Majority of essential service levels now established, remainder by August 5

After numerous delays, community social service workers in BC can expect job action to commence in August. The long process of determining what services will be maintained as essential during a strike is finally drawing to a close.

Essential services levels have now been set at ninety-seven per cent of the 220 agencies that make up BCs community social services sector.

The union and health employers have reached a labour adjustment plan to minimize the impact of the employers consolidation plan for pharmacy services in the Lower Mainland.

The Health Science Professional Bargaining Associations pharmacy consolidation committee has been meeting with pharmacists across the Lower Mainland to hear concerns and ideas. The union ensured this input was a crucial part of the meetings with health employers. After a series of meetings throughout April, May & June, the parties reached an agreement in recent days.

Join us on the MultiUnion Pride Float:  Sunday, July 31, 2011 at 11:45

Vancouver Pride is in the final year of a three-year theme.

This year you - our Union Activists - will celebrate all you have accomplished and all you have liberated!

For full details and a printer-friendly poster, click here.

HSA members throughout the province who are running for office or working in municipal or provincial election campaigns this fall may apply to HSA for financial support from HSAs Political Action Fund.

Municipal, Board of Education and Regional District elections

In keeping with a resolution passed by delegates at HSAs 2010 convention, HSA is encouraging members to vote -Yes" to extinguish the Harmonized Sales Tax in the current BC-wide referendum. 

If you havent received your HST Referendum Voting Package yet, then you should contact Elections BC at 1-800-661-8683 (toll-free) to request a package.  The deadline to request a voting package is midnight (local time) Friday, July 22, 2011.

A by-election in Region 8 has resulted in members electing Allen Peters as their representative on the HSA Board of Directors.  Allen is a medical imaging technologist at Nicola Valley General Hospital in Merritt.

Come learn about how you can support community social service workers, who are preparing for job action later this summer. HSA members will be on hand at the Surrey-Fleetwood neighbourhood picnic this weekend, talking to their neighbours about HSA and the struggle of the people who deliver the critical Community Social Services that help make our communities healthy. Those workers are preparing for job action after several months of unsuccessful bargaining for a new collective agreement.

This years annual Run for the Cure, the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation's most important fundraiser, is Sunday, October 2.

HSA has supported the run since 1997, and is one of three regional sponsors of the Run for the Cure.  At every step from diagnosis to treatment and recovery, highly trained health science professionals use their expertise to help breast cancer patients.

The union urges HSA members and others to join the HSA team to run or walk for the cure October 2.

As you are aware, HSA has been working to minimize the impact of the employers consolidation plan for health information management services in the Lower Mainland. Here are answers to frequently-asked questions.

Q:   I received my -transfer package" July 4, 2011. What happens if I dont fill out the forms in this package?

The Great Canadian Railtour Company Ltd., operating as Rocky Mountaineer Vacations, has locked out members of Teamsters Local 31 as of June 21, 2011, affecting 109 on board attendants.

The Teamsters are holding a rally in support of these workers, and welcome support from other union members and the community.

• Date: Thursday, July 7
• Time:  4:00 pm
• Place: 1755 Cottrell Street, Vancouver
  (behind the Home Depot off Terminal Avenue in Vancouver)