The raid application the BCNU filed at the Labour Relations Board on Monday is certainly confusing. And to my way of thinking, it contradicts everything the nurses' union has been saying in the past few weeks about wanting to unify nurses.
First, the nurses' union applied only for the LPNs in facilities - and only LPNs who are members of the Hospital Employees' Union.
Then they filed an alternative application for LPNs in the six health authorities - and their lawyer insisted they were only interested in LPNs who are members of HEU. They weren't applying to represent BCGEU LPNs. I couldn't help thinking the Nurses' Union was less interested in unifying nurses, than in undermining HEU.
But it's all different today. Today the BCNU says their application includes LPNs who are members of our union.
The BCNU has lost a lot of credibility over this raid with their own members as well as with other unions in the Canadian labour movement.
I'm looking forward to the day when the waste of money and resources stops, and health care unions can get on with bargaining and work together again to protect health services.