bcnu update magazine dec. 2012

flu season: bcnu slams coercive vaccine policy

Update

lpn elections: meet the newest additions to bcnu council

better benefits: joint committee explores options

plus constitution and by-laws pull-out

+influenza control

policy position

statement pull-out

british columbia nurses’ union

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lpnsjoin

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Bargaining 2012 success

keeping the promisekeeping the promiseof safestaffingand safe patientcare

stronger together lPn rosita nadela and rn Julie brandly

Caring shouldn’t hurtEvery day in British Columbia nurses are bit, hit and spit upon, pushed, kicked and screamed at. It must stop now. Find out more at bcnu.org under Health & Safety or contact your steward.

update magazine December 2012 3

contents

20 keeping the promise the new nurses’ bargaining association provincial contract provides nurses with critical tools to improve our workloads and our ability to provide quality care. it’s now up to us to use them – and help keep the promise of safe staffing and safe patient care.

feature

6 Check InNews and updates from events around the province.

12 Shot In The DarkBCNU is speaking out against coercive flu vaccination policy.

14 Nursing Hearts And MindsSixth annual nursing practice conference highlights mental health.

16 LPNs Join BCNUMore than 7,200 LPNs are welcomed to the BC Nurses’ Union.

24 Better BenefitsBCNU to explore options for affordable and sustainable benefits plans.

26 Violence in the WorkplaceSharing strategies at international conference brings healthcare workers together.

upfront

departments

5 president’s report

13 health and safety

35 prfs work

36 council profile

37 who can help?

38 off duty

Update vol 31 no 4 • december 2012

Special pull-outcoNStitutioN aND BY-laWS

robert constantin tanase and Julie brandly

4

OUR missiON statemeNt bcnu protects and advances

the health, social and economic

well-being of our members

and our communities.

BCNU UPdate is published by the

bc nurses’ union, an independent

canadian union governed by a council

elected by our 40,000 members. signed

articles do not necessarily represent

official bcnu policies.

editOR lew macdonald

CONtRiBUtORs

Juliet chang, sharon costello, david

cubberly, Gary Fane, monica Ghosh,

robert macquarrie, debra mcPherson,

art moses, dan tatroff, Patricia Wejr

PHOtOs

sharon costello, lew macdonald, art

moses, dan tatroff, Patricia Wejr

CONtaCt Us bcnu communications department

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burnaby, bc, V5c 6P5

Phone 604.433.2268

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email editor [email protected]

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UpdateMAGAZINE

BC Nurses’ Union

444

The flu shot may be the best we’ve got

But don’t • force• penalize• coerce us

Patient safety is always our first priority and nurses use clinical judgement for the protection of all.


president’s report

LookiNg BaCk oN 2012, there’S No qUeStioN it haS BeeN a year of successes for BCNU.

When the year began we were kicking off provincial contract negotiations with a very ambitious agenda on workload and increased nurse staffing for safe patient care. our agenda collided with government’s determination to hold the line on

increased spending to balance its budget. at the same time, we were in the midst of one of the largest organizing drives in the prov-

ince’s history, with the Labour relations Board yet to decide whether it would allow Licensed Practical Nurses to vote on joining BCNU.

Now fast forward. after many months of difficult negotiations we reached an agreement with health employers on a new provincial contract at the end of September, which was ratified overwhelmingly by members a few weeks later. We’ve now made significant progress toward our bargaining goal – safe patient care through safe staffing.

Then on october 5th the LrB certified BCNU as the new union and bargaining agent for 7,200 LPNs directly employed by provincial health authorities. a few days earlier the LrB had finally counted the ballots and announced that LPNs in five health authorities and at Providence health Care had voted by a large margin to join with rNs and rPNs in one united professional nurses’ union. i would like to extend a warm welcome to all new LPN members and encourage you to get involved in your new union. as promised, elections were held for LPN representatives on the Bargaining Committee and Council and i am pleased to congratulate the six newly elected LPNs who have now joined the BCNU Council table.

i want to thank all of you for your support and encouragement throughout the bargaining process, as you helped our bargaining committee establish members’ top priorities and work to achieve them.

We’ve managed to gain extremely strong contract language that gives members covered by the NBa provincial contract the tools to address workload, improve patient care, add more rNs/rPNs and enhance job security.

Now it’s up to those of us in the Nurses’ Bargaining association to make sure we use the new provisions to make a difference for ourselves and for our patients. That means enforcing the agreement – especially the pro-visions governing replacement of nurses who are off on leave and for situations of overca-pacity, as well as the language governing the transition to a 37.5-hour week.

We agreed to the increase in full-time hours under the government’s “cooperative gains mandate” as an exchange for the significant gains throughout the contract, but only when the employer agreed there will be no layoffs as a result. The employer has agreed to work to ensure the transition to the 37.5-hour week will be as smooth as possible and minimize the impact on nurses.

The union will support members and stewards in holding the employers’ feet to the fire on all the commitments they made at the bargaining table.

at the same time, in the months ahead we also need to work to ensure that our new LPN members are welcomed fully into BCNU and get the right to bargain as nurses within the NBa. We want our new LPN members to be covered by the same provincial contract as other nurses and to benefit from its provisions. a key priority in 2013 will be working with the provin-cial government to ensure this comes about.

The successes of 2012 reflect the strength and determination of individual members and activists across the province who have come together to protect their profession and advance the interests of members and the public.

i’m confident that the new NBa agreement will make a positive difference to members in improving workload, job security and com-pensation. i’m also confident that with LPNs now forming a significant part of BCNU’s membership, our bargaining strength will be further enhanced. in both areas we’ll be work-ing hard to ensure employers and the provin-cial government are Keeping the Promise.

i would like to thank all of you this holiday season for being there when patients need it most. Many of you will be working through the holidays away from warm homes and loved ones. Your dedication must not go unacknowledged.

i wish you all the best this holiday season and look forward to the possibilities of the New Year. updateP

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A yeAr of successes

debra mcPherson

6news from around the province

CheCk insoLIDArITy

heLps sAVe sAcreD VILLAGe sITe

ThiS SUMMer BCNU joined with concerned citizens and organizations from around the

lower mainland and BC to stand behind the Musqueam people’s efforts to save a 4000-year-old village site from a condo devel-oper’s excavators.

The province had granted developers a permit to build a five-storey commercial and residential project on the site located at the north arm of the Fraser river on Marine Drive in Vancouver.

known as the “Marpole Midden”, the acre-sized site was designated a Canadian heritage site in 1933. The midden — an archaeological term for the deposits that are left behind by

people — contains the remains of a Coast Salish winter village as well as various artifacts from early inhabitants and is one of the largest pre-contact middens in Western Canada.

For five months the Musqueam Band fought to have construction halted after build-ers unearthed two intact adult remains and the partial remains of one infant, in addition to numerous broken bones and artifacts.

The band offered to work at a compromise, including repatria-tion of the remains and an equal land trade with a piece of prop-erty near the site that would leave the midden intact — but their pleas to respect the sacred site fell on deaf ears.

in a June letter of support sent

to the premier and responsible ministers, BCNU President Debra McPherson stated that “denying traditional practices and cultural security severely compromises the health of our First Nations, inuit and Métis peoples,” and urged proactive dialogue to resolve the issue.

Then on august 10, McPherson and an enthusiastic contingent of BCNU members marched in protest with the Musqueam and supporters to mark the 100th day of the dispute and the Musqueam’s vigil over the open graves of their ancestors. The march—which blocked traffic leading to a major Vancouver-richmond bridge in order to bring greater public attention to the issue—

demonstrated the support of social justice activists and orga-nizations who were joining the growing chorus of opposition to the desecration of the burial grounds.

Community solidarity and determination on the part of the Musqueam people finally paid off this September when the band received news from the province that it would no longer extend the developer’s building permits and ordered that the disturbed remains be returned to their original state.

Plans for the site now include the creation of a public park, but a financial deal with the developer has yet to be reached for the multi-million dollar property. update

FaReWell DaNThis September BCNU bid farewell to Update editor Dan Tatroff, who left after 16 years with BCNU. Dan worked diligently to ensure that members were informed about union activities and nursing issues. He brought full colour to the magazine and recently led a major redesign.

Dan was always there for members and elected leaders – interviewing them for stories or photographing them at union events.

We wish Dan all the best in his future endeavours.Taking over from Dan is Lew MacDonald who comes to

BCNU after six years as coordinator at the BC Health Coalition.

eNSuRiNg a commit-meNt bcnu President debra mcPherson and Vice-President christine sorensen met with health minister margaret macdiarmid shortly after the new Pca was ratified.


Flu SeaSoN FigHt BacK When BCNU f iled a griev-ance objecting to provincial health employers’ move to force more than 100,000 public healthcare workers to be vaccinated against seasonal inf luenza before December 1, radio station CKNW spoke to President Debra McPherson.

McPherson spoke out against the punitive aspects of the policy requiring nurses to wear a mask throughout flu season if not vaccinated and wear a sticker confirming their vaccination status.

“We encourage our mem-bers to still get a flu shot if they choose to because we think for whatever prevention it does provide for them, it’s the best we’ve got right now. Would we like to see some-thing better? Absolutely. Would we like to see it forced on them with punitive mea-sures? Absolutely not,” said McPherson.

BCNU turned up the heat on employers after a letter critical of the policy was pub-lished in the The Vancouver Sun. Written by Dr. Thomas Jefferson – a representative of the U.K.-based Cochrane Collaboration – the letter effectively shredded the cred-ibility of the rationales touted by provincial health officer Perry Kendall and others forc-ing healthcare workers to get the shot or wear a mask.

“It’s time for B.C. health employers to withdraw their coercive policy on flu shots for

health care workers, in light of scientific reviews questioning the credibility of the very stud-ies they’re using to justify the policy,” wrote McPherson in a letter published in the Sun.

“Nurses always strive to conduct ourselves in ways that are based on evidence. In light of the latest evidence presented by what are very credible scientific organiza-

tions untainted by drug company influence, it’s

time for health employers to re-examine their policy

and back off on their ill-advised attempts to coerce nurses and

other healthcare workers to get the flu shot.”

Speaking to The Nanaimo Daily News, BCNU Pacific Rim Chair Jo Taylor said the union supports the flu vaccine as the best option for flu prevention, but said the proposed policy amounts to a public display of private health information and is concerned with the privacy and rights of its members.

“It’s punitive, basically is what it’s coming down

to,” said Taylor of the policy. “They shouldn’t be able to go to our physicians and ask

us if (we’ve) had the flu shot.” Speaking to The Globe and

Mail more recently, BCNU Executive Councillor Margaret Dhillon said that BCNU members should be allowed to make up their own minds. “We believe it shouldn’t be mandated” she said.

making news bcnu in the headlines bcnu supports $10 a day child care campaign

The LaCk oF accessible and affordable child care is a serious issue for an

ever-growing number of BC families. Currently, Canada ranks last among developed countries in supporting qual-ity early child care – and BC has licensed child care spaces for only about 20 percent of the province’s children.

The lack of government leadership in addressing this crisis is one of the primary reasons for the growth of child poverty, both nationally and provincially. That’s why BCNU is supporting the Coalition of Childcare advocates of BC’s campaign for a $10-a-day child care plan.

Under the plan, new public dollars will go to child care pro-grams to cap parent fees at $10 per day for full-time care and $7 per day for part-time care and make it free for families who make less than $40,000 per year. Families could save up to $10,000 per year and many could move out of poverty. Currently, parents with young children may be forced out of the labour market because they can’t afford child care and as a consequence end up living below the poverty line due to reduced family income.

in the Coalition’s plan, funding would be allocated to increase child care workers’ wages to an average of $25 per hour plus benefits. along with increased educational opportunities, early childhood educators would finally earn the income and respect they deserve.

The cost of the plan would be offset by additional taxes paid by early childhood educators and from 17,000 more working mothers. quebec’s popular $7 per day program recovers $1.05 for every dollar quebec invests.

“This plan has the potential to make a real difference for BC’s children, families and communities and certainly for many work-ing nurses as well,” says BCNU president Debra McPherson. “That’s why BCNU will be pushing the provincial government and all political parties to commit to the plan’s vision and to work with communities to begin its implementation.”

BCNU members are encouraged to get involved in the campaign and raise awareness about this issue with their friends and family.

Visit http://www.cccabc.bc.ca/plan to learn more. update

8

bc seniors’ care

CheCk in

charting a path to better seniors’ care in bcTHE fINDINGS CoNTAINED IN THE recent BC ombudsperson’s report on seniors’ care reveal that the Ministry of Health is not fulfilling its leadership role in seniors’ care. This may come as no surprise to healthcare workers and families who have seen first-hand how the services and supports that seniors rely on have been eroded in the past decade. As a result, many seniors and their loved ones are concerned about getting the care they need.

The absence of stewardship within seniors’ care in BC has led to real challenges and troubling circumstances. fortunately, the BC ombudsperson’s recommendations lay out clear, easy-to-implement solutions to address many of them. The BC government has said it is considering these recommenda-tions, and wants to hear from British

Columbians about their priorities and ideas for implementation.

The BC Health Coalition’s Roadmap to Better Seniors’ Care in BC outlines the key themes

contained in the ombudspersons report and sum-marizes the report’s recommendations.

Public healthcare advocates say it is more important than ever for the people of British Columbia to understand the

ombudsperson’s f indings and recommendations, and to seize the opportunity to send a clear mes-sage to Victoria on the importance of this historic report.

To order copies of this sum-mary to share in your commu-nity and your worksite contact [email protected] or 604-681-7945.

Produced by the BC Health Coalition

A ROADMAP SENIORA summary of the BC Ombu

BCNU SimoN FRaSeR RegioN memBeRS weRe oN HaNd at tHiS year’s BC Seniors’ Games administering free blood pressure readings and providing athletes and supporters with copies of the BC Health Coalition’s recently-published report on the provincial ombudsperson’s recommen-dations for improving seniors’ care in BC. This year’s Seniors’ Games were held in Burnaby and saw approximately 3,500 participants aged 55 and over from all over the province.

bcnu bus rolls with bc seniors

BCNU’s Aboriginal Leadership Circle held an extraordinary meeting in September to help mem-bers prepare for commu-nity engagement efforts in the coming year.

The group was pleased to host Dr. Evelyn Voyageur, President of the Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada. A member of the Kwa-kwa-ka-wak Nation, Voyageur shared her experience in advocating for cultur-ally appropriate curricula among schools of nursing and talked about the skills needed to achieve these goals.

“We want to provide ALC members opportu-nities to engage at the community level,” says BCNU’s Tania Dick, a nurse practitioner from

Alert Bay and member of the Dzawada’enuxw Nation.

“Connecting ALC members with leaders like Voyageur will help the group build the skill set needed to effec-tively promote issues of concern such as ensuring that Aboriginal nurses are consulted during the establishment of the new first Nations Health Authority scheduled for next June.”

Dick stressed the importance of build-ing and acknowledging partnerships with provin-cial and national native organizations such as the BC Native Women’s Association, the BC Assembly of first Nations and the Native Women’s Association of Canada in order to achieve aborigi-nal nurses’ shared goals.

SHaRiNg KNoWleDge dr. evelyn Voyageur (right) speaks to bcnus aboriginal leadership circle.

BuilDiNg StRoNg leaDeRS

human rights & equity

BcNu’s lgBt caucuS met at BuRNaBY oFFice iN octoBeR From left to right: christine nombrado, Kath-ann terrett, ron Francoeur, cynthia reid (chair), Kirstin mclaughlin, anna Fritch, lynda anderson, howard searle and rae Wooffindin.


run for the cureBCNU memBeRS aRoUNd tHe PRoviNCe JoiNed teNS of thousands of participants in the 2012 Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CiBC Run for the Cure throughout BC on September 30th. BCNU was a multi-location sponsor. This event is the largest single-day, volunteer-led event in Canada in support of the breast cancer cause.

BCNU Council’s Run for the Cure liaison Colette wickstrom ran with BCNU’s enthusiastic Vancouver contingent. “I am proud that so many members took part in this year’s run. We had a higher rate of participation in 2012 and we hope to keep that going with even more nurses joining us next year,” said wickstrom. BCNU has participated in the CiBC Run for the Cure since 2007.

Next year’s event will take place on Sunday, october 6, 2012 at locations to be announced. for further information or to register early, visit http://www.runforthecure.com.

tHe BCNU HaS StRUCk a Committee to develoP PoLICy and procedures governing the hiring of full-time stewards.

This ad hoc committee will review the job postings pro-cess to ensure that candidate selection continues to be fair and transparent.

The committee has been directed to include the following requirements in the policy:

• fair and appropriate weighting of hiring criteria including qualif ications, skills, and experience,

• hiring decisions based on seniority when other scor-ing criteria are equal,

• consistently constituted interview panels including members of the elected personnel committee, and

• means to ensure applicants are aware that hiring decisions can be appealed.

full-time steward selection policy in development

BeWAre of BLue cross cLAIMs DeADLINes

Maria StUiBLe wants all members to know about the deadlines

Pacific Blue Cross imposes on members submitting claims for extended health benefits and dental procedures.

Stuible, a veteran public health nurse with 35 years experience, lost $600 in 2010 when she submitted her Blue Cross claim one month past the company’s deadline.

“My first thought after learning that my claims had been refused was embarrass-ment,” says Stuible. “But then i thought, this isn’t fair. i’ve been filling these forms out for years without a problem. i didn’t know about the deadline and it wasn’t mentioned on the Blue Cross claim form i submitted. There was no warning.”

a frustrated Stuible surveyed 16 nurses who work with her at Vancouver’s Pacific Spirit Community health Centre to learn what they knew about the deadlines. She says only four were aware of the time limit. and three of those only learned about it after having their own claims denied.

The deadline for success-fully submitting your extended

health benefits claim to Pacific Blue Cross is June 30 of the year following the date of your treatment. Dental claims are dif-ferent - they must be submitted within one year of the proce-dure taking place.

Stuible says that after numer-ous discussions with Pacific Blue Cross, including bringing her dispute to Small Claims Court, information about the deadline was eventually posted on their online claim forms. But, she points out, there is no such announcement on the dental claim forms.

Stuible also encourages nurses to check the Pacific Blue Cross forms provided at their workplace – as employers may still be using be using the old ones.

“i just want every BCNU member to be aware of these deadlines,” says Stuible. “it could save them a lot of money and frustration.”

You can contact Stuible for more information at [email protected]. update

benefits

10 CheCk in

V ioLeNCe agaiNSt women is a serious and on-going problem that concerns everyone.

Consider sexual assault. in Vancouver the rate of reported sexual assaults has increased in recent years despite dropping rates of violent crime overall.

Consider domestic violence. on average, every six days a woman in Canada is killed by her intimate partner. Domestic violence officially accounts for 12 percent of all vio-lent crime in Canada, and on any given day more than 3,000 women (along with their 2,500 children) are living in an emergency shelter to escape domestic violence.

The United Nations defines violence against women as, “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.”

The White ribbon Campaign was started in 1991 by Canadian activists – includ-ing the late Jack Layton – who felt that men have a responsibility to work to end violence against women and must step up their efforts in promoting gender equal-ity in order to challenge the most harmful aspects of masculinity.

“We felt that the White ribbon Campaign was something that our group could support and help raise awareness among our male and female colleagues,” says Men in Nursing Caucus chair howard Searle. The caucus began promoting the campaign at its booth during this year’s BCNU convention.

The campaign runs from November 25 (the international Day for the eradication of Violence against Women) until December 6, Canada’s National Day of remembrance and action on Violence against Women. established by an act of Parliament in 1991, this day marks the anniversary of the murders in 1989 of 14 young women at l’École Polytechnique de

Montréal – all of whom died because they were women.

“The Men in Nursing Caucus will use the white ribbon on any materials produced by our group in order to support this ending of gender-based violence against not only our nursing sisters, but against women as a whole,” says Searle, noting that the

subtle branding of the white ribbon

is a reminder of how to behave

towards women and raises awareness

of ending violence against women in any

form. update

BcNu’s MeN IN NursING cAucus supporTs WhITe rIBBoN cAMpAIGN

tHe FaCilitieS BaRgaiNiNg Association’s tentative agree-ment with the Health Employers’ Association of BC contains some modest gains for members of the fBA’s diverse bargaining unit.

But the deal leaves critical nursing issues largely unresolved, demon-strating clearly the need for LPNs to be transferred to the Nurses’ Bargaining Association where they will bargain with other nurses and be able to focus on nurses’ professional concerns.

“LPNs will only be able to resolve their unique nursing issues when they are moved into the NBA and are in a bargaining structure that is not focused on the issues of more than 250 classif ications of support workers,” says BCNU president Debra McPherson. “A key priority for BCNU will be to ensure that move happens expeditiously.”

In the meantime BCNU Council has endorsed the newly elected BCNU LPN bargaining committee’s recom-mendation that members vote to ratify the tentative contract because it does make some progress for members.

The employment stability provided by the fBA contract will allow all LPNs to become involved in BCNU’s cam-paign to bring all nurses into the NBA.

facilities bargaining deal provides modest improvements but leaves nursing issues largely unresolved

eNDiNg geNDeR-BaSeD violeNce bcnu’s men in nursing caucus chair howard searle wants to raise awareness about the importance of ending violence against women in any form.


W heN SerioUS C. difficile outbreaks put Burnaby hospital in the media spotlight this year, BCNU activ-

ists were there to advocate publicly for safe patient care, safe nursing workloads and improved sanitation at the facility.

The Fraser health authority (Fha) has been struggling to manage the highly contagious C. difficile at the aging hospital. There have been several much-reported outbreaks – the most recent occurring in late 2011 which forced unit closures for several days.

Doctors at the hospital say that rates of the infection at Burnaby hospital have ranged between two to three times the provincial and national averages over the last two years, resulting in 473 serious cases of C. difficile from 2009 to mid-2011, with 84 associated deaths.

When the provincial government estab-lished the Burnaby hospital Community Consultation Committee (BhCCC) this summer, nurses working at the facility took the opportunity to raise their concerns and present solutions.

“our issues of highest concern are sanita-

nurses present solutions for better care

tion, cleanliness, and safe staffing for safe nursing practice,” BCNU member Zarena Pash told the BhCCC at a September public consultation meeting. Pash is part of a group of BCNU activists including kathy Bonitz and Valentina Maliarenko, who have been pushing for safer staffing levels and

better cleaning procedures at their worksite.The group submitted a report contain-

ing a series of recommendations for the hospital that included measures such as improving sanitation stations for hand

burnaby hospital

pReSeNtiNg SolutioNS burnaby hospital nurses Valentina maliarenko, Kathy bonitz, Zarena Pash and simon Fraser chair liz ilczaszyn hold copies of a report they submitted to the burnaby hospital community consultation committee.

team DaY member educators from across the province gathered on september 14, 2012. bottom row, left to right: sara Johl, riVa; remy dhillon, FV; dian hystad, sh; Kathy moore, tno; Judith dindayal, ne; cathy robinson, sFV; and andrea rauh, Vm. middle row: becy seet, cm; candice desousa, os; nicole searle, nW; and liane bruneau, sF. top row: ann bradbury, bcnu staff; helena barzilay, eK; and Jill Karleen, si.

BaSic SteWaRD tRaiNiNg Workshop participants met september 18-19, 2012 Participants included alicia birch, scott blair, Penny blair, anastasia brown, celia chen, maritess danganan, Jenny danskin, leanna Galbraith, Zoe Jewell, louise laroche, barbara leach, amber lysak, maren mclean, beverly melvin, anna Pawlak, laurie schmidt and danielle semple.

washing (touchless taps & soap dispensers) and well-staffed overflow units to eliminate hallway patients.

“i was impressed with the initiative that our Burnaby hospital nurses took to ensure that the voices of frontline nurses were heard by the BhCCC. The BCNU members’ sug-gestions were common sense and compre-hensive and were well received. it remains to be seen whether the follow-up development process for Burnaby hospital will respect the nurses’ and community’s views,” says Simon Fraser Chair Liz ilczaszyn.

The Fha has announced that it has implemented a comprehensive infection

prevention and control strategy that includes enhanced cleaning, the hir-ing of additional frontline infection control practitioners and a renewed focus on hand hygiene and infection prevention and control practices.

Media reports recently revealed that members of the government-appointed BhCCC – which includes Burnaby Liberal MLas – were com-municating with BC Liberal Party staff for what appear to be partisan purposes.

“This is extremely disappoint-ing,” says BCNU President Debra McPherson.

“Nurses have been up front with their solutions and their belief that con-sultation processes should be genuine and non-partisan. Unfortunately, everyone suf-fers when government and employers don’t work together for better care.” update

12

shoT IN The DArKNurses oppose coercive flu shot policy scientific evidence challenges the credibility of the studies used to justify it

Flu season. it’s a time of year when hospitals and healthcare workers are often pushed to their limits. and in a stretched healthcare system that’s struggling to provide safe patient

care at the best of times, no one is more aware than nurses about the challenging working conditions that the winter flu season inevitably brings.

But this flu season has been especially chal-lenging for nurses: Without warning, health employers across the province announced in august that they would be imposing a policy requiring that “all health care workers who come into contact with patients at publicly funded health care facilities or in the community, including at long-term care facilities, will need to get the influenza vaccine, or wear a mask during the flu season. The new policy applies to all healthcare workers including health author-ity staff, physicians and residents, volunteers, students, contractors and vendors who come into contact with patients.”

For many nurses, the announcement came as a shock. This was the first time any health juris-diction in Canada had laid down a blanket edict. all vaccination programs have previously relied on healthcare workers’ voluntary compliance – partly in recognition of workers’ concerns about the level of protection conferred by seasonal flu vaccines and their potential side-effects. When the program was voluntary BCNU always encouraged members to get the shot.

to make matters worse, the policy requires

workers to wear a sticker indicating they’ve been vaccinated and to help enforce the policy by reporting co-workers who do not comply with it.

in response, BCNU filed a grievance and began speaking out publicly against the policy.

The union demanded employers withdraw the policy in light of scientific reviews question-ing it. it started to become clear that BC health employers had not done their homework.

a letter in the Vancouver Sun from Dr. tom Jefferson of the Uk-based Cochrane Collaboration effectively removed all credibility behind the rationales being put forward by pro-vincial health officer Perry kendall and others.

Speaking to the coercive punitive aspects of the policy, Jefferson wrote: “it is not my place to judge the policies underway in British Columbia, but coercion and forcing public ridi-cule on human beings (for example by forcing them to wear distinctive badges or clothing) is usually the practice of tyrants.”

Jefferson also took exception to kendall’s mischaracterization of the Cochrane Collaboration’s findings to bolster his own position.

The Cochrane Collaboration – an interna-tional network of thousands of scientists and researchers from more than 100 countries – earlier wrote that “there is no credible evidence that vaccination of healthy people under the age of 60, who are health care workers caring for the elderly, affects influenza complications in those cared for.”1

Vaccination of Health Care Workers for Influenza: Promote Safety Culture, Not Coercion Canadian Journal of Public Health, March/April 2010; http://ow.ly/fF6mv

Influenza vaccination for healthcare workers who work with the elderly Thomas Re, Jefferson t, lasserson TJ.Published online: September 8, 2010; http://ow.ly/fF6bW

The Compelling Need for Game-Changing Influenza Vaccines Centre for infectious disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota, 2012; http://ow.ly/fF6qs

Influenza: Evidence From Cochrane Reviews The Cochrane Library, 2012; http://ow.ly/fF6xI

Efficacy and Effectiveness of Influenza Vaccines in Elderly People: a Systematic Review Jefferson t, Rivetti d, Rivetti a, Rudin m, di Pietrantonj C, Demicheli V. (2006); http://ow.ly/fF6At

iNFlueNza vacciNe ReSouRceS


Health & Safetyin the workplace

the PoPULar laminated lanyard card that outlines the steps in “donning and doff-ing” personal protective equipment (PPe) on one side and how to do a point-of-care risk assess-ment (PCRA) on the other has been revised to reflect current best practices. The changes relate only to the PPe side.

The cards were originally developed by a group of UBC nursing students who worked with BCNU in 2010 to tackle the issue of educating student nurses around occupational health and safety, particularly with regard to air-borne pathogens in the wake of h1N1.

Students aleya kamani, Wenling Shan, Michelle Thieu and tracy Weng surveyed their cohorts to determine the level of knowledge and found gaps in understand-ing regarding participants’ own safety when it came to dealing with respiratory infections.

They subsequently designed educational tools including the lanyard cards and a video which they posted on Youtube. “There is so much to remember when it comes to making risk assessments,” says Thieu. “So it’s important to have educational tools that not only teach but reinforce.”

The students originally expected the lan-

lamiNateD laNYaRD peRSoNal pRotective eQuipmeNt caRDS Re-iSSueD useFul oh&s tool reVised to reFlect current best Practices

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Order ON PPE Order

OFF

1Hand Hygiene *

3

2Gown

2

3Mask / Respirator

5

4

Eye / Face

Protection

4

5Gloves

1

Hand Hygiene *6

Our thanks to Aleya Kamani, Wenling Shan, Michelle Thieu and

Tracy Weng, the students who originally developed this card.* Hand Hygiene: hand washing or alcohol-rub


Order ON PPE Order

OFF

1Hand Hygiene *

3

2Gown

2

3Mask / Respirator

5

4

Eye / Face

Protection

4

5Gloves

1

Hand Hygiene *6




Order ON PPE Order

OFF

1Hand Hygiene *

3

2Gown

2

3Mask / Respirator

5

4

Eye / Face

Protection

4

5Gloves

1

Hand Hygiene *6




Order ON PPE Order

OFF

1Hand Hygiene *

3

2Gown

2

3Mask / Respirator

5

4

Eye / Face

Protection

4

5Gloves

1

Hand Hygiene *6




Order ON PPE Order

OFF

1Hand Hygiene *

3

2Gown

2

3Mask / Respirator

5

4

Eye / Face

Protection

4

5Gloves

1

Hand Hygiene *6




Order ON PPE Order

OFF

1Hand Hygiene *

3

2Gown

2

3Mask / Respirator

5

4

Eye / Face

Protection

4

5Gloves

1

Hand Hygiene *6




Order ON PPE Order

OFF

1Hand Hygiene *

3

2Gown

2

3Mask / Respirator

5

4

Eye / Face

Protection

4

5Gloves

1

Hand Hygiene *6




Order ON PPE Order

OFF

1Hand Hygiene *

3

2Gown

2

3Mask / Respirator

5

4

Eye / Face

Protection

4

5Gloves

1

Hand Hygiene *6



yard cards would be of use to their peers, but once BCNU produced the cards and started circulating them, they were recognized as a useful product for working nurses in general. With great credit to the students, about 1000 cards have been dis-tributed in the Fraser health authority after a clinical nurse educator requested them.

The revised card lists the PPe to use and the sequence of “donning and doffing” in keeping with current national standards and best practices. This includes donning gowns prior to putting on masks or respirators, and no longer using hair and shoe covers.

BCNU will be distributing the cards to health authority contacts by request, at BCNU oh&S events and to members who visit the BCNU campaign bus during 2013 stops. For more information, please contact your worksite steward. update

a systematic Cochrane review of flu vaccine studies found “(pharma-ceutical) industry-funded studies were published in more prestigious journals and cited more than other studies inde-pendently from methodological quality and size.”

“Nurses always strive to conduct ourselves in ways that are based on evidence,” says BCNU president Debra McPherson. “in light of the latest evi-dence presented by what is a very cred-ible scientific organization untainted by drug company influence, it’s time for health employers to re-examine their policy and back off on their ill-advised attempts to coerce nurses and other healthcare workers to get the flu shot.

“The decision on whether to get a flu shot should be a matter of individual choice, not something that can bring shame and humiliation in the work-place or financial penalties and other disciplinary measures,” she says. “For employers to persist in this ill-advised policy in the wake of serious questions about the credibility of the science behind it would be unconscionable.”

Dr. Jefferson’s letter follows on the heels of research released in october from the Centre For infectious Disease research and Policy (CiDRAP) at the University of Minnesota.

in The Compelling Need for Game-Changing Influenza Vaccines, the organi-zation’s researchers wrote that policies aimed at expanding vaccination rates by mandating it for healthcare workers are being made without compelling and scientifically sound research to support them.

More recently a CBC News investi-gation revealed that claims about the number of people who die annually from the flu are grossly exaggerated.

Despite the growing evidence indicat-ing the ineffectiveness of seasonal flu vaccines, kendall has still refused to acknowledge nurses concerns and plans to maintain the policy. The “vaccina-tion required” period usually runs from the end of November until the end of March but may vary with seasonal epidemiology. update

14

BCNU’s Sixth annual nursing practice confer-ence highlighted many of the prob-

lems that nurses and patients must overcome when dealing with mental health issues.

Members from across BC attended Finding the Centre: Nursing Hearts and Minds, a two-day conference held last May in richmond. For many of the participants it was the first BCNU conference they had attended.

“For far too many nurses the workplace is proving to be an obstacle to the achieve-ment and cultivation of mental

health,” BCNU President Debra McPherson said in her opening remarks.

“This constitutes an injustice not only to our nurses and other healthcare profession-als – but also to our patients and our communities. Because even today it is easier to turn to your colleague at work and tell

them ‘i have cancer’ than it is to say ‘i have been diagnosed with schizophrenia.’”

The event’s first speaker was Dr. Caroline tait from the University of Saskatchewan. She is a former coordinator of the National Network for aboriginal Mental health research and past vice-chair of the aboriginal Women’s health and healing research group.

tait’s presentation – “Social Determinants of Mental health: experiences of aboriginal, immigrant and refugee Women” – focussed on the often inhumane treatment First Nations peoples have experienced in general and in

healthcare in particular.“it’s not good enough to

simply put people through drug and alcohol treatment centres,” said tait. “We must ensure they have the follow-up care and support they need when they return to their communities.”

tait would like to see Canadians learn more about the

historic struggles First Nations peoples have faced in the past so they can understand the situation today. She urged par-ticipants to watch several docu-mentaries, including Dancing Around the Table and Broken Promises, as well as music by aboriginal rapper eekwol.

tait also talked about the deplorable state of child welfare in Canada today. “i know of one child who has been moved to

70 different homes in her life. Why isn’t that considered child abuse?”

UBC professor Dr. harry karlinsky focussed on how mental health issues are dealt with in movies. his presentation “Psychiatry and Movies: a case study on Lars and the Real Girl” included trailers from several

landmark films that touched on the subject of mental health, such as Snake Pit and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

“in general,” said karlinsky, “hollywood and mental health has generated numerous stereo-types and inaccurate depictions of mental health. Movies add to the mental illness stigma.”

Mental health educator and playwright Victoria Maxwell delivered a powerful and often-hilarious one-woman performance at the end of the conference’s first day. her show, Crazy for Life, is a true-life story about accepting and living with a psychiatric disorder.

She used humour to openly discuss many of her own experi-ences in and out of mental health institutions. “i call the show the escapades of a bipolar princess,” said Maxwell, who took the audience “’round the bend, and back again, from meditation groups to hospi-tal psych wards, from black depressions to manic highs and psychedelic psychoses.”

She also gave kudos to nurses and other mental health staff for helping to save her life. “i wouldn’t be here today if it

NuRSiNg HeaRtS aND miNDS bcnu’s siXth annual nursinG Practice conFerence hiGhliGhts mental health issues

aDvocatiNg FoR meNtallY HealtHY WoRKplaceS dr. albert Wu, director of the center for health services and outcomes research at Johns hopkins university and dr. caroline tait from the university of saskatchewan.

“toDaY it iS eaSier to tUrN to YoUr CoLLeagUe at Work aND teLL theM ‘i haVe CaNCer’ thaN it iS to SaY ‘i haVe BeeN DiagNoSeD With SChiZoPhreNia.’” Debra McPherson, BCNU President


FoR tHe SeCoNd yeaR RUNNiNg, nurses and allied health staff at Providence Health Care are participating in small-scale, mentored research projects, with BCNU sponsoring a $4,000 prize.

Inspired by University Health Network in toronto, where the Research Challenge has been ongoing for over f ive years, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority nursing research facilitator Aggie Black worked to introduce the initiative at PHC last year. It proved to be such a success that it is being repeated again. The proj-ect gives nurses and others a chance to learn about research methods and imple-ment projects that will make a difference to them and their patients.

following a request for Letters of Intent, 15 teams were selected for participation, including ten led by nurses and f ive led by allied health workers. All teams were assigned a mentor, followed by participa-

BuDDiNg ReSeaRcHeRS st Paul’s nurses afia min and dave morrison with Vancouver metro regional chair, colette Wickstrom (left).

BcNu SpoNSoRS ReSeaRcH cHalleNge pRize at pRoviDeNce HealtH caRe FoR SecoND YeaR

tion in research methods workshops, taught either by Dr. Lynda Balveaves or dr. Pam Ratner, both of the UBC School of Nursing. Teams then worked with their mentors to write a proposal for how they would answer their practice-based research question.

on June 27, 13 teams presented their project outlines and answered questions. After consid-eration by an adjudica-tion panel, 11 teams were awarded prizes ranging from $2,000 to $4,000.

BCNU members Dave Morrison and Afia Min are part of a funded project, Evaluation of an interven-

tion to enhance in-centre hemodialysis patient’s self-care ability. “It’s about get-ting nurses back to teaching and health promotion and patients being heard,” says Morrison. “We want to promote inde-pendence and allow them to be involved in their care to the best of their abilities.” Adds Min, “one of the good things is that all staff on the unit are involved.”

The PHC research initiative would not have become a reality without the ongoing leadership of Aggie Black, one of six health authority nursing research facilitators funded through the Nursing Research initiative. the NRi, managed by the Michael Smith foundation for Health Research, was made possible through union-employer-government policy discussions leading up to 2006 Provincial Collective Agreement bargaining, when $8 million was allocated to develop BC nursing research capacity. update

wasn’t for a nurse i met on a psychiatric ward.”

Dr. geertje Boschma, an associ-ate professor at the UBC School of Nursing, gave a presentation entitled “Community Mental health Services in historical Perspective: Voices from Professionals and Consumers.”

Boschma focused on the develop-ment of community mental health ser-vices in New Westminster over the past 50 years. She described how, during that period, patients have been moved out of large institutions like riverview and into smaller homes, drop-in cen-tres and independent living sites.

“We need to listen to the voices of people who have experienced mental illness first-hand,” said Boschma.

other speakers at the two-day conference included UBC School of Nursing professor Dr. Patricia rodney and Dr. albert Wu, director of the Center for health Services and outcomes research at Johns hopkins University.

rodney, a frequent speaker at BCNU events and a former union steward, delivered a thoughtful presentation entitled “Moral Climate action,” that focused on end-of-life decision making and the moral climate of healthcare delivery.

Wu’s presentation, “The Second Victim,” delved into how nurses and physicians are negatively affected by the repercussions of medical errors.

Money raised by BCNU members through 50/50 draws at the event was donated to The Vivian transitional housing Project for Women, which provides supportive housing for at-risk, chronically homeless women.

“this nursing practice conference will help our union and our members continue to be strong advocates for mentally healthy workplaces,” said McPherson, “workplaces that are genuinely supportive of the vital work that nurses engage in on a daily basis.” update

16

LpNs succeeD IN TheIr cAMpAIGN To uNITe Nurses AT BcNu

unite nurses grew steadily until hundreds of activists at most hospitals across the province were part of the initiative to bring all nurses into one powerful union.

Professional representation and quality services drew LPNs to BCNUBraiden says that one of the key reasons LPNs were drawn to BCNU is the strong professional services the nurses’ union provides to members.

“in our previous unions we lacked much of the professional advocacy that rNs and rPNs have always enjoyed,” says Braiden.

“Stewards in our previous unions often tried very hard to represent us, and i’m grateful for that,” says Braiden. “But it’s tough for non-nurse stewards to repre-sent LPNs about complex practice issues when they simply don’t have the nursing

background to do so.” it was those representational issues and a desire for quality

educational and professional practice services that drew

LPNs to the nurses’ union. Many of BCNU’s ser-

vices are customized for nurses, and those services were key components of

LPNs’ campaign to convince their co-workers that BCNU is the natural home for all classifications of nurses.

“LPNs voted to join BCNU because we want professional representa-tion. But we also have a lot to contribute to building a stronger nurses’ union with our rN and rPN colleagues,” says Braiden.

improving care and building

bargaining powerBringing LPNs into BCNU will strengthen the union’s ability to advocate for better healthcare.

initially, 7,200 hospital-based LPNs joined

SharoN BRAiDeN WaiteD PatieNtLY for results from the LPN vote to roll in. it was october 5th and Braiden was on holiday in her hometown of erin, ontario. This was the day the BC Labour relations Board was finally going to count the ballots from LPNs’ historic representational vote.

The fact that the vote count was happening this day was constantly in her thoughts because for eight years she had worked on the campaign to bring LPNs into BCNU.

Braiden felt nervous. But she was also con-fident LPNs understood the message that by voting for BCNU they would have a better future as members of a profes-sional nurses’ union.

at 9:00 pm her cell phone beeped – it was a message from LPN organizer todd Decker. The results were in, and LPNs in all six health authorities had voted deci-sively to join BCNU.

“as soon as i read todd’s text i let out a huge ‘whoop’ and did a happy dance in my brother’s living room”, says Braiden. “My family were all grin-ning because they knew the process took many years and hundreds of nurses put thousands of hours into getting this successful result.”

Braiden, annette Fleming and Belinda anderson were the three trailblazing LPNs who started work on moving LPNs to BCNU in 2004. after contract setbacks and poor representation in their previous unions, they started talking to people about ways to move LPNs to the BC Nurses’ Union.

“after meeting with labour lawyers our task looked almost impossible,” says Braiden. “But we kept at it because we knew LPNs really wanted to join rNs and rPNs in a shared union.”

Since 2004, the number of people joining the campaign to

bcnu welcomes health authority-employed lPns to the nurses’ union

HappY DaY lPn sharon braiden


the union this october. When LPNs employed by healthcare affiliates also vote to join BCNU, it’s expected almost 10,000 LPNs will be in the nurses’ union by next spring.

over the long term, bringing all nurses into one strong organization will build the union’s capacity to improve practice conditions and negotiate better con-tracts. and better practice conditions for nurses means better healthcare for British Columbians.

working hard and not giving up on unityBraiden clearly remembers the tentative first steps of the LPN movement almost eight years ago. During one of their initial discussions they met with a Victoria-based labour lawyer who had helped other healthcare employees change unions.

“i clearly remember our lawyer’s words during our first meeting with him in 2006,” says Braiden. “he told us that BC healthcare labour legislation is complex and he wasn’t optimistic we’d ever be successful in moving LPNs to BCNU. he said if we were successful we’d forever change the face of BC labour.”

Braiden, anderson and Fleming knew they were advancing an idea that was popular with LPNs. Bringing all nurses into the same union makes sense and advances common sense solutions to improve BC healthcare. and it adds to the list of nurses’ unions in other provinces that represent rNs and LPNs alike.

“our initial discussion with the labour lawyer could have caused us to give up,” says Braiden. “But we kept on going until our vision for a united nursing profession took hold with LPNs. our next step is to bring affiliate LPNs into BCNU then move LPNs into the Nurses’ Bargaining association.”

“i’ll be retiring soon,” says Braiden. “My desire in the campaign is for younger LPNs to have a great career as BCNU members.

“and i feel totally comfortable now moving into the sunset because so many great nurse activists have come forward in the campaign and they’re ready to move our profession forward at BCNU.” update

more than 7,200 health authority-employed lpns move to bcnu

ON oCtoBer 11, 2012 the BC LaBoUr relations Board certified BCNU as the new union for more than 7,200 hospital-based LPNs.

one of BCNU’s first commitments to LPNs was to give them a voice in the governance of their new union. immediately after the vote results were announced on october 5, BCNU opened nominations for six positions to the LPN Bargaining Committee and BCNU Council.

a record 36 members were nominated – a large response and clear indication of LPNs’ enthusiasm to a play a significant role in their new union. elections were held November 19-21 and the six successful candidates are listed on page 19.

BCNU Council welcomes LPNs and encourages participationNow that LPNs are members of a professional nurses’ union, BCNU Council extends a warm welcome to new members and encourages them to become familiar with BCNU services.

There are key differences between BCNU and LPNs’ previous unions because the nurses’ union has devel-oped programs that are tailored specifically to nurses.

lpNS StaRt paRticipatiNg iN tHeiR NeW uNioN bcnu President debra mcPherson welcomes the inaugural group of lPn stewards at a november training session. back from left: sandra dessau, carolynn taylor, rannoch campbell, barbara taylor, Kris Vanlambalgen, bcnu President debra mcPherson, Jim Fishley, barbara holm, Kerry matheson, david macVicar and mike brodie. Front from left: louise Weightman, marivic dinisio, sherri ng and brenda childs.

Learning, discovering and networkingone of the key differences LPNs will discover about their new union is BCNU’s focus on building a professional com-munity through membership meetings and educationals.

Many BCNU services are delivered through our regional structure, so learning which region your worksite is in will help you access our services. The regional map is online at BCNU.org > about BCNU > click BCNU regions.

There are two excellent meetings that all new members should attend.

The first is your regional meeting which is a full day of discussion, networking and learning. You will meet your regional executive, network with other nurses and learn

18

Please join our open forum and send your letters to: [email protected]

about healthcare and workplace issues.

The second key meeting to attend is the BUS Seminar (Building Union Strength). BUS is a full day introduc-tion to BCNU and the labour movement where members have the opportunity to explore issues such as the connection between the social determinants of health and social justice.

For both meetings, members receive the day off with pay so it’s an excellent opportunity to network and learn more about the many opportunities BCNU offers to members.

to apply to attend visit the calendar at bcnu.org.

supporting nurses’ professional practices is a key BCNU priorityimproving practice conditions is a key BCNU priority that we advance through collective bargaining and programs that support professional practice issues.

in the last round of NBa bargaining BCNU made signifi-cant progress towards improv-ing practice conditions through

the hiring of more nurses, guaranteeing the replacement of nurses on leave and stream-lining the PrF process.

BCNU’s Policy and Professional advocacy Department exists to support nurses’ professional practice. and nurses who need sup-port with licensing issues can contact their BCNU steward or call the provincial office and ask for the LeaP (Licensing education advocacy Practice) Program.

Participate, learn and get involvedMoving into a new organiza-tion can be both exciting and confusing. BCNU Council encourages our new mem-bers to attend their regional meetings and the BUS course. Both are great ways to build new relationships and learn more about what BCNU offers members. update

completeDP lpns will receive full rights at bcnu

LPNs now have all BCNU constitutional rights and privileges

P lpns will have a voice on councilSix representatives were just elected to the LPN Bargaining Committee/BCNU Council

P lpns will receive steward continuityCurrent stewards have been invited to join the BCNU steward team.

P lpns will receive paid educationLPNs can now register for BCNU regional educationals

P lpns will have licensing supportThe LEAP Program is available to help LPNs with practice challenges*

P your current pension, benefits and senior-ity were transferred to bcnu

P your union dues will go down to 2% of basic pay with zero dues on overtime

P you have access to bcnu’s strike fund

iN pRogReSS£ you will receive career development

15% of LPN dues will build an education fund

£ lpns are invited to bcnu caucuses

£ lpns, rns and rpns will work togetherAll nurses will be equal partners on teams for quality patient care.

£ we will prepare for collective bargainingBCNU will start work to move LPNs into the NBA

£ bcnu will refuse pay cuts and contract rollbacks

FutuRe• Fast-trackedsettlements

We will approach employers to fast track all out-standing grievances.*

• LPNscanchangetheirmindsAfter BCNU negotiates two collective agreements, LPNs are free to leave BCNU through a province-wide referendum.*

*See the full text of the Pledge for details

RepoRt caRD oN BcNu’S pleDge to lpNS

left: Vice President christine sorensen wel-comes Vernon lPn rannoch campbell. below: new bcnu lPn membersmarivic dinisio and sherri ng.


BCNU iS CoMMitteD to ensuring that the 7,200 Licensed Practical Nurses who are now members of our union get the right to bargain as nurses within the Nurses’ Bargaining association. New LPN members should be covered by the same pro-vincial contract as other nurses and to

benefit from its provisions. The priority now is to work with

the provincial government to ensure that LPNs are brought into the NBa as soon as possible. a postcard mail-in campaign calling on the government to make the required legislative changes is the first step in this process.

When LPNs are transferred to the NBa, they will negotiate together with other nurses covered by the provincial contract. and the benefits could be substantial.

For many years LPNs’ previous unions were opposed to their trans-fer from the Facilities Bargaining association into the NBa. as a result, FBa LPNs endured repeated contract rollbacks. BCNU is committed to end-

ing these unfair rollbacks by bringing LPNs onto the nurses’ bargaining team where contract concessions are not accepted.

in the NBa, LPNs’ PrF language can be strengthened and their training and workplace support can be improved – and BCNU will expect LPNs to be paid

according to their expanding workplace responsibilities.

having rNs, rPNs and LPNs in one bargaining association benefits all stakeholders. For nurses, it means being better posi-tioned to address workplace issues in collaborative ways. For employers, it means only having to administer one set of contract processes for all nurses. That could mean administering only one set of

rules for things like employee call-ins, staff scheduling and resolving griev-ances and professional practice issues.

in the NBa, all changes to nurses’ terms of employment will be negoti-ated by their elected bargaining com-mittee, and only that committee can recommend the acceptance of a new contract to members.

all BCNU members are encouraged to sign a copy of the post card peti-tion and mail it to the government. The postcard is pre-paid and can be dropped in any mailbox.

Members who want to circulate the postcard at their worksites can request up to 25 copies by emailing their con-tact information to [email protected]. update

postcard campaign underway to bring lpns to the nurses’ bargaining associationa single contract for all nurses will bring benefits to both nurses and employers

Jonathan Karmazinuk, FHa

Janet elizabethVan doorn, iHa

Louiseweightman, NHa

stevenRoth, Providence

marleneGoertzen, VCHa

BarryPhillips, ViHa

lpN RepReSeNtativeS electeD to BaRgaiNiNg committee aND couNcil Elections for LPN positions on Bargaining Committee and Council were held November 19 to 21. LPNs directly employed in the f ive regional health authorities and Providence Health Care cast their votes for candidates to repre-sent their regions.

The BCNU Nominations Committee is pleased to welcome the successful candi-dates (listed below).

The election was part of BC Nurses' Union’s pledge to open nominations for LPN Bargaining Committee/Council Representatives after lPN’s successful campaign to join the BCNU.

As BCNU members, LPNs will exercise full rights to participate in elections for BCNU's provincial executive, regional positions and steward elections

feature

Keeping the promise

rn Gloria June shackley, rn Julie brandly and rn sara Johl.

HolDiNg emploYeRS to tHeiR commitmeNtS Vigilance and involvement of elected leaders and members in the worksite will be critical to ensuring the new nba agreement makes a positive difference for nurses and patients.


aThe contract provides some critical new tools to improve our workloads and our ability to provide quality care. Now it’s time to start using those tools and work to ensure our employers and the provincial government keep the promise they made at the bargaining table for safe patient care through safe staffing. it’s crucial we hold the employers to their commitments.

in the workplace, the contract recognizes and respects nurses’ ability to determine what’s best for the patients who are receiv-ing care on our units and from our pro-grams, while limiting managers’ rights to make decisions on their own.

For the union, the contract provides unprecedented access to information about staffing levels and nursing hours which the union can use to support members in the workplace.

There are specific commitments to main-tain existing nursing hours and to increase nursing hours well above that baseline.

to make these contract provisions a real-ity it will be critical to be vigilant, be asser-tive, and be prepared to file grievances if the employer is not following the contract.

Nurses on leave will be replacedFor the first time ever, employers will be required to provide back-fill whenever acute and long-term care nurses are off from a scheduled shift, no matter what the rea-son. For longer term leaves like vacation or maternity, nurses will be replaced and the employer will make all reasonable efforts to use regular relief/float positions or, in the case of long-term disability or maternity leave, create temporary positions. For sick

aN oVerWheLMiNg MaJoritY of nurses voted to ratify the new NBa provincial contract, giving us a unique opportunity to make a positive difference for our working lives and for our patients.

22 feature

calls, the contract requires nurses to be replaced, even if the employer has to pay overtime to do this. The only time more nurses won’t be called in is when the nurse in charge and the manager jointly agree that patient care needs don’t require it.

The new contract language on patient care needs is notable:

“‘Patient care needs’ includes, but is not limited to, an assessment of number of patients, patient acuity, anticipated rate of patient turn-over, patient dependency and staff skill mix.” additional nurses will be called in using casuals, regular part-time, float pools, redeployment of other nurses if circumstances permit, or regular full-time.”

No more will employers be able to impose such policies as “no replacement for the first sick call” or “no replacement if overtime pay is required.

Nurses will be called in for overcapacity and hallway careThe new contract requires employers to call in more nurses when patient demand exceeds the normal capacity of an acute or long-term care facility or unit to meet patient care needs. again, patient care needs will be determined jointly by the manager and the nurse in charge of the unit in question.

The language is clear and it’s enforceable through the grievance procedure. to help nurses prepare for this responsibility, train-ing sessions will be developed jointly by the union and employers. any nurse who works in-charge or who may be called on to perform the in-charge role in the future should access the training.

Replacement in the communityalso for the first time ever, the new con-tract requires employers to replace nurses in the community for at least their first two weeks of vacation.

Baseline staffing informationFor BCNU elected leaders and staff the new contract also means busy times ahead.

By March 31 every year the employer will provide the union with copies of the baseline staffing levels, the regular Ftes and total casual hours for all units/wards/programs. This is a tremendous amount of information for the union to receive and process. But it will be critical in identifying where more staff is needed and using the data to achieve it.

maintenance of straight-time paid nursing hoursUnder the contract heaBC must give the Nurses’ Bargaining association the total num-ber of straight-time paid hours of nurses in the health sector for each of 2012, 2013,1014 and 2015 by July the following year.

The contract says the total number of straight-time paid hours of nurses in the health sector will be no less than the num-ber in 2012.

heaBC will also give the NBa the number of Ftes broken down by full-time, part-time, and casual and the number of overtime hours of health sector nurses between 2012 and 2015.

Regularization of hoursovertime hours, hours worked by casual employees, hours worked by part-time employees above their normal Fte and hours worked by agency nurses will be jointly reviewed every six months and, wherever possible, where the hours are consistent and recurring, will be converted into or added to regular positions.

additional nurse Ftesa cornerstone of the agreement is an employer commitment to add a specific number of additional nursing hours equivalent to a specific number of new nurse Ftes.

The total number of straight-time hours of rNs/rPNs in the health sector will be increased from the December 31, 2012 hours by at least 4,159,687.5 straight time paid hours (equivalent to 2,125 Ftes) by March 31, 2016. The increases will be dis-tributed relatively evenly over the period,

although the increases in the first year may be less.

Most of these Ftes will be regular posi-tions throughout the healthcare system.

This ability to negotiate new staffing numbers is unprecedented. and the new nursing hours will be in addition to the nursing hours prevailing at the end of 2012. So the new nurse Ftes will be over and above the numbers required to make up for nurses who quit or retire.

increased work weekThe new contract contains significant monetary improvements including a three percent wage increase next year. to achieve the gains BCNU agreed to an increase in the work week to 37.5 hours from 36. This agreement was made in response to the government’s “cooperative gains mandate” where employers only agreed to contract gains if the costs were covered through savings and productivity improvements. But employers made specific commitments about how the change will be imple-mented. Members will have to be vigilant to ensure employers keep this promise.

employers agreed the increased work week will not result in any layoffs of nurses and will be done in a manner that mini-mizes the impact on individual nurses’ employment and security. The parties com-mitted to work together to ensure a smooth transition as a result of changes to rotations due to the increased hours of work.

The employer agreed to consider regu-larization of casual and overtime hours including creating built-in vacation relief or float positions, use of current vacancies to maintain current part-time employees’ hours of work, offer of job shares and other options as mutually agreed.

The union will be busy overseeing and helping to administer these provisions. in most cases the vigilance and involve-ment of members in the worksites, closely coordinated and communicated to elected leaders and staff, will be critical to ensuring the agreement makes a positive difference for nurses and patients. update


Q&A

iNCReased wORK weeKq: How will my rotation change?a: The exact details of whether and how rotations might change won’t be clear until the union sits down with the employer and negotiates them. What’s likely is that nurses currently working a 7.2-hour day will move to a 7.5-hour day, with no change in their rotation.

Nurses currently working 7.5-hour days or extended work days may be required to work additional shifts to make up the extra hours.

q: i currently work shifts greater than 7.2 hours. does this mean i will work extra shifts in the year?a: With the inclusion of the new Family Day Statutory holiday this means you will work about 70 hours more per year.

q: what’s the impact on nurses work-ing part-time?a: The details have to be worked out. Part-timers may maintain their hours of work, which would reduce their Fte slightly (For example, under the 36-hour work week 18 hours of work equals a .5 Fte; under a 37.5-hour work week 18 hours would equal a .48 Fte.). Part-timers may have their hours of work increased to maintain their Fte. (For example, under a 36-hour work week a .4 Fte would work 14.4 hours;

new nba provincial collective agreement

under a 37.5-hour work week a .4 Fte would work 15 hours.)

The impact of changes to regular part-time hours will be minimized as much as possible through absorbing vacant lines/shifts into the new rotation, the creation of regular relief posi-tions, and the use of job shares.

q: i’m a part-timer working a .4 position (14.4 hours per week – the minimum Fte allowed for regular part-time). if i keep my same hours under the 37.5-hour week, won’t that reduce my Fte to less than .4 and put my part-time status and benefits in jeopardy?a: The union negotiated a provision in this new contract whereby part-timers who fall below a .4 under the 37.5-hour week are deemed to have part-time status and will maintain all benefits associated with that status.

q: aren’t the new nursing hours prom-ised by the government just coming from current nurses working longer with the move to the 37.5-hour week?a: No. None of the new 2,125 nurse Ftes are part of the move to the 37.5-hour week. These positions will be added over and above the extra nursing hours that will result from the move to the 37.5-hour week.

q: How do our hours compare to other provinces?a: Nurses in most other provinces work at least a 37.5-hour week. alberta has a 36.81-hour week while it’s 37.3 hours in Saskatchewan’s new contract.

JOB seCURitYq: How does this contract improve my job security?a: There are more opportunities for mem-bers when they’re displaced. For the first time, employers will be required to train a displaced nurse to fill an unfilled vacancy, the same way as they would train anybody else for that position. There’s a minimum number of nursing hours province-wide. employers agree they won’t reduce that number but will add more than four mil-lion additional nursing hours over the next four years (roughly equal to 2,125 Ftes.)

health authority-wide seniority enhances the value of your seniority by increasing your options for moving to new positions.

There are more opportunities for

there are LotS oF iMPortaNt ChaNgeS CoNtaiNeD iN the new NBa provincial collective agreement. You’ll be learning more in the coming weeks and months when talking with your stewards. answers to some of the most frequently asked questions are here.

24 feature

ACCeSS to CoMPreheNSiVe extended healthcare benefits is one of the most important advantages of union membership. Benefits packages are a hard fought entitle-

ment and the Nurses’ Bargaining association has one of the best in Canadian healthcare. BCNU’s is the only nurses’ collective agreement where the employer pays 100 percent of benefit costs. and unlike most benefits plans, ours in-cludes dual dental, orthotics, contraceptives and psychologist services.

Unfortunately, the rising cost of extended healthcare benefits is making it harder than ever to negotiate and protect the benefit plan our members have come to rely on. Private payment for health services not covered by Medicare, whether through employer-sponsored benefit plans or through individuals paying out-of-pocket, is by far and away the largest single driver of healthcare spending in Canada – and

it’s a trend that will likely continue. Drug spending provides the starkest example:

Canada spent $25.1 billion on prescription drugs in 2008. The cost of drugs has risen by more than 10 percent each year since 1985, and represents a major element in the increase of total health expenditures. today, Canada is the world’s third most expensive country for brand-name drugs. Many now argue that the cost of artificially high prices for new brand-name drugs far exceeds any benefits.

For BCNU negotiators, it came as no surprise when the health employers’ association of BC proposed that nurses

begin sharing the costs of their benefits pack-age. This bargaining proposal would have seen nurses paying 25 percent of premiums. an-nual benefit costs – from dental to drugs and long-term disability – form a rising share of total compensation. Last year they totalled $6294

Better BeNefITsnew joint union-employer committee to explore options for affordable and sustainable benefit plans

nurses displaced at affiliates (not directly owned and oper-ated by health authorities or Providence health Care).

Displaced employees are no longer restricted to bumping employees with less than seven years seniority.

There’s a dispute resolution and binding arbitration process if the employer says a member isn’t qualified for a vacancy or training opportunity. Until the dispute is resolved the member continues to be employed in nursing with the same wages and Fte.

q: i’ve been displaced from my job in long-term care. How does the new contract help?a: if you have a job anywhere in the health sector, whether work-ing directly for a health author-ity or an affiliate employer, and have exhausted your recall and layoff rights under the contract, you’ll get access to placement in external health authority vacan-cies and, if you need it, appropri-ate orientation and education to practice safely in acute care or the community. The old language gave this right only to employees within the geographic region of the health authority.

q: who will pay for my edu-cation for the new role?a: New language commits the employer and union to jointly develop guidelines to maximize opportunities for laid off nurses through orienta-tion and/or education, with access to funding through the training/education Partnership.

For more qs and as about the new contract go to http://tinyurl.com/dyr4lnk. update

time to get smart with the money we are spending on health benefits canada is the world’s third most expensive country for brand-name drugs. the cost of drugs has risen by more than 10 percent each year since 1985, and represents a major element in the increase of total health expenditures. new and expensive drugs have spurred the need to develop drug pricing strategies and options for drug cost man-agement that could reduce pressure on other areas of benefits and compensation packages.


benefits if it would make their health bene-fit plans more cost effective and strengthen the overall benefits they currently receive.

other alternatives explored in the study that received favourable responses included expanded alternative, non-drug therapies such as physiotherapy and acupuncture, and preventative health initiatives such as health and wellness accounts for yoga classes or bike repairs.

innovative purchasing arrangements such as preferred provider networks (PPNs) can also be brought to bear on the problem of growing benefit costs.

PPNs can save employers up 20 percent of benefit costs while often providing employees with benefit enhancements. These networks provide discounted extended healthcare services to their subscribers (employers) who pass the sav-ings on to employees who choose to use in-network care providers.

Some policy providers have begun to

offer access to PPNs as one of their own product offerings. For example, alberta Blue Cross offers a provincial dental net-work that provides discounted services to their subscribers. Workers are encouraged to access the network to gain an improved benefit option while employers’ premium costs can be dramatically reduced.

The recent round of bargaining has made it clear that the increasing cost of benefits should not be ignored.

and inaction on the part of unions will come with a price. Without the option of cost-effective alternatives, employers will be unwilling to fund wage increases or hire more workers when faced with growing benefits costs.

The long-term solution to this problem is a political one. BC’s provincial drug plan – Pharmacare – helps British Columbians with the cost of eligible prescription drugs.

Pharmacare has benefited greatly from the Therapeutics initiative, a respected inde-pendent drug research group established in 1994. its drug review process saved lives and money—until the government cut its budget and gave the pharmaceutical indus-try a greater role in deciding which drugs will be covered by the provincial drug plan. Now, British Columbians are less safe and pay more for expensive drugs.

Decisions like these increase the preva-lence of costly brand-name prescription drugs and put pressure on employers who in turn demand that workers sacrifice wages to fund unsustainable drug costs.

Canada is also the only developed coun-try without a national pharmacare pro-gram. a publicly funded and administered national drug plan would control costs, provide universal access, and ensure the safe and appropriate use of drugs.

Similarly, governments’ sustained invest-ment in Medicare would ensure that impor-

tant health care services remain publicly insured, reduce pressure on extended health care costs and address growing out-of-pocket healthcare spending on for-profit services not covered by our public health insurance.

The BCNU is committed to pushing government and policy-makers to support public policies that reduce workers’ need to access expensive extended healthcare services.

in the meantime, we need to get smart with the money we are currently spending on health benefits. examples from other sectors of the Canadian economy show that this is indeed possible. The BCNU-heaBC Joint Benefits review Committee will be doing its best to identify efficiencies that we can apply here to help ensure that nurses’ existing bargaining gains are pro-tected from the pressures of rising benefits costs. update

dollars per nurse (not including MSP). The message from heaBC and other employers is that if costs cannot be contained, the long-term sustainability of employer-sponsored benefit programs will be in jeopardy.

BCNU has acknowledged that rising benefits costs are a serious issue – but we reject the idea of nurses paying any share of the total costs of funding our benefits plan. We believe that unions and employers have a responsibility to explore opportunities to make benefit plans more cost-effective with-out sacrificing overall value to members.

Under the new NBa Provincial Collective agreement, BCNU and heaBC have agreed to establish a Joint Benefit review Committee that will be tasked with identify-ing cost-containment options to ensure the long-term sustainability of our benefits. The JBrC will provide parties with recommen-dations by December 31, 2013.

The JBrC is an opportunity for BCNU to be directly involved in decisions regarding any reorganization of our benefit plan. The committee will review current cost driv-ers, delivery models and practices in other jurisdictions to see where we can achieve efficiencies.

high on the committee’s agenda is the growing cost of prescription drugs. New and expensive drugs in particular have spurred a need to develop drug pricing strategies and consider options for drug cost management that could ultimately reduce pressure on other areas of our benefits and compensa-tion package.

There are many current practices that drive costs higher. Policy providers may have little incentive to help lower drug costs. Pharmacies seldom pass generic drug rebates on to consumers, and physicians and patients are often unaware of the financial costs of prescription choices. But when there is a shared necessity to address prob-lems, employers and employees can work together to find solutions.

BCNU and other BC health sector unions have already taken initial steps to consult their members on the issue of rising health premium costs. a 2008 study assessing union members’ attitudes towards lower-cost, evidence-based prescription drug for-mularies found that most members favoured moving away from full, unrestricted drug

UNioNS aND eMPLoYerS are exPLoriNg oPPortUNitieS to Make BeNeFit PLaNS More CoSt-eFFeCtiVe WithoUt SaCriFiCiNg oVeRALL VaLUe to MeMBerS.

26

Health & Safetyin the workplace

couNteRiNg DailY violeNce iN tHe HealtHcaRe WoRKplace top: bcnu contest winners maggie Joyce, Pat bamra and helena barzilay attended a three-day conference to learn more from other jurisdictions about practices that can be imported that help address violence in their own workplaces. above: us nurse and keynote speaker Kelly mclean.

tHiRD iNteRNatioNal coNFeReNce oN violeNce iN tHe HealtH SectoR counterinG daily Violence in the healthcare WorKPlace: nurses learn From the sucesses oF others around the World

keLLY MCLeaN DiDN’t know what hit her. The recent nurse graduate had been work-ing at New York’s erie County Medical Center for just three months when she was violently assaulted by a patient. The same patient had attempted to jump the nurse’s station desk to attack a physician just six weeks prior. Unfortunately, in august 2010, the patient succeeded and attacked McLean with such force that she was hospitalized for several days and in recovery for 16 weeks.

McLean was a key-note speaker at the Third international Conference on Violence in the health Sector that took place last october in richmond. Speaking about the difficulties she faced in get-ting her employer to seriously address the staffing and secu-rity issues lead to her assault, McLean said that all too often the physical assault is only the beginning of the trauma for the nurse. Despite many good

intentions, health care settings often lack systems and proto-col to properly handle acts of violence in the workplace.

“For the number of nurses in this country who have been assaulted, it’s important that we take these stories and learn from them,” said McLean of her experience in the US. “Unfortunately, nurses are dis-couraged from reporting these incidents and accept them as a part of our job. That has to change. You have the right to protect yourself.”

McLean’s experience changed her. Since the assault, she has been using her voice to advocate for adequate security for all nurses who are on the front lines of healthcare. and he has joined her union, the New York State Nurses association, in raising aware-ness about the prevalence of violence against nurses.

BCNU members were among the more than 400 stakeholders from around

the globe who came to hear McLean and others and take part in cutting-edge workshops looking at aggression in health workplaces and outlining strate-gies for countering it.

Those in attendance included the three winners of the free event passes that BCNU offered in a contest held earlier this year.

Pat Bamra, an oh&S steward who works at Victoria’s royal Jubilee hospital said she was interested in learning how nurses can better hold employ-ers accountable and make them aware of existing policies so that workers are not continually reminding employers to enforce them.

“i’m also interested in how to effectively ensure that staff properly report injuries or incidents of violence and mak-ing the process easier for staff,” she said.

Contest winner helena Barzilay, a steward and lobby coordinator who works at Cranbrook hospital, has an interest in violence and mental health. “i’m interested in learn-ing about strategies for dealing with violence in general, but our hospital also has a psychi-atric unit that’s had big issues with violence and injuries and people off work. i’d like to take information back to the unit and work on how to deal with it,” she said.

The conference was approved by the international Council of Nurses and sponsored by provincial, national and inter-national nursing, healthcare and patient advocacy organiza-tions. Local sponsors include all of BC’s major healthcare unions, health authorities, and WorkSafe BC. update


monday, march 4 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm registration

4:45 pm – 5:00 pm sergeant at arms, scrutineers and ombudsperson meets with parliamentarian

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm new delegates information session

5:30 pm – 6:00 pm delegate whip information meeting

6:30 pm – 9:00 pm meet & greet

tuesday, march 5

7:30 am – 8:30 am registration

8:30 am – 9:00 am call to order

9:00 am – 9:15 am year in review video

9:15 am – 10:00 am president’s opening remarks

10:30 am – 10:35 am delegate count

10:35 am – 12:00 pm finance report & executive director report

1:30 pm – 3:15 pm reports

3:45 pm – 5:15 pm open forum

5:15 pm – 5:30 pm recognition of retiring activists

5:30 pm – 6:30 pm resolutions committee meeting

6:00 pm nominations committee candidates’ meeting

wednesday, march 6


8:45 am – 9:00 am linda silas

9:00 am – 10:00 am resolutions & by-laws

10:30 am – 12:00pm resolutions & by-laws

1:30 pm – 3:30 pm resolutions & by-laws


6:30 pm no host bar

7:00 pm banquet

thursday, march 7


8:35 am – 10:00 am resolutions & by-laws

10:30 am – 12:00 pm keynote speaker: linda duxbury



4:45 pm closing

5:00 pm adjournment

march 5, 6 & 7, 2013hyatt regency655 burrard street, vancouver, bctelephone: 604-683-1234

BcNu convention 2013

KEEPING thePROMISE

KEEPING the PROMISE

28

CURRENT WORDING PROPOSED AMENDMENT IF ADOPTED, WILL READ

Article 2.01

2.01

All registered nurses and licensed graduate nurses who are engaged in the practice of nursing and other allied personnel in the Province of British Columbia and who are eligible to engage in collective bargaining are eligible for membership in the Union, provided that no allied personnel shall be admitted to membership without the approval of a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the Council.

To erase ‘registered’ before ‘nurses’

To erase ‘and licensed graduate nurses who are’ before ‘engaged’

To erase ‘and’ before ‘who’

To add a ‘.’ after ‘Union’

To erase ‘provided that’ before ‘no’

2.01

All nurses engaged in the practice of nursing and other allied personnel in the Province of British Columbia who are eligible to engage in collective bargaining are eligible for membership in the Union. No allied personnel shall be admitted to membership without the approval of a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the Council.

Proposed by: BCNU Council Rationale: To reflect the reality of BCNU membership and the reception of new LPN members. Bylaws Committee Recommendation: No Recommendation.


Article 7.03

7.03a) The terms of office of the current

Regional Council Members elected in the following regions: South Islands (1), Pacific Rim, Central Vancouver (1), Shaughnessy Heights, RIVA, Fraser Valley, South Fraser Valley (1), Simon Fraser (1), Thompson North Okanagan and East Kootenay shall be extended until August 31, 2014.

b) Election of Regional Council Members in the following regions: South Islands (1), Coastal Mountain, Vancouver Metro, Central Vancouver (1), South Fraser Valley (1), Simon Fraser (1), Okanagan Similkameen, West Kootenay, North West and North East shall proceed in 2012, and in 2014, and every 3 years thereafter.

To add 7.03 (e):

Election of Regional Council member(s) and Regional Executives shall be held in the same year as directed by Article 7, following the election of provincial officers. The call for nominations for regional elec-tion of officers shall be done following the completion of the provincial election.

7.03(a) The terms of office of the current

Regional Council Members elected in the following regions: South Islands (1), Pacific Rim, Central Vancouver (1), Shaughnessy Heights, RIVA, Fraser Valley, South Fraser Valley (1), Simon Fraser (1), Thompson North Okanagan and East Kootenay shall be extended until August 31, 2014.

(b) Election of Regional Council Members in the following regions: South Islands (1), Coastal Mountain, Vancouver Metro, Central Vancouver (1), South Fraser Valley (1), Simon Fraser (1), Okanagan Similkameen, West Kootenay, North West and North East shall proceed in 2012, and in 2014, and every 3 years thereafter.

Proposed by-law amendments for convention 2013


c) The terms of office of the Regional Council Members defined by Article 7.03(b) of these Bylaws who are elected in 2012 shall be two (2) years commenc-ing on the first day of September 2012.

d) The terms of office of all Regional Council Members, as defined by Article 7.01 of these Bylaws, elected in 2014 and thereafter shall be three (3) years commencing on the first day of September following election.

(c) The terms of office of the Regional Council Members defined by Article 7.03(b) of these Bylaws who are elected in 2012 shall be two (2) years commencing on the first day of September 2012.

(d) The terms of office of all Regional Council Members, as defined by Article 7.01 of these Bylaws, elected in 2014 and thereafter shall be three (3) years commencing on the first day of September following election.

(e) Election of Regional Council member(s) and Regional Executives shall be held in the same year as directed by Article 7, following the election of provincial officers. The call for nominations for regional election of officers shall be done following the completion of the provincial election.

Proposed by: Brenda Hill and supported by Leslie Graham (Pacific Rim Region)

Rationale: This addition will allow all members in good standing the opportunity to stand for provincial office without having to make an unnecessary choice regarding continuing in current regional roles.

At Convention in 2012 bylaws were changed so provincial and regional elections are next held in 2014. The bylaws do not specify the timing of the regional elections. This is an opportunity for elected delegates to decide what is best for the organization. Regional elections should be held separately. Provincial candidates should not have to give up all opportunities for regional office for 3 years.

BCNU is a grassroots organization where ideally members move up as they gain experience and knowledge, percolating to the top. We should encour-age strong candidates to seek higher office or continue in leadership roles. If elections are held on the same day it forces qualified candidates to make an unnecessary choice between continuing in their valuable current roles and offering their services province wide.

Regional executive members have the opportunity to develop leadership skills and increased knowledge and expertise in their individual roles. BCNU invests in regional leaders with education and mentoring during their terms of office. Our union should not have a schedule that puts at risk losing valuable human resources. Changes in officers at the regional level should be determined by election, not schedule. The cost of holding separate elec-tions is not significant. The potential loss of expertise of regional leaders is significant.

Potential Scenario: Two regional treasurers feel capable and would like the new challenge of holding provincial office. Each has developed skills, obtained knowledge of the organization, gained valuable experience in the development of budgets, and had the opportunity to function on a leader-ship team. If both run for provincial office in a system where regional and provincial elections are held at the same time BCNU will lose the expertise of at least one for 3 years.

Cost: The cost of holding provincial and regional elections in different time periods if done by telephone vote could be negotiated. There would need to be a process to present candidates for individual regions and determine eligible voters whenever it is held. The provincial officer slate will be sepa-rated from the regional slates.

The cost of replacing regional executive members would vary depending on the role.

Example: New treasurers usually have at least one day of education so would need travel, accommodation and salary replacement.

Bylaws Committee Recommendation: No Recommendation.

30


Article 15.10

15.10

Representation at Conventions of the Union shall be allotted as follows:

(a) Regions to 800 = 12 delegates Regions 801 - 1200 = 14 delegates Regions 1201 - 1600 = 16 delegates Regions 1601 - 2000 = 18 delegates Regions 2001 - 2400 = 20 delegates Regions 2401 - 2800 = 22 delegates Regions 2801 - 3200 = 24 delegates Regions 3201 - 3600 = 26 delegates Regions 3601 and greater = 28 delegates

(b) Each of the four eligible Caucuses shall elect two delegates.

To add ‘by membership numbers’ before ‘as follows’

To delete:

Regions 2801 - 3200 = 24 delegatesRegions 3201 - 3600 = 26 delegatesRegions 3601 and greater = 28 delegates

To add:

Regions 2801-3000 = 24 delegatesRegions 3001-3200 = 26 delegates Regions 3201-3400 = 28 delegatesRegions 3401- 3600 = 30 delegatesRegions 3601 and greater = 32 delegates

15.10

Representation at Conventions of the Union shall be allotted by membership numbers as follows:

(a) Regions to 800 = 12 delegates Regions 801-1200 = 14 delegates Regions 1201-1600 = 16 delegates Regions 1601-2000 = 18 delegates Regions 2001-2400 = 20 delegates Regions 2401-2800 = 22 delegates Regions 2801-3000 = 24 delegates Regions 3001-3200 = 26 delegates Regions 3201-3400 = 28 delegates Regions 3401- 3600 = 30 delegates Regions 3601 and greater = 32 delegates

(b) Each of the four eligible Caucuses shall elect two delegates.

Proposed by: Provincial Democracy in the Union Committee and supported by BCNU CouncilRationale: For fair representation at Convention. Bylaws Committee Recommendation: No Recommendation.


Article 19.01

19.01

At the Annual Convention each year the Voting Body shall appoint an auditor who shall be a chartered accountant or a firm of chartered accountants whose appoint-ment shall be in effect until the close of the next Annual Convention.

To add ‘external’ before ‘auditor’ 19.01

At the Annual Convention each year the Voting Body shall appoint an external audi-tor who shall be a chartered accountant or a firm of chartered accountants whose appointment shall be in effect until the close of the next Annual Convention.

Proposed by: Leslie Graham and supported by Brenda Hill (Pacific Rim Region) Rationale: This addition clearly states that BCNU books will be audited by outside sources and will promote transparency. This provides an outside over-view of the financial conditions, leaving no chance of any perceived internal issues. This is established practice at BCNU. Regional books are sent to the head office to be reviewed and all findings are then viewed by the external auditor. Thus all aspects of the financial conditions are scrutinized by outside firms.Cost: There is no further cost. Effective at next appointment. Bylaws Committee Recommendation: No Recommendation.


CONVENTION DELEGATES 2013 (ARTICLE 15.10)

RegionNET # of Members

Delegates Based on

Net #’s

One delegate Represent # of Member

NET # of Members

Delegates Based on Net # Using Proposed

Formula

One delegate Represent # of Member

Using Proposed Formula

Central Vancouver 2802 24 117 2802 24 117

Coastal Mountain 1378 16 86 1378 16 86

East Kootenay 417 12 35 417 12 35

Fraser Valley 1500 16 94 1500 16 94

North East 1454 16 91 1454 16 91

North West 431 12 36 431 12 36

Okanagan Similkameen 1628 18 90 1628 18 90

Pacific Rim 2103 20 105 2103 20 105

RIVA 1694 18 94 1694 18 94

Shaughnessy Heights 1475 16 92 1475 16 92

Simon Fraser 3376 26 130 3376 28 121

South Fraser Valley 3265 26 126 3265 28 117

South Islands 3002 24 125 3002 26 115

Thompson North Okanagan 1804 18 100 1804 18 100

Vancouver Metro 2004 20 100 2004 20 100

West Kootenay 484 12 40 484 12 40

28817 294 98 28817 300 96

Formula under article 15.10 Membership # Delegate #’s Proposed For-mula

to 800 12 to 800 12

801 - 1200 14 801 - 1200 14

1201 - 1600 16 1201 - 1600 16

1601 - 2000 18 1601 - 2000 18

2001 - 2400 20 2001 - 2400 20

2401 - 2800 22 2401 - 2800 22

2801 - 3200 24 2801-3000 24

3201 - 3600 26 3001-3200 26

>3601 28 3200-3400 28

3400-3600 30

>3600 32

32

RESOLUTION 1 BCNU Lobbying for Rural Emergency Departments

Submitted by Jessie Renzie – West Kootenay RegionMoved by Jessie Renzie Seconded by Lynda Moss Endorsed by West Kootenay Region

Whereas, BCNU believes in protecting and advancing the health, social and economic well being of its members and their communities;

Whereas, Canada’s publicly funded and publicly delivered health care system is known to be one of the best in the world, but continues to be eroded;

Whereas, Rural Emergency departments are experiencing cutbacks, reduction in services and closures;

Resolved, that BCNU work closely with rural Emergency Departments at risk of cutbacks and closure by: promotion of Nurse First Call and Remote Nursing Practice Certification for RNs, by engag-ing with Nurse Practitioners, by assisting to sup-port and educate nurses and the public on ways to lobby and advocate to save these publicly funded, publicly administered healthcare services.

Further resolved; that BCNU promote that consultation shall occur

with affected staff and local government prior to any changes

in service.

Cost: Cost of lobbying.

Background:

BCNU’s Mission Statement BCNU’s Strategic Direction (p. 6) BCNU’s Strategic Direction Objectives, 3.3 (p. 8) BCNU’s Vision Statement Strategic Direction (p.4) Nurse First Call Remote Nursing Practice Certification Nurse Practitioners Video Conferencing Teleconferencing Non Physician Directed Care Models Public opinion and comments related to health care services ie. Kaslo

resolutions

RESOLUTION 2 BCNU Stewards on Hiring Panels

Submitted by Kathy Bonitz – Simon Fraser RegionMoved by Valentina MaliarenkoSeconded by Kathy Bonitz

Whereas, even management includes unit members on panels when they are interviewing for leadership positions (such as PCCs) on workplace units, and

Whereas, experienced Stewards have a good idea how their workplace and Union functions, and

Whereas, Stewards benefit by a cohesive and respectful work environment, and

Whereas, democracy is a cherished Union value,

Resolved, in the future, Steward(s) from the facility where FT Stewards are being hired, be part of BCNU hiring panels for FT Steward positions, and

Resolved, panel member or members be elected by that facility’s Steward team.

Cost: Use of steward hours.

Rationale: The hiring committee now consists of 2 BCNU employee and council members. There is no peer group representation on the panel. Our employer has 2 RNs on the interview panel. Our Union at least should meet employer standards.


RESOLUTION 3Steward Experience and Seniority


Whereas, seniority is one of the fundamental principles of trade unionism, and

Whereas, experienced Stewards have a good idea how their workplace and Union functions, and

Whereas, Stewards benefit from a cohesive and respectful work environment,

Resolved, that Steward experience and seniority be a primary consideration when choosing new FT Stewards.

Cost: Negligible.

Rationale: As Stewards, we fight for positions for our mem-bers based on seniority and experience. Seniority is a #1 priority for trade unions.

RESOLUTION 4 Grievance Dispute Language for full time steward position


Whereas, the PCA governs many of the conditions of our employment, and

Whereas, BCNU prides itself in maintaining and upholding every article of the PCA, and

Whereas, there is clear process for resolution of differences in the PCA,

Resolved, that the language in the PCA for resolving differ-ences should pertain to BCNU members when applying for an employer paid position – such as FT Steward should the final decision be in dispute.

Cost: Cost similar to grievance procedure.

Rationale: Since this position was reached in the previous contract negotiation, there is no clear process of challenging the unsuccessful outcome. Unsuccessful candidates should have grievance procedures if they disagree with outcome.

34

IN JUNe 2010, VaNCoUVer arbitrator rod germaine submitted a series of rec-ommendations to BCNU Council aimed at improving

our union’s election process.one of germaine’s recommenda-

tions called for the establishment of a neutral Nominations Committee to administer BCNU elections. The by-laws of the BCNU were amended to establish that Committee in 2011.

This is a call for BCNU members to nominate candidates for the Nominations Committee whose term will begin april 1, 2013 and run until august 31, 2016. Candidates for the Nominations Committee can hold no BCNU office above that of steward, and must not be seen to be support-ing any candidate during the election period. The election for Nominations Committee members will be held at BCNU’s annual convention. each candidate will be expected to give a three-minute speech at an all-candidates meeting held during convention.

nomination forms These forms are the official nomina-tion form for the British Columbia Nurses’ Union. all nominations

must be submitted on this form or a facsimile thereof.

each nomination form must be signed by any four individual BCNU members eligible under article 2 of the British Columbia Nurses’ Union Constitution and By-laws.

Candidates shall submit a bio-graphical sketch and a statement of objectives, which when combined will be no more than 250 words. This information must be typed in the space provided on the form. Candidates must also provide a recent 5” x 7” colour glossy photo (head and shoulders shot). The photo and other information will be circulated with the convention delegate material.

each nominee must sign the consent and declaration statements of the nomination form. Candidates and those who nominate them must be BCNU members. Nominations, biographical sketches, statements and photos must be received at the BCNU office in Burnaby by 5:00 pm on January 18, 2013. Please ensure your envelope is clearly marked “Nomination Form” and addressed to Mabel tung, Chair of the Democracy in the Union Committee. Material received after this deadline will not be accepted. update

Nominations 2013A call for

1 Carry out the duties of the BCNU Constitution and By-laws and others as may be assigned by the BCNU Council including:

a. Liaise with the BCNU staff members in the processing of elections

b. Liaise with the regional Nominations Committee chairs

c. Liaise and conduct business with exter-nal agencies for purposes related to the processing of elections

d. Develop election packages and super-vise their delivery

e. Supervise the voting process, and

f. Communicate and supervise the com-munication of election process informa-tion and election results to candidates, members, staff and the public

2 The scope of this committee encom-passes all elections for elected off icers of the union

3 Advise and make recommendations to BCNU Council, the executive committee and/or executive directors

4 Report to the BCNU Council

5 Encourage BCNU activists to seek nominations for nurse college Boards

for more detailed information see the terms of Reference for the Nominations Committee.

nominations committee election the purpose of the

Nominations committee

NomiNatioN FoRmS caN Be DoWNloaDeD at BcNu.oRg


PRFsin the workplace

gettiNg memBeRS eNgageD WitH tHe pRoceSS i am tHe Co-CHaiR FoR tHe PRF Committee at my woRkSite, BUt SoMETIMES WHEN we SCHedUle a PRF CoMMITTEE MEETING, tHe memBeRS doN’t Come. it’S Really FRUStRatiNg aNd fEELS LIKE A WASTE oF eveRyoNe’S time. WHAT SHoULD WE Do?

taKiNg tHe mYSteRY out oF pRF committeeS thiS iS the thirD iNStaLMeNt oF a FiVe-Part SerieS aiMeD at heLPiNg members demystify the Professional responsibility Form process. getting Members engaged With The Process explains how to organize successful meetings. The ongoing PrF series, which will appear in the next two Updates, explores a wide range of other topics including My role on The PrF Committee. For more PrF information, please visit bcnu.org or con-tact your BCNU worksite steward or regional chair.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure:• Ensure the meeting

scheduling is f lexible enough to meet nurses’ needs (shift work).

• Check in by phone a day or two in advance of the meeting as a reminder and to verify attendance.

• Discuss any concerns with the PRF author(s) about attending the meeting; perhaps they are fearful about attend-

When you move, please let BCNU know your new address so we can keep sending you the Update, election information and other vital union material. Forward us your home email address and we’ll send you the latest BCNU bulletins and news releases.

Please contact the Membership Department by email at

[email protected] or by phone at 604-433-2268 or

1-800-663-9991

STAY CONNECTED

MOVING? NEW EMAIL?

ing or don’t think it will be worthwhile.

• Educate nurses about the importance of attending – they are the only ones who can speak legiti-mately and convincingly about their experience. They “own” the process, not you!

• Consider using the form letters from the Steward toolkit that are designed to:• notify a nurse of the

date her PRF meeting is booked for;

• request confirmation of intent to attend (RSvP);

• notify a nurse when she’s missed her scheduled meeting and the potential conse-quences (e.g.: one or two more opportuni-ties and your f ile will be closed, but inform them of the ongoing chance to use PRFs if another situation arises. update

36

it WaSN’t LoNg BeFore South Fraser Valley Co-chair Lisa Walker found herself involved in union activism after she decided to attend a meeting at the BCNU offices to tackle the issue of emergency room overcapacity.

Working in the er at Langley Memorial hospital, she was increasingly concerned about the deteriorating care conditions and the toll it was taking on her ability to meet patients’ needs.

it was 2006 and Walker was invited by South Fraser Valley Co-chairs Janice Buchanan and Cheryl appleton who encour-aged her to become more active on an er campaign the union was running. Before long she became a steward and was help-ing other nurses face workplace challenges.

“it’s amazing to work with all these dedicated people in the er who really want to provide the best service — but it’s prac-tically impossible when every

day, every single bed is full and we’ve got patients waiting to go up to the ward while a waiting room of people need attention.

it’s near impossible to meet our standards and do what we feel is right, but the danger is that we can start no normal-ize the abnormal and just accept stretchers lined up in the hallway. it’s very damaging to nurses’ practise and doesn’t meet patients’ needs.”

Walker graduated from Surrey’s kwantlen University in 1995. “it was the only program in the province that provided evening courses. That was important as i had small chil-dren at the time.”

She had difficulty finding work after graduation. Most new grads were not getting hired and she found work with the Langley public health office vaccinat-ing school kids against measles. Fortunately, at one of her interviews the manager recog-nized Walker as the recipient of

a CrNBC award that she had presented at Walker’s gradua-tion. Shortly after, Walker began working at Langley Memorial and spent several years as a casual stationed all over the hospital. When a nurse manager offered her employer-sponsored er training at BCit, she took the opportunity and spent the next 10 years working in the er.

South Fraser Valley mem-bers elected Walker to BCNU Council in 2010. “it’s important to have a passion for human rights and diversity issues and being a voice for our public healthcare system,” she says when asked what makes an effec-tive Council member. “growing up i was always concerned with fairness, dignity and respect and from a very young age i was able to recognize when something wasn’t right.”

Walker says it’s important that Canada’s healthcare system remains publicly financed and delivered on a not-for-profit basis. “There are all kinds of myths out there about how private health care is needed to save Medicare because it’s been labelled unsustainable.”

“When the public is told that the healthcare system is broken they are being given a pitch for expanded private delivery—but fixes nothing. We don’t increase capacity and resources. You’ve still got the same number of phy-sicians allied health professionals including nurses, technicians and others working in both systems.

one of Walker’s current goals is to become more active in her newly appointed role of Council liaison for the BCNU aboriginal Leadership Circle. She is excited to be working with aLC mem-bers, supporting first nations health care and advocating for first nations and aboriginal nurses working in the healthcare system. update

a paSSioNate voice south Fraser Valley co-chair lisa WalKer

empoWeRiNg memBeRS “The fact that change does not happen overnight doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do all we can right now,” says South Fraser Valley Co-chair Lisa Walker.

QuicK FactS name Lisa walker. graduated Kwantlen University in 1995. union position south Fraser Valley co-chair. why i support bcnu “Because the BCNU takes a multifaceted approach to working towards good care – not just for nurses but for all British Columbians.”

Council Profilehere’s who’s working for you


vaNcouveR metRocolette wickstromChairc 604-789-9240w 604-433-2268Voice mail #[email protected]

coaStal mouNtaiNkath-ann terrettChairc 604-828-0155w [email protected]

ceNtRal vaNcouveR Judy mcgrathCo-Chairc 604-970-4339w 604-433-2268Voice mail #[email protected]

diane labarreCo-Chairc 604-341-5231w 604-433-2268Voice mail #[email protected]

SHaugHNeSSY HeigHtSclaudette JutChairc 604-786-8422w 604-433-2268Voice mail #[email protected]

Rivalauren vandergrondenChairc 604-785-8148w 604-433-2268Voice mail #[email protected]

SimoN FRaSeRliz ilczaszynCo-Chairc 604-785-8157w 604-433-2268Voice mail #[email protected]

debbie piccoCo-Chairc 604-209-4260w 604-433-2268Voice mail #[email protected]

SoutH FRaSeR valleYcheryl appletonCo-Chairc 604-839-8965w 604-433-2268Voice mail #[email protected]

lisa walker Co-Chairc 604-880-9105w 604-433-2268Voice mail #[email protected]

FRaSeR valleYlinda pipeChairc 604-793-6444w 604-433-2268Voice mail #[email protected]

WeSt KooteNaYlorne burkart Chairc 250-354-5311w [email protected]

eaSt KooteNaYpatt shuttleworthChairc 250-919-4890w 1-800-663-9991Voice mail #[email protected]

NoRtH WeStsharon spontonChairc 250-877-2547w 1-800-663-9991Voice mail #[email protected]

NoRtH eaStJackie naultChairc 250-960-8621w 1-800-663-9991Voice mail #[email protected]

oKaNagaN-SimilKameeNlaurie mundayChair c 250-212-0530w 778-755-5576Voice mail #[email protected]

tHompSoN NoRtH oKaNagaNtracy quewezance Chair c 250-320-8064 [email protected] SoutH iSlaNDSadriane gearCo-Chairc 778-679-1213w 1-800-663-9991Voice mail #[email protected]

margo wilton Co-Chairc 250-361-8479w 1-800-663-9991Voice mail #[email protected]

paciFic RimJo taylorChairc 250-713-7066w 1-800-663-9991Voice mail #[email protected]

coNtact YouR SteWaRDS For all workplace concerns contact your steward. RegioNal RepS if your steward can’t help, or for all regional matters, contact your regional rep. eXecutive committee For all provincial, national or union policy issues, contact your executive committee.

BcNu caN. here’s how you can get in touch with the right person to help you.

Who Can Help? bcnu is here to

serve members

pReSiDeNtdebra mcphersonw 604-433-2268or 1-800-663-9991Voice mail #[email protected]

vice pReSiDeNtchristine sorensenc 250-819-6293w 604-433-2268Voice mail #[email protected]

tReaSuReRmabel tungc 604-328-9346

w 604-433-2268Voice mail #[email protected]

eXecutive couNcilloRmarg dhillon c 604-839-9158w 604-433-2268Voice mail #[email protected]

eXecutive couNcilloRdeb ducharmec 250-804-9964w 1-800-663-9991Voice mail #[email protected]

RegioNal RepS

eXecutive committee

38

books and experimentation. Now i’m trying to refine my skills and get better.”

today, just five years after completing his first instrument, olsen has developed a solid reputation for creating drums that deliver an exceptional sound. “each one is unique,” he explains, “because they are hand-made and there are so many variables.”

Steeped in the traditions of his people, olsen prefers to use yellow cedar for the frame and elk hide for the drums’ skin. he forms the cedar into the correct circular shape and cleans and soaks the elk’s skin until it is soft and malleable.

“i hunt,” says olsen, “but i get most of the hides from my neighbours. i use the thickest

part of the skin, from the tail to the middle of the neck, because it gives the best sound.”

his nimble fingers thread a thin leather thong through holes he has punched into the prepared skin. Next, he pulls the thong tight, before adding a leather handle on the drum’s backside. Then, it’s just a matter of waiting about 24 hours for the skin to dry before the drum is ready to speak.

“it’s so rewarding to do this work with my hands,” he says. “i guess it’s my therapy. it clears my mind of everything i’ve been dealing with during the day.”

olsen has worked at the tsartlip Nation health Centre for over 15 years. he loves the job, which includes helping community members access the healthcare services they need and organizing and deliv-ering a wide variety of preven-tion programs. his daughter, heather olsen, is an rN at the facility, which is being replaced by a brand new facility in the next few months.

olsen hopes to play one of his drums at the much-antic-ipated opening ceremony of the new health centre. he’s also slowly preparing for his retire-ment, which he hopes to start in the next couple of years. “i’m building a new shed,” he says, “where i plan to keep making drums and paddles and other things.”

When he finally retires, olsen also hopes to make traditional hand-crafted steamed cedar bent boxes. “it’s something i’ve wanted to do and something i’ll have to teach myself. But i’m looking forward to learning a new skill.” update

update magazine November/December 2012

Off Duty

the FaCt that he haD never built a drum didn’t stop Carl olsen from choosing to become a drum maker. “You never know whether or not you can do something until you give it a try,” says olsen, a commu-nity health rep at the tsartlip

Nation health Centre, located in Brentwood Bay near Victoria.

“My parents and grandpar-ents were always really good with their hands,” he says. “and i was always interested in work-ing with wood. But i taught myself to make drums through

to tHe Beat oF HiS oWN DRum caRl olSeN creates hand-made traditional drums that deliVer an eXcePtional sound

tSaRtlip NatioN HealtH ceNtRe commuNitY HealtH Rep caRl olSeN “it’s so rewarding to do this work with my hands,” he says. “it clears my mind of everything i’ve been dealing with during the day.”

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From BCNU CouncilLeft column, from top: Cheryl Appleton Mabel TungLorne BurkartLauren VandergrondenDiane LaBarreMargo WiltonLiz Ilczaszyn Lisa Walker Debbie Picco

Middle column, from top: Debra McPherson Marg Dhillon Sharon Sponton Patt Shuttleworth Jo Taylor Kath-Ann Terrett

Right column, from top: Deb Ducharme Christine Sorensen Claudette Jut Adriane GearColette Wickstrom Laurie Munday Jackie Nault Judy McGrath Not pictured: Linda Pipe Tracy Quewezance

Photo taken prior to LPN elections. New LPN Council reps on page 19.

bcnu update magazine dec. 2012

Documents

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