In 2006, community social services workers represented by HSA finally won access to the Municipal Pension Plan. You may be eligible to enrol starting April 1, 2010. HSA strongly recommends all eligible employees enrol.

Your employer determines your eligibility, and will send you information if you qualify. You then have 90 days to decide whether you want to enrol.

Due to increased demand for steward training, HSA is offering the following workshop:

Please apply ASAP as workshops have been filling up quickly.

Pre-registration forms are available from the HSA website at www.hsabc.org.

To celebrate Community Social Services Month in BC, unions representing workers in the community social services sector have been working together to develop a poster, leaflet, and website.

(This information applies to HSA members of the Community Social Services Bargaining Association.)

A professional development education fund announced in November is still available to HSA members in the community social services sector.

Applications are due March 31, 2010.

Professional development that could be considered for funding includes:

Last month, health services and support workers represented by HSA voted 91 per cent in favour of rejecting the tentative agreement reached between the bargaining associations lead union, BCGEU, and the provincial government.

However, the BCGEU has announced today that the bargaining association as a whole has voted in favour of the contract. The tallied results indicate 76 per cent of union members represented by the bargaining association voted in favour.

May 4th at the Italian Cultural Centre, Vancouver

Shoppers Home Health Care and WorkSafeBC are hosting this half-day hands-on workshop for directors of care, floor supervisors and trainers, care aides and other front line staff who provide direct patient care. Attendees will receive instruction from professional trainers on the use of ceiling and floor lifts and other transfer assist devices, and will be required to practice transfers and repositioning tasks using the equipment.    

HSA is offering scholarships and bursaries to all members and their children.  We will be awarding ten scholarships for full-time studies, twenty bursaries for full-time studies, four bursaries for part-time studies and two aboriginal scholarships.

The criteria and details are set out on the application forms.  To obtain a copy please see the HSA website:  www.hsabc.org

TO: OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

Dear Sisters and Brothers:

RE: IWD ... VANCOUVER RALLY AND CONFERENCE - MARCH 6, 2010

-WOMENS VOICES AT THE TABLE"

A diverse group of community and labour women have been meeting to organize the large Vancouver community event for this years International Womens Day (IWD) celebration in Vancouver. This year, the IWD Rally at the Art Gallery will be followed by a Conference at the Vancouver Public Library.

Health services and support workers represented by HSA voted 91 per cent in favour of rejecting the tentative agreement reached in December between the bargaining associations lead union, BCGEU, and the provincial government.

This follows last months recommendation by HSAs board of directors, who agreed with the unions negotiating team: the agreement asked members to give up too many hard-won benefits.

In 2009, the Nurses Bargaining Association launched the Retroactive Portability of Seniority Initiative. The most common reason for denial of claims was that nurses remained casual at the first work site, making them ineligible to port their seniority. Many of these nurses remained casual on the advice of union stewards and labour relations officers.

Due to this fact, the NBA has agreed to re-open claims for nurses caught in these circumstances.