Your elected HSA representatives and staff have been hard at work since the union's 45th convention in May. The upcoming regional meetings will be a good opportunity to provide updates on that work, and a chance for stewards and other activists to connect and discuss the issues in your region.
In preparation for those meetings, please take a few minutes to review some of the important work HSA has been involved in.
Members have told HSA that workload issues caused by shortages of key health science professionals have reached critical levels.
In a series of surveys conducted over the summer, members from across BC and a range of professions expressed concern that workload was making it difficult to deliver quality care, and leaving patients waiting too long for important procedures.
To address these concerns, HSA has launched a new province-wide ad aimed at raising public awareness of how shortages of health science professionals is impacting wait times and health care.
You're invited to join with HSA and other labour unions as part of the Multi-Union Pride group in the Vancouver Pride Parade on Sunday, July 31, 2016. Arrive between 12 and 12:30 pm.
Marching is open to all HSA members, their families and friends. We will meet on Thurlow Street, between Robson and Haro, by 12:15 pm at the latest. Just look for the HSA and other union flags.
Members working at West Coast Medical Imaging have voted in favour of accepting the terms of a new collective agreement. 73% voted in favour of ratification during votes in Vancouver and Victoria earlier this week.
The agreement provides improvements in sick leave, family illness, vacation access and uniform policy.
Over the coming months, HSA and the employer will meet to finalize the collective agreement for distribution and implementation.
HSA has sent a letter of support to the US Association of Vascular and Interventional Radiographers, whose members are now threatened by policy changes that would allow nurses to perform their laboratory and imaging work.
"As the union representing 75 unique health science professions here in BC, we know that these professions require extensive training and unique skills," writes Val Avery, president of HSA.
Over the past 5 years, the BCNU leadership has taken an aggressive and adversarial approach that undermines the autonomy and professional integrity of HSA members in their workplaces and in their union. These actions have resulted in the expulsion of BCNU from the BC Federation of Labour, Canadian Labour Congress and other progressive bodies across Canada.
HSA’s bargaining committee has reached a tentative agreement with West Coast Medical Imaging. HSA represents almost 200 members working in diagnostic imaging clinics in the Vancouver and Victoria regions.
The tentative four-year agreement includes modest wage increases, improvements to sick leave and vacation provisions, and an agreement on a process on issues related to casuals’ seniority rights.
Details of the terms of the tentative agreement and a schedule of ratification votes will be circulated in the coming days.
Members may apply for Political Action Fund support to attend political action training which is:
Applications are being invited from HSA members who work under the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) collective agreement for $550 awards to support professional development. The awards will be distributed province wide, with two awards available to members in each of the union’s 10 regions. Awards will be randomly selected.
