HEU Strike Vote Coming

[J529]

http://globalnews.ca/news/1238173/47000-b-c-health-care-workers-to-take-strike-vote/

Eleven unions representing 47,000 British Columbia health care workers will be taking a strike vote.

The multi-union Facilities Bargaining Association says negotiations have stalled on issues such as employment security and the contracting out of services.

Chief union negotiator Bonnie Pearson says health employers have also rejected proposals to expand roles for B.C.’s paramedics, which Pearson says would improve health service delivery.

The Facilities Bargaining Association represents members who work in hospitals, care facilities and emergency health services; with jobs including ambulance paramedics, booking clerks and maintenance workers.

The Hospital Employee’s Union represents about 85 per cent of workers covered by the contract negotiations.

The current collective agreement expires on Monday.

[Sapper]

This is the group they rolled back wages 15% -helped BCNU to help them raid as well as contracting out what ever they could. One has to wonder the eductional level of some goverment officials. If you go to a group of workers and ask them for a 5 year deal so YOU can have labor peace those workers just might want something in return and I would think that stopping the contracting out would be a line in the sand kinda thing and the fact that the goverment can't get that shows profound ignorance and lack of respect to BC workers.

Remember it was this group that won nearly 100 Million in a supreme court ruling that the BC Liberals violated their rights when they ripped up their contract.

que the union attacks I'm sure

[J529]

This is the group they rolled back wages 15% - got in bed with BCNU to help them raid and contracted out what ever they could. One has to wonder the eductional level of some goverment officials. If you go to a group of workers and ask them for a 5 year deal so YOU can have labor peace those workers just might want something in return and I would think that stopping the contracting out would be a line in the sand kinda thing and the fact that the goverment can't get that shows profound ignorance and lack of respect to BC workers.

How the government thinks HEU members are "overpaid" is laughable. Considering what government and officials get paid and they DO. Liberals have had it out for HEU going back to Campbell in which he told their publication that he would honor their contract only to turn around and tear it up, and as you said roll them back 15%.

No union has been targeted like this one. No respect either by government/Liberals for these Health Care Workers when Kevin Krueger referred to them as "toilet cleaners" and also had the gull use morning prays in the Legislature to give partisan thanks to Bill 37 and HEU members to make the "right" choices.

[Sapper]

One major Difference between BCNU - HSA and HEU is nearly all the Jobs in BCNU and most of HSA are not subject to contracting out - or if they are they would make alot more. It's the jobs in HEU that are not protected by the Canada Health Act and are being sold off to the BC Liberal friends. This is why HEU needs the contracting out protections that other health care unions don't.

And the BC Liberals are excellent spinners of crud - they call them overpaid and use new private residential care homes as an example. Truth is that "home" would have just fired all their staff and rehired them back at horribly low wages without benefits. The goverment then spins the truth to say that those new private care homes represent the market value and as such the rest are over paid.

If this is a factual representation then all one would have to do is buy a garage - fire all the staff - pick the worker who MUST work and offer them a job at 1/2 of their former rate and no benefits and BAM you know have the "new" private sector market value wage.

The overwelming majority of HEU in the public system are from the occupation HCA ( Nurses aides - Care Aides - Health Care Asistants - RCA's PCA's .... are all names you may know them bye ). The work they do is very physically demanding and proportianatly they are injured at a higher rate then any other occupation in BC. They are BC's most injured on the job occupation ( % to workers ) and as such should be recognized as a dangereous occupation.

They earn 22.64 an hour and that amount never goes up no matter how many decades they work. Almost all of them work shift work - and many either die early ( all shift workers face this no matter what occupation ) and few have working bodies left after age 55.

So next time any of you visit a loved on in the hospital - or residential care home know that the person looking after your loved one - washing them - toileting them - cleaning them - feeding them - holding their hands as they die - are these people - And now that you can't chemically calm aggresive elderly they are also the ones that are getting punched - kicked - hit every day and must take it with a smile.

If you go to the Hospital these HEU members are the ones taking your blood - providing your dialisis - preparing and providing your pharmacy needs - fixing everything and keeping it running - doing all of your data entry so you can get fed - treated - looked after. These are the folks that are portering your loved one between treatments in the hospital - the ones running activities for your grandparents in the home - the physio rehabs who help you to move again after your surgery or stroke ... and the list goes on.

So when I hear that toilet cleaner remark it always boils my blood - Not because some HEU doesn't do that job - but because with all these super bug outbreaks these days we could well be served to have NOT lost all those housekpeers to contracting out. Because you see they knew that proper and complete cleaning no matter what the cost is import to that patient. These contract workers work hard - really hard - but profits are more important to their contract boss and thats reflected in the lack of supplies and the lack of time to do the job right ( costs money and that hits profits you know )

And for the few support services left in our hospitals ( Food Services - laundry - Stores - Housekeeping ) they earn 18 ish per hour which for an adult full time wage in BC is hardly overpaid. ok rant over