied for Long Term Disability benefits and are in the LTD waiting period or you are appealing a decision of the LTD carrier, you may be eligible for premium maintenance for Health and Welfare benefits (Medical, Extended Health, Dental, Group Life and AD&D and LTD premiums). In order to be eligible you must meet the following criteria:
Further to the 2012-2014 collective agreement between the Nurses’ Bargaining Association and Health Employers’ Association of BC, the parties have agreed to move the effective date for full implementation of the Pharmacare tie-in to June 1, 2013.
The BlueNet direct-pay card will also be implemented June 1, 2013. The BlueNet Card allows direct-pay at the pharmacy for eligible prescriptions, instead of the current system of paying up front, and later submitting receipts for reimbursement.
The B.C. Liberal government began debate last week on Bill 18, legislation that fundamentally alters bargaining in the health sector.
In a brief opening to the debate in the B.C. legislature, health minister Margaret MacDiarmid claimed the legislation was in line with last year’s raid by the BC Nurses’ Union on Licenced Practical Nurses represented by HEU and other unions. She then flew to Vancouver to announce Bill 18 at the BCNU convention.
The Canadian Cancer Society – UBC Cancer Prevention Centre invites HSA members to participate in this study:
Are you a woman who works shifts? You may be eligible to participate in a sleep improvement program that may improve your quality of life, and help reduce breast cancer. Research has shown that women shift workers exposed to light at night are at increased risk for breast cancer.
In the last round of bargaining, the Nurses Bargaining Association negotiated changes to the extended health care plan. Prescription drug coverage now includes a PharmaCare tie-in. The change will go into effect on February 1, 2013.
The NBA agreed to introduce a managed formulary through the PharmaCare tie in to help manage rising costs, and ensure that members can continue to obtain the medications they need, or an equivalent alternative.
In the last round of bargaining, the Nurses Bargaining Association negotiated changes to the extended health care plan. Prescription drug coverage now includes a PharmaCare tie-in. The change will go into effect on February 1, 2013.
The NBA agreed to introduce a managed formulary through the PharmaCare tie in to help manage rising costs, and ensure that members can continue to obtain the medications they need, or an equivalent alternative.
In 2005, David Bland -- a vocationalrehabilitation counsellor and HSA member from Richmond Mental Health -- wasmurdered at his workplace by a former client. His tragic death served asa sombre reminder that more needs to be done to prevent incidents of violencein the workplace and to protect health care and social services workers on thejob.
