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United Nurses of Alberta News Bulletin VOLUME 28, NUMBER 2 MAY 2004 PROTECTING SAFE NURSING and the Decision time coming in Provincial Negotiations Reporting Meeting TIME called for May 31 TO CARE RN Linda Jones shares a light moment with four-year old Carson. SAFE NURSING, SAFE NURSING CARE n April 28 I attended the Edmonton memo- Published by six times a year for our members rial ceremonies for the Day of Mourning forO Dead and Injured Workers and it was Editor: Keith Wiley • Production: Kelly de Jong very moving. There was a choral group that Provincial Office sang a powerful song. Called “More than a 900, 10611-98 Avenue paycheck” the song talks about industrial Edmonton, AB T5K 2P7 PH: (780) 425-1025 • 1-800-252-9394 work hazards and how they can affect a FX: (780) 426-2093 family. The chorus is heart-rending: Southern Alberta Regional Office 300, 1422 Kensington Road N.W. “We bring more than a paycheck Calgary, AB T2N 3P9 to our loved ones and families Contact Us PH: (403) 237-2377 • 1-800-661-1802 FX: (403) 263-2908 We bring asbestosis, silicosis, E-mail: [email protected] brown lung, black lung disease Web Site: www.una.ab.ca Radiation hits the children before Heather Smith, President theyʼve even been conceived.” HM: 437-2477 • WK: 425-1025 st Bev Dick, 1 Vice-President When I heard the song I couldnʼt help thinking of the nurses who battled HM: 430-7093 • WK: 425-1025 SARS in Toronto. Some of them brought the disease home to their families. nd Jane Sustrik, 2 Vice-President All of them brought home an incredible strain, whether it was the isola- HM: 461-3847 • WK: 425-1025 tion of being quarantined or the stigma that nursesʼ families experienced Karen Craik, Secretary/Treasurer in their communities. Every health care worker in Ontario was touched by HM: 720-6690 • WK: 425-1025 the terror of SARS. or 237-2377 Every day nurses invest their personal health and the health of their fami- North Roxann Dreger Kelly Thorburn lies in their jobs. North Central Thatʼs why it is important we keep nursing work as safe as possible, for Alan Besecker Judith Moar nurses and for our patients. Teresa Caldwell Beryl Scott Chandra Clarke Cari Smith If we donʼt, we run the risk that we wonʼt have the nurses our system and Executive Board Executive Tim Grahn Heather Wayling our fellow citizens need. Central Marilyn Coady Kim Ruzicka Of course this is central to our current provincial negotiations. Itʼs a lot Joan Davis about respecting nurses and respecting the nature and value of our contribu- South Central tion. The heroic efforts of the Health Employees Union in British Columbia Jacki Capper Denise Palmer to defend their collective agreement and maintain publicly delivered health Blanche Hitchcow Robert Reich-Sander services speaks volumes about the insensitivity and disregard employers Donnie Lacey Daphne Wallace and governments have for the contributions made by public sector workers South Barbara Charles John Terry across this nation. As I write this we are coming to decision time for nurses. At the Reporting David Harrigan Director of Labour Relations Meeting on May 31 we will need to make very important decisions. I ask Darlene Rathgeber you to keep yourself well informed of negotiations as we approach the end Director of Finance & Administrative Services of mediation. Your Negotiating Committee sent out a package of detailed Florence Ross information of the concepts for change discussed thus far. But negotiations Senior Staff Director of Information Systems are on going and we donʼt know yet what the outcome will be. So keep in PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT #40064422 touch with your colleagues, with your local UNA executive members and RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: watch for more UNA information. CIRCULATION DEPT. 330-123 MAIN ST TORONTO ON M5W 1A1 2 PROVINCIAL NEGOTIATIONS DECISION TIME IS COMING NegCom taking details to UNA members he Negotiating Committee has set agreement. The Negotiating Commit- Clint Dunford asking him to persuade the date for the provincial Report- tee said that artificial deadlines do not the Regions to agree to an extension ingT Meeting on negotiations for May serve the process well. But the Health or to extend the timeframe himself. 31 and held a special Presidentʼs meet- Regions initially refused to respond Finally, after the extension issue was ing on April 19th. to the request. Sims, along with both raised in the Legislature and in news “With the new June 15 absolute dead- the UNA and the Employer nominees, coverage, the Regions agreed to extend line for this mediation process with wrote to Human Resources Minister to the June 15 deadline on March 24. Andrew Sims, the Committee decided the Reporting Meeting should be sched- uled,” President Heather Smith said. The special Presidentʼs Meeting on April 19 included a detailed update Working out a deal on what is being considered in media- tion, especially on the topics of mobil- that protects nurses… ity, seniority, promotions & transfers, layoff & recall, and scheduling. Details of working proposals on mobility, Details on the proposals being consid- and region-wide bargaining units ered have been distributed to all UNA members in a special update document. The progress comes out of the medi- he main provincial round of negotiations with the Health Regions ation efforts of Andrew Sims, UNA started over a year ago with Employer proposals for hundreds of nominee Lyle Kanee and Employer rollbacks,T proposals to worsen conditions in the health system. The first nominee Bill Armstrong who were mediation process with Alan Beattie in 2003 produced recommenda- appointed as an arbitration board last tions that were rejected by 98.8% in the vote by UNA members in December. UNA agreed to work with September. Through all the negotiations since then, little progress was the Board in a mediation process, but made. The Health Regions insisted nurses accept these conditions or also made it clear that actual arbitra- have them imposed either through an arbitration award or by special tion was not an acceptable option. government legislation. The mediated talks began in January, But with the mediation assistance from the appointed panel and chair however early in March, Chair Andrew Andrew Sims, possible terms are coming together to adapt the UNA Sims pointed out that it would be contracts to the Bill 27 reality. The key feature of Bill 27 is that all the impossible to conclude all the details nursing Employees of a Health Region will be in a single bargaining unit. by the original deadline of March 31. (For simplicity this is referred to here as Region-wide bargaining units.) He asked both sides to agree to extend the process to June 15 and expected a This means significant change in many of the terms of the contracts, response to his request by March 15. but throughout the process the UNA Negotiating Committee has made it clear that nurses must be protected from arbitrary juggling around of UNA told the panel that nurses are their jobs. prepared to continue mediation for as long as it takes to reach an acceptable 3 Director of Labour Relations David Harrigan answered many questions on negotiations at the April 19th Presidents meeting. Presidents and members get inside look at negotiation details Committee optimistic about agreement he provincial Negotiating Committee called a second Delegates at the meeting said they were ready to take Presidentsʼ meeting in Edmonton on Monday, April 19, action if necessary. Daphne Wallace, from Calgary, said 2004T to outline some of the changes under discussion with she always keeps a picket sign in her car, just to be ready. the mediation panel. The Presidents passed a strong motion Itʼs not time to throw the sign away, responded David Harri- of support for the Committee. After the meeting UNA sent gan, the Director of Labour Relations. But, he said, Daphne out a package to every member with more information on can keep the sign in the car. She just shouldnʼt pin it on the adapting UNA contracts to the new Bill 27 Regional bar- front of her hood yet. gaining units. “The June 15, 2004 deadline is truly a deadline,” Heather “These changes would be the greatest fundamental shift Smith told the meeting. “Either the mediation with Andy Sims, in contract provisions in the history of UNA,” President Bill Armstrong and Lyle Kanee will result in an acceptable Heather Smith told the Presidents at the meeting. new contract or efforts will be made to impose a settlement.” “In light of the changed bargaining unit framework across “The efforts we have invested in this process may not lead this province, this Committee believes it is imperative that to an acceptable settlement,” Heather Smith concluded. “But we will take whatever “next steps” may be necessary appropriate provisions are established to protect safe prac- to complete negotiations 2003. Our motto for these talks tice, while advancing the rights of our members to secure has been “Strength in Unity” – If it is possible to achieve and maintain employment opportunities,” she said. a deal which unifies nurses in a profound new way, it will But the delegates were also told that, while the Negotiating be as a direct result of the determination and commitment Committee was optimistic about the possibility of reaching of nurses in this province to stand together in the face of a settlement, it was still very much uncertain whether the adversity. It is our hope that this mediation process will Employers would come to an agreement. do what Alan Beattie and employers did not expect us to accomplish – to move forward not back.” e must adapt to the new Bill 27 unit and so on.