News

Here is a bit of an update on the continued work by the BCSRT and RTLBC in regards to the proposed bargaining settlement being presented by HSA. To date, we have had two discussions with the lawyer focused around some of the options open to us in regards to reclassification. Specifically, we have discussed a section 12 complaint with the BC Labour Relations Board and/or the pursuit of different union representation. In addition, we are looking at article 11 of the HSPBA/HEABC provincial agreement. These discussions around our options will continue beyond the ratification vote and we will aim to have another conversation with the union in February with the assistance of the lawyer.

We had an opportunity to have some of the concerns around the vote raised with Val Avery (president HSA). Namely:

Why are there more voting dates being added at this late date? Is this as a result of poor turn-out provincially other than by those groups that are not in support of the proposal?

Answer: The Union had originally planned to only have polling stations located off of hospital sites so that members of the bargaining committee could be present to answer questions from the membership. It became clear that this was making it difficult for our members to make it out to vote, so we have added more options. We have no ability to know what the voter turn-out has been because of all of the mail-in packages that have been requested.

Were there more voting dates added because the union knows that the vote is not going the way they would like?

Answer: None of the voting ballot boxes are opened until Feb 2019, so we are unable to know how the vote is going.

We would encourage the RT’s in the province to continue to lobby with their local MLA’s. Please attend wherever possible union conventions and submit resolutions for consideration. We do not want to lose this momentum. HSA is definitely aware that we are unhappy with the proposed settlement and that we do not feel that we are being heard or recognized for the role that we play.

Hello BC RRTs,

Today four members of the board of the British Columbia Society of Respiratory Therapists & Respiratory Therapy Leaders of British Columbia had our first meeting with a lawyer who specializes in Labour and Employment law. Lawyers do not work RT hours and this firm, like many others, was closed Christmas week until after New Year’s causing a bit of delay in the process. This law firm was chosen because it specializes in labour law and code and has had previous experience dealing with unions and in particular health care.

During our meeting we reviewed many issues including the history of Respiratory Therapy moving from HEU to HSA in 1987, the 2000/2001 collective agreement with the imposed 60/40 wage split, HSA’s apparent lack of action to balance the 60/40 split. In addition, we reviewed the HEABC/HSA proposed terms of settlement which include the recommendation to “Address inequities within the current compensation and classification system” and our discovery that the reclassification of RT’s would not be considered at this time. We also discussed some of our options including the two most commonly brought forth by members:
Filing a complaint against HSA under Section 12 of the Labour Relations Code
Transitioning to another union such as BCNU and what this would entail. When discussing a transition away from HSA, we also discussed the process of moving our negotiating voice so that the new union (not HSA) would do the contract negotiating.

The lawyer will be doing additional research, and is scheduled to report back to us near the end of next week (January 11th 2019). We will send out another update once we have reconvened with the lawyer. This will be followed up by another RTLBC teleconference.

As many people, including non-respiratory therapists and unions, are reading these updates, we will continue to provide status reports and release information as guided by the labour and employment lawyer.

Most importantly, we wanted to remind you to continue to voice your concerns to the union and local government officials. We want to maintain a united front. Let’s maintain that momentum. Voting for ratification of the proposed settlement between HSA and HEABC runs throughout this month. We encourage you to vote no.

Thank you and have a great weekend,

Mike MacAulay,
President of British Columbia Society of Respiratory Therapists

Tracey Miller
Chairperson of Respiratory Therapy Leaders of British Columbia