News & Updates

The Community Bargaining Association (CBA) and the Health Employers Association of British Columbia (HEABC) continued negotiations for the renewal of the Community Health collective agreement for four days and concluded on July 12, 2012. Talks are scheduled to continue for two weeks in Vancouver starting August 15. During the week of bargaining, the CBA and HEABC discussed and tabled counter...

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - July 19, 2012) - The BC Health Coalition is calling on the provincial government to undertake a full-scale review of all for-profit surgical facilities in the province in light of findings released by the Medical Services Commission yesterday. The MSC audit report shows that almost half of all the services examined at the Cambie and Specialist...

The Joint Community Social Services Labour Adjustment & Education Fund is now accepting applications from members working in the community social services sector. Successful applicants may receive up to $5,000 (lifetime maximum) to take eligible courses. The labour adjustment and education funds are available through a grant from the provincial government resulting from a joint request made by the Community...

The federal government is turning its back on health care at a time when we need our elected leaders to help build a caring future for Canada. The current federal-provincial-territorial agreement on health care will end in 2014 and the federal government has walked away from the negotiating table with the provinces before negotiations have even started. Some provinces have...

If you are an HSA member who was laid off after January 28, 2002 due to re-tendering, contracting out, or bumping from a heath care job in the community subsector, - or - If you are a current employee in a community subsector job and are interested in skills development, you may be eligible for reimbursement of training costs. The...

Late Monday evening, the BCGEU will commence a one-day job action at BC Liquor distribution centres in Vancouver, Victoria and Kamloops. HSA members are encouraged to join the BCGEU members at each of the three locations throughout the action, but primarily from 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 until the action is over at the end of the day...

Q: Im scheduled to work July 1, and not on July 2. However, my employer says that I will not be getting paid at the -statutory holiday" rate for work on July 1. Is this right? A: This year, July 1 falls on a Sunday. According to the federal Holidays Act, this means the legal statutory holiday is July 2...

The provincial government has given community social services workers another strong motivation to attend strike vote meetings being held around BC. Inflation is driving up the cost of living. The price of a litre of gas has climbed by 43 per cent since the last pay raise for community social services workers. Bread is up more than 11 per cent...

Chilliwack Progress Byline: Robert Freeman The Health Sciences Association of B.C. has joined Chilliwack hospital doctors and community leaders criticizing the decision to replace a rehab unit at Chilliwack General with an outpatient service. "Doctors and rehab specialists were not consulted about this closure," said HSABC President Reid Johnston. "Without consulting the front line workers," he said, Fraser Health Authority...

Strike vote meetings for all unionized workers in the sector continue next week. In addition to local info meetings, two thousand union members from across the province participated in a telephone town hall on Tuesday. HSA President Reid Johnson told the town hall about his background working in community social services as a family counsellor, and in community living providing...