January 21,2010

Union’s look to protect jobs and services at the bargaining table.  Job Security provisions must be kept in place to deal with the massive reorganization of health services planned by government.

In the face of plans for the massive reorganization of health care services and the threat of further cuts to health care in the March provinicial budget, health care unions say it’s critical to preserve job security protections in the current round of collective bargaining.

The multi-union Facilities Bargaining Association resumes negotiations today with BC’s health employers for a renewed contract covering more than 40,000 hospital and long-term care workers.

FBA spokesperson, Judy Darcy, says that protecting decent jobs and the public’s investment in a skilled and experienced workforce is an urgent priority at the bargaining table given the health authorities’ plans for yet another round of destabilizing cuts, privatization and reorginization.

“Our members are doing their part to deliver quality care to British Columbians under increasingly difficult conditions,” says Darcy.  “They deserve to know that their contributions are recognized and valued.”

The FBA bargaining team is pushing for expanded rights for members affected by the planned consolidation of services between health authorities and by the creation of a new provincial entity – the Health Authority Shared Services Organization – where other services will be transferred.

“These changes will be extremely disruptive and are planned to take place in a very short time frame,” says Darcy.  “And without provisions in the agreement that protect our members’ rights, these transitions will also be very difficult to implement.  We’ve been working hard on this issue over the last few days.”

“A new round of cuts and privatization will affect everyone from the nursing team to clerical workers to support staff to the lab and pharmacy,” says Darcy.  “Our proposals will minimize the impact of these actions on health services and on the front-line workers who deliver them.”

In addition to job security, improved compensation for distinct groups and the safeguarding of extended health benefits, are the FBA’s key bargaining objectives.

The current collective agreement expires on March 31, 2010.

January 18, 2010

NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE WEDNESDAY FOR A RENEWED COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT COVERING MORE THAN 40,000 HEALTH CARE WORKERS

Union negotiators will continue talks with health employers on Wednesday for a new collective agreement for workers in the Facilities subsector of health care.

Discussions and the exchange of information that began before the holiday break continued over the past week in the key areas of job security, the safeguarding of extended health benefits and improved compensaiton for groups like LPNs and unit clerks.

And Judy Darcy, spokesperson for the multi-union Facilities Bargaining Association, says the two parties also held extensive discussions on issues like scheduling, reduction of injury rates and on the continuation of high level policy discussions around direct patient care.

“We continue to challenge health employers to work with us to find solutions that not only ensure a stable workforce, but also lead to improvements in health care delivery,” says Darcy.

Facilities subsector bargaining covers more than 40,000 health care workers in hospitals and long-term care facilities across the province.

The current collective agreement expires on March 31, 2010. Negotiations commenced on Decemeber 17 and resumed on January 6 after a holiday break.  Both sides met this weekend and will continue talks on Wednesday.

Health workers covered by the talks work in more than 270 classifications in a number of areas in health care including nursing, trades and maintenance, health records, logistics and supplies, dietary and housekeeping, IT, payroll, diagnostic testing, pharmacy and others.

JOB SECURITY FRONT AND CENTRE AS BARGAINING RESUMES IN FACILITIES SUBSECTOR

Unions representing more than 40,000 health care workers in B.C. hospitals and long-term care facilities made job security and expanded employment opportunities their main focus as bargaining resumed for a new collective agreement with health employers on January 6.

Negotiations between the 10-member Facilities Bargaining Association (FBA) – representing health unions – and the Health Employers Association of B.C. (HEABC) continued through the weekend.  The parties commenced negotiations in mid-December.

The FBA unions have identified job security, improved compensation for groups like LPNs, and protection of benefits as key objectives for this round of bargaining.

FBA spokesperson and Hospital Employees’ Union secretary-business manager Judy Darcy says that health unions have responded to the difficult bargaining climate by putting forward proposals that would stabilize and improve the delivery of health care to British Columbians.

“Tough times are not an excuse for refusing to act”, says Darcy.  “Now, more than ever, British Columbians want to know that we are working to stabilize health care delivery and that we are protecting decent jobs that are vital to the economic health of their communities.

“Seniors and their families deserve to know that we’re working to ensure continuity of care in nursing homes.  And workers deserve to know that their skills and experience are valued – even in difficult economic times.”

Darcy says health unions tabled a number of proposals this past week that would ensure the public’s investment in skilled and experienced health care staff is protected in the future.

And she notes that classifications throughout the bargaining unit – from LPNs and care aides, to those working in logistics and purchasing, to those in payroll and health records, and many others – are at risk.

“An inflexible and uncooperative approach at the bargaining table from health employers and government will not serve the public interest,” says Darcy.  “Employers must work with us to come up with solutions – not create more problems and instability within health care.”

Health workers covered by the talks work in more than 270 classifications in a number of areas in health care including nursing; trades and maintenance; diagnostic testing; logistics and supplies; dietary; patient records; and others.

Bargaining continues this week.  The collective agreement expires March 31, 2010.

A new appeal date for the Representative Group Appeal has been scheduled for Thursday, March 11, 2010.

The Hospital Employees’ Union is representing members – who received money as part of the Bill 29 Settlement Agreement and then were asked to repay the Employment Insurance (EI) overpayment to Service Canada – through a Representative Group Appeal.

Members will be notified of the appeal outcome.

Any new appeals related to the Bill 29 Settlement Agreement must be filed within 30 days upon notification from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada.

For additional information:

• Call: 604-456-7193 or (toll free) 1-800-909-4994
• email: bill29appeal@heu.org
• write: 5000 North Fraser Way, Burnaby, B.C. V5J 5M3