Delegates to HSA's 38th annual convention April 24 and 25 called on the union to take action on publicizing the impact of cuts to legal aid services.
A concrete step members can take is to sign the WestCoast LEAF and Pivot Legal Society petition calling for the restoration of legal aid in the province.
Members of the Nurses' Bargaining Association, including registered psychiatric nurses who are members of the Health Sciences Association, have overwhelmingly ratified an extension of the provincial collective agreement. The overall margin was 96 per cent in favour.
The retention and recruitment agreement provides labour market adjustments of three per cent on April 1, 2010 and April 1, 2011. These market adjustments were proposed to help retain nurses by keeping compensation competitive.
HSA President Reid Johnson will join with BC Federation of Labour President Jim Sinclair and HEU members in a rally and march to support hospital housekeepers currently in contract discussions with their employers Aramark, Sodexo and Compass.
HSA members are invited to demonstrate their support at the rally and march as follows:
The BC Health Coalition is urging the provincial government to investigate recent charges by a Kelowna surgeon that private surgical companies are illegally billing patients for publicly insured cataract surgeries across the province.
HSA is one of several unions, community organizations, churches and others endorsing this weekend's Grand March For Housing organized by the Citywide Housing Coalition.
March participants will send a message to candidates in the upcoming provincial election that ending homelessness is a key to developing healthy communities.
Join the march this Saturday, April 4 at one of these starting points at 12 noon:
Ambulance paramedics across B.C. will be in a legal strike position effective Wednesday, April 1, 2009. The members of CUPE 873 are going on strike to support their position at the bargaining table that would lead to wage equity with other emergency service workers.
As part of the paramedics job action, picket lines may be erected at facilities where HSA members work.
Members who encounter a picket line are urged not to cross the picket line. HSA members are protected under the collective agreement against disciplinary action for failure to cross a legal picket line.
August 11 ... 15, 2009
University of California, at Los Angeles
The 28th Annual Western Regional Summer Institute on Union Women will be held August 11-15, 2009, at the University of California, Los Angeles. The five day residential program brings together 150 participants from the United States' and Canada's western regions for exciting workshops and speakers on the history, struggles, and achievements of working women.
The campaign to raise awareness of the importance of community-based social services is being supported by municipal councils across BC. To date, 31 city councils have passed resolutions declaring March as Community Social Services Awareness Month, following presentations by local workers in the sector.
Although all working people report they are suffering from more stress related to balancing responsibilities at work and at home, the greater burden is falling on women. Statistics reveal that women bear the brunt of duties associated with child care, are the primary caregivers for the elder care of aging parents and are responsible for the majority of household chores.
March 9, 2009
OHSAH is pleased to announce that it will be moving forward with the development of the OHSAH Learning Portal, which will provide BC's healthcare stakeholders with access to a centralized repository of healthcare occupational health and safety (OHS) education and training resources.
