Volume 38, Number 1 Volume United Nurses of Alberta NewsBulletinMarch 2014 Fighting Bill 45 UNA files Charter challenge Hundreds pack Page 3 Protecting bargaining meetings our pensions Local 121 Rockyview Hospital members Cathy Atkinson, left, and Del Flach at the Calgary Pages 5-9 bargaining town hall meeting on January 27. Story and more photos on pages 12 and 13 445 United Nurses of Alberta NewsBulletin 2 January 2014 Volume 38, Number 1 It’s almost spring and things are warming up – and it’s more than just Alberta’s weather By Heather Smith President, United Nurses of Alberta With the festive season and most of winter behind us, Rallies and community actions are now planned. things are warming up – and it’s more than just the weather! Individuals are encouraged to write, email and meet their In January, members of UNA’s Provincial Negotiating MLAs. The common message is that Albertans do not Committee met with RNs and RPNs at seven locations agree with these actions and will not forget when the next across Alberta. We discussed the status of negotiations, election rolls around. Watch for details about events at your including the implications of Bill 45 and Bill 46 and chang- worksite and in your community. es the finance minister intends for the Local Authorities As for UNA’s negotiations, they continue slowly. Pension Plan (LAPP). Bargaining dates have been set into May. Employers con- Members were justifiably concerned and angry. The tinue to seek rollbacks to several provisions that would allow unprecedented measures against unions contained in Bill 45 elimination of the RN/RPN in-charge rule, see part-time and Bill 46 and the regressive and unnecessary slashing of employees lose designated days of rest, and allow regressive LAPP benefits made many wonder why the government is schedule changes across the province. Details are available attacking Alberta’s working people. on UNA’s website – www.una.ab.ca/. But it is not just workers like nurses, firefighters and gov- I thank members for participating in our Wear White ernment employees who are angered by these legislative and Wednesdays professional advocacy campaign. Alberta policy decisions. A group of seniors, opposed to changes Health Services has not officially expanded its “Scheduling to their pharmaceutical benefits, staged a sit-in at Health Optimization” or “Workforce Transformation” plans, but Minister Fred Horne’s office. Post-secondary institutions rumors abound there will be more changes. are still reeling from budget cuts. This NewsBulletin includes photos from Local 79’s The Labour Coalition on Pensions is one of the groups pre- WWW walk January 29 at the old Edmonton General paring for the spring sitting of the Legislature. The unjustified Hospital site. Snow that day reminded us UNA members assault on public sector pensions affects hundreds of thousands are hearty souls. Spring will offer warmer opportunities to of Albertans. The Coalition submitted a written response to participate in worksite WWW walks. Stay tuned! the proposed changes, held a telephone town hall, aired radio In solidarity, ads and created the website TruthAboutAlbertaPensions.ca to inform members and the public. Heather Smith, President, UNA Provincial Office Executive Board Directors 700-11150 Jasper Avenue NW Edmonton AB T5K 0C7 President: Heather Smith H: 780-437-2477 W: 780-425-1025 Labour Relations: st David Harrigan p 780-425-1025/1-800-252-9394 1 Vice-President: Jane Sustrik C: 780-915-8367 W: 780-425-1025 f 780-426-2093 2nd Vice-President: Daphne Wallace C: 780-991-4036 W: 780-425-1025 or 403-237-2377 Finance and Administrative Services: Darlene Rathgeber Southern Alberta Regional Office Secretary/Treasurer: Karen Craik C: 403-510-5163 W: 780-425-1025 or 403-237-2377 300-1422 Kensington Road NW North District: Roxann Dreger Susan Gallivan North Central District: Terri Barr Information Systems: Calgary AB T2N 3P9 Teresa Caldwell Jennifer Castro Susan Coleman Christina Doktor Andrew Johnson p 403-237-2377/1-800-661-1802 Jenna Knight Karen Kuprys Keith Lang Central District: Dianne McInroy f 403-263-2908 Sandra Zak Wanda Zimmerman South Central District: Marie Aitken Kathy Bouwmeester Marie Corns Denise Palmer Leslie Perry PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT #40064422 www.una.ab.ca JoAnne Rhodes Cameron Westhead South District: Maxine Braun John Terry RETURN UNDELIVERABLE [email protected] CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: facebook.com/unitednurses Published by the United Nurses of Alberta five times a year for our members UNITED NURSES OF ALBERTA 700-11150 JASPER AVENUE NW twitter.com/unitednurses Editor: David Climenhaga Production: Kelly de Jong EDMONTON AB T5K OC7 United Nurses of Alberta NewsBulletin 3 March 2014 Volume 38, Number 1 Fight against Bills 45 and 46 and other possible legislation impacting other unions to continue in the courts UNA President Heather Smith with union lawyer Ritu Khullar on January 8, moments after UNA filed its statement of claim with the Alberta Court of Queen’s bench in Edmonton. DESPITE the success of the Alberta Union of Provincial good faith,” the judge wrote in his strongly worded decision, Employees winning an injunction against Bill 46, it is likely which is intended to remain in force until AUPE’s consti- 2014 will be a year of legal action against the Redford Gov- tutional challenge of Bill 46 has made its way through the ernment’s legislative attacks on unions and workers’ rights, courts – a process that could take years. including a challenge of Bill 45 by United Nurses of Alberta. The law passed by the Legislature on December 11 is now On February 14, Mr. Justice Denny Thomas of the Alberta known as the Public Service Salary Restraint Act. Premier Court of Queen’s Bench slapped an injunction on the Alison Redford has vowed to challenge the injunction and Alberta government, indefinitely suspending the law that defend the law in the courts. could have forced 22,000 civil servants represented by AUPE Justice Thomas’s ruling means AUPE’s right to binding to live with a contract imposed on them by legislative order. arbitration, eliminated by the act, has been restored. AUPE “My analysis of the evidence presented here raises the immediately applied for the arbitration process to resume, issue that Alberta did not meet its obligation to bargain in while it continued bargaining with the government. continued on page 4 OUR profession OUR jobs � United Nurses of Alberta NewsBulletin 4 March 2014 Volume 38, Number 1 wear Wednesdays United Nurses of Alberta members braved the cold during an information walk on January 29, 2014 to raise public awareness about the impact nurse layoffs will have on safe patient care in our province. The group of nurses gathered outside the Edmonton General Continuing Care Centre included members of UNA Local 79 (Edmonton General and Grey Nuns Community Care Centre), Local 301 (University of Alberta Hospital), Local 85 (Sturgeon Community Hospital), Local 196 (Edmonton Community), Local 302N (Cross Cancer Institute) and Local 154 (Youville Home). continued from page 3 Meanwhile, On January 8, United Nurses of Alberta filed the existence of the law amounted to bargaining in bad a court challenge of the other piece of Tory anti-union leg- faith and in the courts it violates AUPE members Charter islation, Bill 45, known as the Public Sector Continuation protections. Act since it was passed on the same date. Bill 46 smashed the historic compromise legislated by the Bill 45 attacks the association rights and collective government of Premier Peter Lougheed in 1977, which took bargaining rights of unionized public employees and the free- away AUPE’s right to strike but replaced it with compulsory speech rights of all Albertans. With its draconian penalties, interest arbitration by an impartial arbitrator. This has since severe restrictions on free expression and drastic limits on been applied to other unions, including UNA. the power of government to act without concern for natural Bill 46 strips AUPE’s right to arbitration but keeps the ban justice, it may be the most serious attack on unions and their on strikes, effectively neutering the union and eliminating members in Canada since Confederation. the collective bargaining process in any meaningful sense. UNA Lawyer Ritu Khullar filed David Harrigan, UNA’s Director UNA’s statement of claim arguing AUPE’s fight should be a of Labour Relations, told members at the law violates fundamental free- matter of serious concern bargaining update meetings through- doms protected by the Canadian out Alberta it is widely thought similar Charter of Rights and Freedoms, to UNA members. bills with the AUPE scratched out and and in addition Alberta’s ban on all the names of UNA and HSAA pen- public service strikes, which predat- ciled in sit in Labour Minister Thomas ed Bill 45, also breaches the Charter. Lukaszuk’s desk drawer should those unions be so bold as UNA is seeking a declaration from the court that because to stand up for their members’ rights in negotiations. parts of the act and the Alberta Labour Relations Code As a result, he said, AUPE’s fight should be a matter of violate sections of the Charter they are of no force or effect. serious concern to UNA members. UNA’s action was the first direct challenge to Bill 45. A copy of the statement of claim is available on UNA’s In addition to its court actions, AUPE has challenged website – www.una.ab.ca Bill 46 before the Alberta Labour Relations Board, arguing United Nurses of Alberta NewsBulletin 5 March 2014 Volume 38, Number 1 Fight to halt Redford Government attack on our pensions continues and grows MAJOR rallies, information pickets, continual lobbying of MLAs and stepped-up letter writing are all part of the cam- paign by United Nurses of Alberta and other public sector unions against the government’s plan to gut member pensions.