As your bargaining committee enters the second of five weeks of scheduled negotiation dates, we are keeping your priorities at the forefront of our bargaining efforts. 

Your bargaining committee is ramping up discussions with the Health Employers' Association of BC (HEABC). After weeks of inspiring members to show support for public service workers striking for a reasonable pay increase, and walking together with fellow BCGEU members and PEA members on the picket lines, your committee is encouraged by news of a tentative agreement for public service workers. The tentative agreement, which has not yet been ratified, seems to indicate that government is prepared to be more flexible than we have seen to date.

Your committee has tabled a wage proposal for HSPBA members that would reflect the significant level of inflation in B.C. The employer has not yet responded to this proposal, and your committee is urging the employer to have more meaningful discussions in the coming weeks, specific to the top priorities of the bargaining association.

Survey results

Members responded to the recent survey on bargaining issues and noted the following concerns:

• 39% of members report there are long wait lists for their services
• 47% report their workload is not sustainable
• 77% report there are shortages in their profession
• 47% of members say they are thinking of quitting in the next two years

The fact that many health science professionals are so burnt out they want to leave their jobs is extremely concerning. It's vital that the government knows that we could lose so many of our health science professionals if no progress is made on:

• helping health science professionals manage affordability issues
• continuing to modernize the classification system
• putting barriers in place to lessen the impacts of workload and fatigue
• improving flexibility in scheduling, and access to meaningful time off
• protecting the Joint Health Sciences Benefits Trust that provides the benefits members need

Thank you to every member who took the time to fill out the survey and share their views. Thousands of members described the daily challenges at the worksite, and these stories are being taken directly to the negotiations table to help make the urgency of the situation more real.

We will continue to provide updates as bargaining continues.

In solidarity, 

Your BCGEU HSP Bargaining Committee 

Tim Little, Local 404 Bargaining Chairperson 
Matthew Cook, Local 401 
Virginie Fostroy, Local 407 
Michelle McAuley, Staff Representative, Negotiations 

P.S. Check that we have your personal email address here https://my.bcgeu.ca/signup and forward this link to any colleagues not receiving updates. 

UWU/MoveUP

The Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) met this week with the Health Employers Association of BC (HEABC), concluding the fourth round of negotiations.

Progress was made addressing key concerns. The committee has tabled well over 100 proposals relating to four key priority areas:

• premiums; 
• safe work-life balance; 
• recognition and respect; and 
• partnership in quality health care. 

The proposals tabled arise from priorities identified by BCGEU members at the Bargaining Proposal Conference held last fall and those brought forward by the other constituent unions in the HSPBA.

At this early point in our negotiations, we have more work to complete before we can table wage proposals. The committee would like to continue negotiations over the summer, but dates for further talks have not yet been set. We anticipate next steps to include some intensive small group discussions in areas of key concern such as occupational health and safety and classifications.

Although other public sector tables have begun to receive initial wage offers, we have not yet begun to discuss wages at the HSPBA table.

Our priorities are clear: wage offers must confront the affordability crisis workers are facing and address the recruitment and retention challenges threatening delivery of health care in B.C.

Your committee is resolute in our determination to achieve wage increases that will reflect the gravity of the shortages and the vital importance of the work done by health science professionals.

In solidarity, 

Your BCGEU HSP Bargaining Committee 

Tim Little, Local 404 Bargaining Chairperson 
Matthew Cook, Local 401 
Virginie Fostroy, Local 407 
Michelle McAuley, Staff Representative, Negotiations 

P.S. Check that we have your personal email address here https://my.bcgeu.ca/signup and forward this link to any colleagues not receiving updates. 

UWU/MoveUP

The newly elected Health Science Professionals Sectoral Council met this week to begin looking at ways to address the specific concerns of the 3,500 BCGEU Health Science Professionals working in BC Health Authorities and Affiliates.

The Council will be meeting periodically over the next three years to look at building membership capacity and participation with a focus on ensuring concerns of HSP's are heard at all levels of our Union.

At this meeting, the following positions were elected:

Andrea Johnson, Local 403 – Sectoral Council Chairperson
Virginie Fostroy, Local 407 – Vice Chairperson
Jasper Malchuk Rasmusson, Local 412 - Recording Secretary

The other council members are:

Matthew Cook, Local 401
Jaimie Drinnan, Local 402
Binny Sivia, Local 404
Luvanda Dagenais, Local 405
Tapharey Forsythe, Local 406
Jacqueline Grieve, Local 408
Paula Dyson, Local 409
Ramandeep Singh, Local 410
Akeh Mac Henry, Local 411

If you have any questions about this Council or suggestions on how they can help, please email: [email protected].

In solidarity,

Michelle McAuley
Staff Representative, Negotiations

Download PDF of bulletin here

UWU/MoveUP

Now that the new profile-based classification system is fully implemented at all HSPBA worksites across BC, our union can move forward with the P2A process. 

The "P2A process" is shorthand for the provisions in the new profile-based classification system that allow us to advocate to add new types of work to the P2A Special Procedures profile, recognizing and compensating the specialized work of many BCGEU members who have jobs that are currently matched with the P1 profile. 

We're sending this special notice to all to ensure that you have the most up-to-date information possible to refer to. 

As of today, our union has received and confirmed enough information to move forward with P2A claims for ten professions.

-- 

Here is the list of professions for BCGEU members, along with the special procedures/techniques that we have claimed should be rightly added to P2A: 

Audiologists 

• Auditory Brainstem Response 
• Cochlear Implant Management 
• Vestibular Assessment and Management 
• Cerumen Assessment and Management
• Hearing Instrument Dispensing for Children Ages 12-16

Dietitians 

• Parenteral Nutrition 
• Inborn Errors of Metabolism (IEM) Nutrition Therapy 
• Insertion of Nasogastric or Nasojejunal Feeding Tubes 
• Indirect Calorimetry 
• Renal Nutrition/Kidney Care 
• Insulin Dose Adjustment (IDA) 
• Certified Diabetes Education

Speech-Language Pathologists 

• Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Voice and Swallowing (FEEVS) – Adults 
• Tracheo-esophageal Voice Prostheses Assessment and Management 
• Communication and Swallowing Management for Tracheostomy – Adults 
• Videofluroscopic Assessment of Swallowing Disorders – Adults 
• Videofluroscopic Assessment of Swallowing Disorders – Paediatrics 
• Management of Airway Secretions (Oropharyngeal Suctioning) 
• Management of Airway Secretions (Oropharyngeal and Tracheal Suctioning) 

Occupational Therapists 

• Hand Therapy 
• Low Vision Rehabilitation 
• Driver Rehabilitation 

Pharmacists 

• Clinical Pharmacy 
• Oncology Clinical Pharmacy 

Physiotherapists 

• Hand Therapy 

Respiratory Therapists 

• Patient/Client Respiratory Education 

-- 

The P2A process

This is the beginning of the P2A process, so the outcome is not guaranteed, but classifications staff believe that the items listed above meet the definition of a special procedure/technique. 

If these claims are successful, all members of the listed professions who are classified as P1 and whose work includes one of the special procedures/techniques listed above will be entitled to retro pay from December 6, 2024. They are not required to make any submission to the BCGEU about their work. 

Our union plans to update all HSP members by email as the process unfolds, but it is unlikely that we will have any further updates this month. 

Potential questions 

If you speak to fellow members who have submitted a potential P2A special procedure to the union that does not appear on this list, you can reassure them that it means we are still in the process of confirming that we have sufficient evidence to move forward. If classifications staff need specific information, they will contact the member directly. 

Please advise members not to resubmit, as staff are still working to evaluate a large number of P2A submissions. 

If members identify a potential P2A special procedure/technique that is not on this list, and they have not yet submitted it to the union, please reassure them that this not a one-time opportunity. Please encourage them to submit their P2A request by email to: [email protected] as soon as possible. Members have the ongoing right under the collective agreement to suggest new P2A special procedures/techniques. 

In solidarity, 

Mahen Ramdharry 
BCGEU vice-president Health Services (Component 4) 

UWU/MoveUP

We are pleased to announce the scheduled reopening of the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) professional development fund on January 6, 2025. Due to the number of outstanding claims we had previously closed the fund to new submissions. After receiving those submissions and conducting an audit of remaining funds we are happy to report we have some limited additional funds available for members and can reopen the fund until those funds are depleted.
 
The fund supports further specialization of skills in key professions. With B.C.'s health care system now struggling with dire shortages of health science professionals in many disciplines, this fund is an important part of the urgent action needed to train, recruit and retain these specialized health professionals.
 
Key points about the professional development fund:

• The funding is to be allocated to training and upgrading skills for HSPBA members working in professions experiencing shortages, or in rural and remote locations, as well as ongoing required professional development for all HSPBA members.
• The funding will apply to education or training commenced between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2025.
• The education or training must pertain to professional development in a health science professional discipline being practiced in the public health care system.
• Eligible expenses for reimbursement include tuition fees, registration fees, cost of required books or materials, and other reasonable education-related expenses and may also include reasonable costs of travel and accommodation in B.C. if the applicant must travel or temporarily relocate to attend education or training or related clinical placement.

 
The on-line submission form and funding guidelines for BCGEU members will be available on our website at www.bcgeu.ca/learning
 
Any questions about requests for funding can be directed to [email protected]
 
 
In Solidarity,
 
Jacob Hunter
Fund Administrator

Download PDF of notice here

As you are aware, we recently held the bargaining conference for Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) members. At the conference, we reviewed the bargaining surveys sent in by the members and set priorities for this round of negotiations. As well, we elected the bargaining committee (see below) who are meeting this week to finalize our bargaining proposals. Bargaining will commence in the new year, although specific dates are not known at this time.

Another bulletin with updated information will be sent once bargaining has commenced.

In Solidarity,
 
Michelle McAuley
Staff Representative - Negotiations

Download PDF of notice here

UWU/MoveUP

Our collective agreement with the Health Employers Association of BC (HEABC) - the contract that outlines our wages, working conditions and more - will expire in 2025. This means that it's time to start preparing to negotiate a new one. 

The negotiation (or bargaining) process has several stages which are outlined below. Every stage is driven by BCGEU members like you, bringing ideas forward to improve your working conditions, and B.C.'s health care system more widely. 

Members working in the health sciences are represented by the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) – a bargaining committee of 17 voting members covering five unions. The Health Sciences Association (HSA) is the lead union with 10 voting members as they represent the most workers. The BCGEU has three voting members on the committee to represent your interests and lead you through each stage of the bargaining process. 

We are currently in stage 1 - determining our bargaining priorities. In the coming days, we will email you a survey to complete about the issues that are most important to you. Please keep an eye on your inbox for the survey and don’t miss your chance to weigh in

A snapshot of the bargaining process: 

1. Determine our bargaining priorities: Our bargaining committee leads members through a process to identify the most important workplace issues to tackle in bargaining. It is important our committee receives responses from a majority of members so we can be confident that the issues identified are representative. We look for the most widely and deeply felt concerns, patterns in grievances and trends compared to previous bargaining rounds.
    
2. Bargain with the employer: Our bargaining committee prepares proposals based on your input, and the employer prepares proposals of their own. Bargaining officially begins when the two parties exchange proposals. Negotiation continues until one of two things happen – either an impasse or a tentative agreement (see below for more). Throughout this stage, you and your co-workers will be asked to engage in collective action to show the employer that we are united, and pressure them to agree to our demands.
   
   
3. If impasse is reached, escalate pressure: An impasse is when the two parties are unable to reach an agreement through negotiation. If an impasse is reached, our bargaining committee may call for us all to take a strike vote. Sometimes the threat of a strike is enough to force the employer back to the table. Sometimes we can avoid a strike by entering into mediation. And sometimes it’s necessary to take job action – such as an overtime ban, work-to-rule and/or a strike. Before taking any job action, our bargaining committee will hold discussions with members to make sure everyone is ready to act together.
   
   
4. Vote on a tentative agreement: Eventually we will reach a tentative agreement – whether through negotiation alone or after mediation or job action. Once the two parties reach a tentative agreement, you will receive a package of information outlining the details of the tentative agreement, and our bargaining committee will hold ratification meetings to make sure everyone understands what’s in the deal. Then you and your co-workers will vote on the tentative agreement. If a majority of members vote in favour, the agreement is ratified as our new collective agreement. If members vote down the tentative agreement, the bargaining process resumes until a new tentative agreement is reached. 

You can also check out this infographic that illustrates the bargaining journey over time.

P.S. It is important to note that tens of thousands of other BCGEU members under five other agreements in B.C.'s public sector will also be negotiating new collective agreements in 2025. Because our agreement and their agreements are negotiated with essentially the same employer – the B.C. provincial government – our union is taking a coordinated strategic approach to ensure our employer knows we are aware of our collective power and are prepared to use it if needed. We will keep you informed of any coordination efforts as they are made. 

In solidarity, 

Mahen Ramdharry
BCGEU vice-president for Health Services (Component 4) 

UWU/MoveUP

If you are a Member under the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association Agreement (HSPBA), and have a genuine interest and the required skills to provide union support within the Enhanced Disability Management Program (EDMP), an opportunity exists for you with the BCGEU.
The EDMP team is looking to provide the best service possible to our members enrolled in the program and are actively recruiting new Regional EDMP Representatives to provide member support in the workplace.

Date: April 26, 2024

Position: Casual Regional EDMP Representative

Salary: Wage Replacement

Posting Period: April 29 – May 3, 2024

The Enhanced Disability Management Program (EDMP) as set out in the HSPBA Collective Agreement is designed to facilitate an employee-centred, pro-active, appropriate and customized disability management program for employees with occupational and non-occupational illness/injury.
 
As a workplace based program, the EDMP utilizes designated union representatives who play an active role in ensuring members realize the greatest benefit from EDMP.
 
Successful applicants will have a passion for disability management and rehabilitation, excellent problem-solving, interpersonal and organizational skills, and the ability to multi-task and prioritize.
 
POSITION SUMMARY:

Under the direction of the designated EDMP HSPBA Administrator, the BCGEU EDMP Regional Representative works as part of the HSPBA EDMP team and is responsible for promoting and coordinating best practices with respect to disability management and rehabilitation. This includes representing and assisting HSPBA members with issues regarding early intervention, long-term disability and return to work in accordance with the principles and policies associated with the EDMP, resolving disputes related to EDMP, reviewing and analyzing EDMP data at a regional level, and following up on concerns.

The BCGEU EDMP Regional Representative also promotes and educates members about the EDMP and positively represents the values and principles of HSPBA.
The home location and specific schedule of work will be determined by BCGEU in consultation with the successful candidate and the health authority.

A comprehensive training program will be provided.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Promote and educate members about the EDMP.
2. Answer inquiries from, and provide support to, members engaged in or referred to the EDMP.
3. Receive, review, and analyze triage, case management, and status reports. Follow up with members who have concerns about EDMP or who have declined to participate. Compile data on number of cases handled, outcomes, and trends.
4. Attend meetings or conference calls to discuss new referrals, and status of open and recently closed EDMP files. These meetings will occur at least every 30 calendar days, as well as at 90 days and 17 months, where applicable.
5. Review and track implementation of straightforward and complex case management plans according to the EDMP in conjunction with and under the direction of the designated HSPBA EDMP Administrator.
6. Assist with troubleshooting on medical or rehabilitation issues.
7. Review all return to work plans for accuracy and appropriateness.
8. Conference call to EDMP meetings with members at multiple worksites throughout the province.
9. Ensure appropriate referrals are made and information provided to members with respect to additional services and programs such as Long Term Disability, WorkSafe BC claims, Canada Pension Plan disability benefits, etc.
10. Ensure program documentation is complete. Maintain and update case files related to work assignments.
11. Develop and implement a work plan in conjunction with the designated HSPBA EDMP Administrator to ensure that EDMP goals are met at the regional level.
12. Ensure the rights of all members under the HSPBA agreement are maintained and refer labour relations matters to appropriate BCGEU Servicing Representatives as necessary.
13. Maintain confidentiality of all member information.
14. Must be able to work from home in a private and confidential setting.

QUALIFICATIONS, KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES:

• BCGEU Member under the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association Agreement (HSPBA)
• Experience in case management, preferably managing medical issues.
• College or University education in an Allied Health Sciences or Social Services discipline; or an equivalent combination of education, training and related experience.
• Knowledgeable, or willing and able to become knowledgeable, in best practices with respect to disability management and rehabilitation.
• Knowledgeable, or willingness to acquire, develop and maintain knowledge of collective agreement and legislative provisions relevant to disability management, i.e.: PIPA and FOIPPA, human rights legislation and the duty to accommodate.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including ability to prepare detailed reports, briefing notes and correspondence. Proficient computer skills are an asset (i.e.: Excel, Word and Outlook).
• Experience assisting members to navigate complex service networks and resources.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively advocate within a multi-party system.
• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills and the ability to multi-task and prioritize.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Valid driver's license and access to a vehicle.

If this opportunity is of interest to you, BCGEU will be accepting expressions of interest until 5:00 pm on May 3, 2024. Resumes and cover letter will be accepted by email to: [email protected]

Download PDF of bulletin here

UWU/MoveUP

HSPBA members to receive maximum cost of living increase this year
Negotiated inflation-protection measures will trigger full 3.0% increase this year

British Columbia inflation data released this week confirm that the maximum wage protections in the 2022-2025 Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) collective agreement will be triggered, and members will receive the full 3.0% wage increase starting April 1, 2024.

For most members, this brings the total general wage increase for the three years of the agreement to nearly 14%.

The Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA), was negotiated as part of the current collective agreement, ratified by members in December 2022. The COLA is based on the annualized average monthly BC Consumer Price Index value over the 12 months leading up to March. 

The current agreements expire March 31, 2025, and planning for the upcoming round of negotiations has already begun.

UWU/MoveUP