News & Updates

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...

Three weeks of negotiations for the renewal of the Community Health collective agreement covering 14,000 health care and administrative workers in the Community Health sub-sector concluded on Saturday, June 16 in Vancouver. Talks are scheduled to resume on July 9, 2012 for one week. The Community Bargaining Association (CBA) tabled monetary proposals on Friday, June 15. The unions are asking...

Chilliwack Times Another union is calling for consultation before the Fraser Health Authority follows through on its plan to shut down an inpatient rehabilitation unit at Chilliwack General Hospital. The Health Sciences Association (HSA), which represents physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers and other rehab specialists at the Chilliwack hospital, said the plan to replace a 20bed sub-acute unit with outpatient...

Negotiations aimed at concluding a new contract covering 16,000 health care and administrative workers in the Community Health Services and Support sub-sector continued last week in Vancouver. Talks will continue. On Monday and again on Wednesday last week, the Health Employers Association of British Columbia (HEABC) presented a broad based benefits proposal. The Community Bargaining Association (CBA) is reviewing the...

Bargaining discussions between the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) and Health Employers Association of BC (HEABC) for a new collective agreement for BCs health science professionals will resume at the end of August. HSPBA Chief Negotiator Jeanne Meyers said the delay in bargaining is disappointing. The collective agreement, like many public sector collective agreements, expired on March 31, 2011...

The union representing rehabilitation therapists at Chilliwack General Hospital is joining community leaders in calling for consultation before the hospitals rehab unit is unilaterally closed. The Health Sciences Association represents physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, and other rehab specialists across BC, including at Chilliwack General Hospital. HSA President Reid Johnson said a unilateral closure of the rehab unit is a...

Health care professionals across the country will be staging a National Day of Action for Refugee Health Care on Monday, June 18 to protest the Conservative government's cuts to the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP). National organizations representing several health professions, including the Canadian Association of Social Workers and the Canadian Pharmacists Association, are organizing events to protest these drastic...

Strike vote meetings Community Social Services members represented by HSA are continuing to participate across the province at multi-union information and strike vote meetings. Click here for a complete list of strike vote meetings, or visit http://www.hsabc.org/viewBulletins.php?nid=1386&cat = Questions? Difficulty getting to the polls? HSA's Community Social Service members are encouraged to contact the office by email at: @email...