OCTOBER 2014
NURSES ON THE BALLOT: CODEVELOPMENT CANADA: A PARTNER LOOK WHO’S RUNNING IN THIS YEAR’S CIVIC ELECTIONS IN SOLIDARITY
EQUALITY = MPP: SENTRY MEMBERS SECURE THEIR FUTURE
UPDATE BRITISH COLUMBIA NURSES’ UNION
STANDING UP FOR HEALTH CARE BCNU’s new logo symbolizes the eternal protection the union offers nurses, their patients and the health care system
THE JOURNEY AHEAD
MEET BCNU’s NEW PRESIDENT GAYLE DUTEIL PRFs WORK: PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF FOR VGH NURSES READER SURVEY 2014: WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
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UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2014
UPDATE
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CONTENTS vol 33 no 4
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october 2014
CALLING ON OTTAWA BCNU Vice President Christine Sorensen, BCNU Central Vancouver region co-chair Marlene Goertzen and BCNU President Gayle Duteil send Prime Minister Harper thousands of postcards signed by BCNU members calling for a renewed federalprovincial health accord.
UPFRONT
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Check In
News and events from around the province.
14 Equality = MPP
Sentry members are fighting for a secure future.
19 Mental Health Action Plan
Mayor’s Task Force releases its first report.
28 A Partner in Solidarity
CoDevelopment Canada connects unions with counterparts in the global south.
30 PRFs Work
Persistence has paid off for Vancouver General Hospital Transition Services Team nurses.
36 Look Who’s on the Ballot
BCNU members are running for positions in this year’s civic elections.
DEPARTMENTS
5 PRESIDENT’S REPORT 25 MEMBER FORUM 34 WHO CAN HELP? 35 COUNCIL PROFILE 38 STAFF PROFILE
FEATURE
20 THE JOURNEY AHEAD New BCNU President Gayle Duteil talks about her vision for the future of the union.
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BC Nurses’ Union
UPDATE MAGAZINE
December 4, 2014
HUMAN RIGHTS & EQUITY CONFERENCE
OUR MISSION STATEMENT BCNU protects and advances the health, social and economic well-being of our members and our communities.
FROM GENEROSITY TO GRATITUDE cultivating an ethic of justice and equity
BCNU UPDATE is published by the BC Nurses’ Union, an independent Canadian union governed by a council elected by our 42,000 members. Signed articles do not necessarily represent official BCNU policies. EDITOR Lew MacDonald CONTRIBUTORS Juliet Chang, Sharon Costello, David Cubberley, Gayle Duteil, Gary Fane, Catherine Fast, Katharine Kitts, Evans Li, Courtney McGillion, Catherine Pope, Dan Tatroff PHOTOS David Cubberley, Monica Ghosh, Katharine Kitts, Dan Kruk, Lew MacDonald, Doug Payette, Catherine Pope, Caroline Smith
CONTACT US BCNU Communications Department 4060 Regent Street Burnaby, BC, V5C 6P5 PHONE 604.433.2268 TOLL FREE 1.800.663.9991 FAX 604.433.7945 TOLL FREE FAX 1.888.284.2222 BCNU WEBSITE bcnu.org EMAIL EDITOR lmacdonald@bcnu.org MOVING? Please send change of address to
Cultivating a spirit of generosity and gratitude can strengthen a sense of connection to our environments and each other. This can assist us to look critically at our similarities and differences and encourage us to take action to promote justice and equity. Apply online at www.bcnu.org. *There is no salary reimbursement for this conference
membership@bcnu.org. Publications Mail Agreement 40834030 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to BCNU, 4060 Regent Street, Burnaby, BC, V5C 6P5
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2014
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GAYLE DUTEIL
A NEW BEGINNING
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T IS INDEED AN HONOUR AND A PRIVILEGE TO BE ELECTED AS your new president. I write this column as the leaves turn colour and the nights grow cooler. It’s a reminder that the season is changing – and so too is the BC Nurses’ Union. The word “change” is defined as “to make or become different.” With the election of 11 new provincial council members, the exciting rollout of our new organizational brand, and new ideas for a revised approach to board governance to improve the frontline services to our members, the BCNU is certainly becoming different. We’re moving forward with a newly elected team. Some of us are new to our roles while others have depths of experience. I look forward to relying on, and working with, each and every council member as we chart a new path for our union. Our first priority is the negotiation of a strong collective agreement for our members. I, along with our experienced bargaining committee and staff negotiators, will be working hard to advance the union’s bargaining agenda for safe patient care. When preliminary bargaining discussions began in May, government and health authority representatives told us they weren’t interested in “hearing stories about patient care.” They wanted a narrow discussion focused on their statistics and figures. We have a professional responsibility to tell our patients’ and residents’ stories in order to ensure they receive the standard of care they deserve. And I can assure you that the care experience of our patients is exactly what health employers will hear from us at bargaining meetings this fall.
While working this summer, I had the pleasure of meeting a 92-year-old woman who had fractured her hip and pelvis after falling at home. Remarkably, at her age, she was about to spend her first night in a hospital. She and her anxious family turned to the nurses to ask questions about the pending surgery and potential recovery plan. Their only desire was to see her return home with adequate supports in place. It is this lovely woman I will be thinking about when we’re at the bargaining table, and as we talk about the kind of quality health care our members are trying so hard to provide. Will this independent senior and mother recover safely in hospital and be able to return home with adequate community nurses in place for her? Just as a properly designed, thoughtful and well-resourced care plan will make all the difference to this senior’s recovery, so too must our bargaining discussions patiently and clearly lay out the course for safe patient care. Your involvement in the bargaining process is crucial to our union’s success at the negotiating table. Province-wide member workshops on collective bargaining begin in October. I encourage you to participate. You’ll get the latest bargaining information and share strategies to ensure you’re able to meet your professional standards and provide the kind of safe care all British Columbians deserve. I also look forward to hearing from as many members as possible during these sessions. This is an exciting time for our organization. I truly believe that the things that unite us are far greater than that which divides us. Let’s continue to build on our past successes and move confidently forward, united in our stand for safe patient care.
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CHECK IN
NEWS FROM AROUND THE PROVINCE
PHARMACARE CHEQUES ARE ON THE WAY
NEW EDUCATION CENTRE ON TRACK FOR 2015 OPENNING
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ONSTRUCTION ON BCNU’S BURNABY office expansion hit the halfway mark this summer, with completion of the union’s brand-new education centre, scheduled for April 2015. What began as a giant hole in the ground just last fall has quickly transformed into a five-storey structure as hundreds of trades people work daily to ensure the project is completed on time. The state-of-the-art facility will house BCNU’s education and occupational health and safety departments, and will allow the union to provide members with a range of courses that are currently being delivered off-site. The expansion project was authorized at BCNU’s 2010 convention, where delegates were given a detailed presentation and assurances that the project would be financed without any increase to members’ dues. update
By the time you are reading this magazine, over 2,800 BCNU members will have received cheques totalling over $1.2 million dollars to reimburse them for out-ofpocket costs they incurred as a result of the switch to the Pharmacare tie-in for prescription drugs. Cheques were mailed out the week of September 22. In addition, BCNU will spend approximately $3.5 million dollars in the month of October to purchase certain specified drugs that members had previously been utilizing. More
information will be provided in the next few weeks. The payments were the result of a grievance launched by BCNU over the application of the Pharmacare tie-in under the terms of the Nurses’ Bargaining Association provincial contract. The award applies to members who filed grievances and submitted the necessary documentation by the deadline. Letters explaining the payment accompany the cheques. If members have questions after receiving their payment and letters, they should email pharmacare@bcnu.org
CASTING CALL
Would you like to become the face of BCNU? Up to 20 delegates from the Human Rights and Equity Conference will be chosen to participate in a professional photo shoot on December 5. The photos will be used for BCNU advertisements and promotional materials. One day book-off and overnight hotel accommodation, if required, for out-of-town delegates will be provided. Make sure you indicate your interest when you register for the conference or email scostello@bcnu.org
EDUCATION BURSARY EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
UNION MADE BCNU has endeavoured to employ unionized trades people during every phase of the construction of its new education centre. From left: Construction Maintenance and Allied Workers President Jan Noster, BCNU Executive Councillor (pensions) Deb Ducharme, BCNU Treasurer Mabel Tung, CMAW Local 1995 Vice President Chris Wasilenchuk and BCNU Vice President Christine Sorensen.
Are you a retired BCNU member interested in taking on the role of fundraiser in support of the BCNU Student Nurse Education Bursary? This role requires stamina, organizational skills, ability to work with a team and basic math skills. Attendance at BCNU’s annual convention and future provincial bargaining conferences is required. Expenses are covered to attend these events. If interested, please send your name, region and brief summary of union involvement to BCNU Treasurer Mabel Tung at mtung@bcnu.org
UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2014
MAKING NEWS
BCNU in the headlines
NURSES UNITED BCNU President Gayle Duteil (l) and UPN President Dan Murphy (r) are excited by the potential that a proposed merger will have for members of both unions.
NORTHERN NURSE SHORTAGE
challenges in Fort St. John are part of a larger probWhen Fort St. John Hospital lem. “We have a diff iculty faced a critical shortage with all of the rural and of nurses in its intensive remote sites across British care unit last month, BCNU Columbia – not only retainVice President Christine ing nurses in those comSorensen spoke to Alaska munities, but also recruiting Highway News nurses,” she about the problem. said. “There’s She told the a nursing paper that other shortage units of the hoseverywhere. pital gave up their “I think nurses to f ill this there are a shortage – and lot of very these units were creative soluleft short-staffed, tions that we and that Northern would like Christine Sorensen Health needs to the employer address the issue. to consider,” “I’m not necessarily conshe said. “We are more vinced that they’re applying than happy to work with the all of the strategies they employer to look at recruitpossibly could,” she said. ment and retention for rural Sorensen noted that the and remote areas.”
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STRONGER TOGETHER
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HE LEADERSHIP OF THE BC NURSES’ UNION and the Union of Psychiatric Nurses (UPN) have agreed to a proposed merger that would see both organizations formally join together as one union. Both unions agree that bringing more RPNs into BCNU will help achieve gains in areas like mental health, reduction of violence in the workplace, and the protection of the distinct identity of psychiatric nursing. The proposed merger agreement recognizes the specialized training of RPNs, as well as their unique work serving patients with mental health needs. It is also anticipated that UPN members would play a leadership role in the development of BCNU’s mental health strategy for British Columbia. UPN and BCNU are already affiliated unions and have a long history of working together during bargaining with health employers. UPN President Dan Murphy is leading a series of local meetings across BC to promote the merger, and the proposal is being put to UPN membership for ratification this month. Ballots are scheduled to be counted no later than October 30. If the merger is approved, some 1,100 UPN members will automatically become members of BCNU. update
FOND FAREWELL This year BCNU said goodbye to many council members who will no longer be serving on the union’s top governing body. Some are retiring, while others will continue to be active on their regional executives. The union thanks them all for their tireless service and dedication. From left: Diane LaBarre, Jackie Nault, Marg Dhillon, Margo Wilton, Debra McPherson, Patt Shuttleworth, Lisa Walker, Linda Pipe, Laurie Munday and Colette Wickstrom.
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CHECK IN
CDMR
SAFE PATIENT CARE NOW! A BCNU rally in downtown Nanaimo September 17 saw nurses march through the streets to raise awareness about Island Health’s flawed care delivery model that has seen patient loads double.
NURSES KEEP UP THE PRESSURE ON ISLAND HEALTH A season of community outreach helps raise awareness about flawed care model
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ANAIMO NURSES WERE out in force this summer at rallies and numerous community events as part of their ongoing effort to force the Island Health Authority to address serious problems with a new patient care model at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH) that has jeopardized safe patient care and nurses' professional standards. More than 150 nurses marched through downtown Nanaimo on September 17 to rally against the flawed care model which has resulted in a doubling of nurses’ patient loads since it was introduced last year. BCNU President Gayle Duteil was on hand, and told members that she was disturbed by the stories she heard from nurses working at NRGH, and by what she witnessed on visits to the worksite. "I'm astounded that Island Health is still saying this new model improves care for
“I'm astounded that Island Health is still saying this new model improves care for the aging, highacuity patients filling our hospitals today.” BCNU PRESIDENT GAYLE DUTEIL
the aging, high-acuity patients filling our hospitals today," said Duteil. “Frontline nurses know this just isn't the case. Why? Because when 26 professional nurses are replaced with unlicensed care aides and over 48,000 hours of direct nursing care are lost, patient care will suffer.” The rally was a clear reflection of nurses’ ongoing frustra-
tion and unwillingness to accept the fact that patients are not receiving the care they need and deserve. Island nurses also turned up the heat at Island Health’s July 31st board meeting, delivering a giant card signed by many local nurses, addressed to health authority CEO Dr. Brendan Carr, demanding he “stop treating Nanaimo patients like second-class citizens”. The nurses also dropped off bundles of over 3,000 petitions calling for an independent review of the new care model. This brings the total number of signed petitions to 21,500, collected since Island Health announced it was moving to replace nurses with care aides in May 2013. Nurses have also been documenting Island Health’s refusal to address obvious problems with its care model , and have filed over 70 professional responsibility forms to date. Despite nurses documented concerns, Island Health continues to make changes that degrade working conditions, move nurses further from the bedside and force them to do more non-nursing work. Recently, NRGH eliminated infection control aides, leaving nurses to clean and maintain bedpan washers. This is work they are not trained to do, that can pose serious safety risks if handled improperly. Nurses are now also required to porter dead bodies to the hospital morgue, as well as stock hand washers and infection control carts. “Despite having replaced nurses with care aides, functions that these workers could be doing continue to be offloaded onto nurses who already have way too many patients to care for safely,” says BCNU Pacific Rim region chair Jo Salken. Undeterred, nurses took advantage of the good weather this year to engage in a busy month of summer outreach and petition signing at events like Gay Pride in Victoria, Sandcastles in Parksville, and the Silly Boat Festival on the Nanaimo waterfront – all aimed at sending Island Health the message that it’s time to walk the talk and fix the problems in Nanaimo. update
UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2014
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HEALTH & SAFETY
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON VIOLENCE IN THE HEALTH SECTOR
BCNU MEMBERS BRING A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE THE FOURTH INTERnational Conference on Violence in the Health Sector taking place October 22-24 in Miami, Florida will provide participants with an excellent opportunity to share knowledge and experience on health and safety issues. The event takes place every two years – the last being held in Vancouver in 2012 – and its popularity continues to grow. Work-related aggression and violence is recognized as a major problem that diminishes the quality of working life for staff and negatively affects quality of care. The title of this year’s conference is “Towards safety, security and wellbeing for all.” BCNU South Islands region’s Ken Giles and Pacific Rim region’s Carol Rocker are two of the 17 BCNU members who are attending the event.
Giles is the OH&S rep on BCNU’s South Islands regional executive and works in withdrawal management services for Island Health. He attended the 2012 event, and is enthusiastic about participating again. “There are all sorts of ideas that you can bring back and say ‘hey, we hadn’t thought of this’,” he says. “The [previous] conference if nothing else made me feel great about the union and what we’ve accomplished towards nurse safety. But it also tells us that we
Vancouver Island’s Carol Rocker and Ken Giles are attending this year’s event in Florida.
need to keep working on these issues.” Carol Rocker works as a casual at Cowichan District Hospital. She’s an independent researcher who has also attended previous conferences, but this will be her first year participating on behalf of BCNU. Rocker’s research has specialized in nurses who work night shifts. She is currently focusing on bullying and respectful workplace policies, and the legal education in place to ensure their enforcement. “Across the country these rights are not consistently applied,” she says. “My goal is to share research with researchers in other countries.” Giles and Rocker, along with other attendees, will report back to BCNU with the information and ideas they learn at this year’s event. update
BCNU JOINT OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY COMMITTEE PROJECT: MAKING SAFETY CONNECTIONS
THE JOINT OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND Safety Committee (JOHSC) is the cornerstone of effective workplace health and safety programs. It’s a union-employer forum for health and safety collaboration, consultation and participation at the worksite. BCNU JOHSC representatives work hard to promote healthy and safe workplaces. They connect with members about health and safety issues that need to be addressed and ensure that timely incident investigations occur and include the perspective of workers. BCNU wants to learn more about our JOHSC representatives – who they are and where they work. Over the next few months, BCNU regional executive OH&S reps will be gathering information from members who represent BCNU on JOHSCs
across the province. They will be asking JOHSC members to complete an information form during regional meetings, mini-regionals, walkabouts and steward planning days. The information gathered is for BCNU purposes only and will allow the union to recognize the safety leadership and commitment of JOHSC representatives and support their continued development. The project will also allow BCNU’s regional OH&S reps to better network with JOHSC representatives, gather contact information for planning sessions, and help link representatives with the right resource when facing challenges. Please contact your regional OH&S representative if you’d like more information about the JOHSC Project. update
MEDICARE TRIAL
DELAYS MEAN “BUSINESS AS USUAL” AT FORPROFIT CLINICS HALF A MILLION DOLLARS. That‘s the amount doctors working at Vancouver’s for-profit Cambie Surgery Centre billed patients in just 30 days – and all of it unlawful according to provincial auditors who reviewed the facility’s records in 2012. And it’s an amount that Cambie Surgeries Corporation (CSC) appears set to continue billing after successfully petitioning the BC Supreme Court last September for yet another delay in the charter litigation it launched following the audit. The trial, scheduled to begin September 8, has been moved to March 2, 2015. It’s not the first time CSC owner Dr. Brian Day has engaged in legal maneuvering to avoid complying with provincial legislation that prohibits the charging of fees for necessary physician services. Day used the courts to delay the 2012 Medical Services Commission audit of his clinic for over three
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BCNU IN THE COMMUNITY years, and then launched a charter challenge to avoid a court injunction following the audit in order to prevent the province from enforcing medicare laws. "Brian Day is making a mockery of the justice system," says BCNU Vice President Christine Sorensen. “Continuing trial delays mean that for-profit medical and surgical clinics will continue to flout the law and charge patients thousands in illegal fees.” BCNU has been providing legal assistance to support patients who were required to pay illegal fees to Cambie Surgeries and other forprofit surgical facilities in the province. The patients are interveners in the case, and were set to bring important affidavit evidence attesting to their negative experiences with for-profit health care in BC. Sorensen says she is frustrated that the BC Medicare Protection Act, which ensures patients do not pay for medically necessary health care, is not being enforced against CSC and other private clinics pending the outcome of the current trial. "This latest maneuver is an insult to BC patients and while this trial drags on it will be ‘business as usual' at for-profit surgical clinics in the province, as Day and others continue to flout our public health care laws and take advantage of vulnerable patients." update
This summer saw BCNU members participating in community events across the province. From Cranbrook’s Sam Steele days to Powell River’s Seafair, nurses and other BCNU members showed their pride in their communities and their professions. BCNU’s big blue bus was on hand at many of the events this summer, and was well-received wherever it went. 1. POWELL RIVER SEAFAIR A strong BCNU contingent joined this year’s parade. From left: Lisa Seaberly, Vancouver Central region co-chair Marlene Goertzen, Melinda Hersceg, Kathleen McPhee, BCNU Coastal Mountain region chair Kath-Ann Terrett, Liana Cole, Liz Young, Shereen Russell and BCNU Coastal Mountain region Treasurer Al Lumsden. 2. NATIONAL ABORIGINAL DAY BCNU members Louise Laroche (l) and Jane Douglas (r) attend an Aboriginal Day pow wow at the Songhees Wellness Centre on Vancouver Island June 21. 3. NANAIMO SILLY BOAT REGATTA Nanaimo resident Henny Vanlambalgen Sr. skippers the BCNU’s entry at this year’s event held July 13. BCNU paddlers included Nanaimo Regional General Hospital nurses Shauna Miller (front left) and Rhonda Russell (mid left). 4. KIMBERLYFEST BCNU Interior Health LPN rep Janet Van Doorn (left) joins members (l-r) Melissa Milhousen, Sara Jolie, BCNU East Kootenay region chair Lori Pearson, Phoebe Ripley, Julian Harrison and Katie Birmingham. 5. SPECIAL EVENT BCNU was on hand during Special Olympics Canada Summer Games in Vancouver July 8 to 12. From left: BCNU Vancouver Metro region Lobby Coordinator Brooke Raphael, Vancouver Metro Treasurer Krena Hay, Vancouver Metro chair Meghan Friesen and Vancouver Metro PRF Advocate Andrea Rauh. 6. BC SENIORS’ GAMES A group of internationally educated nurses interact with members of the public at this year’s games in Langley. 4
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UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2014
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OUT AND PROUD BCNU SHOWED ITS LGBTQ PRIDE THIS summer at events around the province. From Vancouver to Prince George to Nelson and many communities in between, BCNU LGBT caucus members were joined by union leaders and members in colourful celebrations of diversity. This year was a particularly special one for BC Cancer Agency nurse Rae Wooffindin. The BCNU Vancouver Central region communications secretary and LGBT Caucus member had the opportunity to attend the Toronto World Pride Festival on behalf of BCNU. The June event was an international 10-day celebration of global LGBTQ communities. Held every five years, it was the first World Pride event ever held in North America, and the fourth such festival in the world. Wooffindin says the Ontario Nurses’ Association approached nurses’ unions across the country, encouraging them to send delegates and participate in its parade float. Wooffindin was
selected to go on behalf of BCNU, and it turned out to be her first visit to Toronto. “It was totally phenomenal. I’ve never seen so many people in one location. The parade was still going on at 8 o’clock at night – it was just incredible to see the thousands of people out on the street supporting and being allies.” In addition to networking, Wooffindin says she was also tasked with advancing the BCNU LGBT Caucus’s objective of raising awareness about the need for inclusive LGBTQ elder care. She noted that BCNU supports BC’s queer resource centre, QMUNITY, and it’s “Aging Out” program. “QMUNITY found out that seniors do not feel safe coming out in long-term care facilities,” says Wooffindin. “So I raised awareness about this with ONA leaders and spoke to [Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions president] Linda Silas to find out if there are similar programs in other provinces that would help affect policy change and education.” update
1. The BCNU bus led the nurses’ union contingent at the Vancouver Pride parade August 3. 2. The BCNU bus was on hand for Prince George’s annual pride festival parade July 5. From Left: Hanna Embree, Jackie Nault, Judy Dindayal and Northern Health Authority BCNU Council LPN rep Louise Weightman. 3. BCNU flag flies high at Vancouver Pride. 4. Vancouver pride BCNU’s Vancouver Pride participants were ready to roll. 5. Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions President Linda Silas and BCNU LGBT Caucus member Rae Wooffindin participate in the June 29 Toronto World Pride parade.
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BCNU STANDS BEHIND BC’s TEACHERS THIS SUMMER, BC TEACHERS endured one of the hardest fights to protect public education the province has ever seen – and nurses were there to support them. BC families were strongly supportive of teachers despite the hardship and inconvenience caused by a five-month strike and lockout. BC’s schools did not open in September and were shut down for a full three weeks. During this time nurses joined teachers on picket lines and rallies in support of public education. The BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) was faced with an intransigent BC Liberal government unwilling to honour BC Supreme Court rulings that restored previously negotiated contract language governing class size and student-teacher ratios – language that the government unlawfully
tore up in 2002. And despite the ruling, the government remained unwilling to fairly negotiate class size and composition unless the BCTF agreed to sign away any future BC Court of Appeal decision upholding the BC Supreme Court ruling. By the second week of September it became clear that the province was playing a waiting game, knowing that the teachers – whose strike fund had run dry – were becoming increasingly desperate. The BCNU responded to the crisis by donating $500,000 to the BCTF’s hardship fund. “I have heard from our members they want us to show support for teachers,” said BCNU President Gayle Duteil at a September 10 news conference. “BCNU’s provincial council was united in its desire to make a sizeable contribution.
We believe this significant sum will help teachers stand strong against a government trying to bleed them dry.” “With this funding, nurses are standing in solidarity with teachers,” said Duteil. “We know some teachers are struggling to pay their bills and feed their children. The BCNU executive believes this is the right thing to do – it’s about nurses standing up for public education and quality public services for all British Columbians.” Teachers voted in favour of a tentative agreement reached on September 16, and most regular classes in the province resumed on September 22. Despite the agreement, the BC Liberal government’s actions have shown that it is not willing to fund public education at a level the majority of British Columbians expect. update
UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2014
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1. BCNU’s provincial executive committee and BCNU Central Vancouver region co-chair Marlene Goertzen join Three Bridges community nurses at a September 5 rally in Vancouver. 2. BCNU members in Vernon walked the picket line in solidarity with East Kootenay teachers on September 5. From left: Diane Burnett, Janna Wierenga, Vanessa Gudjonson, Vicki Staples, BCNU East Kootenay region Lobby Coordinator David MacVicar, Martha Ipema, East Kootenay region Treasurer Dawn Terrill and Tracy Ross. 3. BCNU North West region members joined with other unionized workers in their community to support teachers on September 5. Members (wearing BCNU signs) from left: Priscilla De Medeiros, Elaine Pigeau, Jas Gill and Sonja Comerford. 4. BCNU Thompson North Okanagan region members rallied in support of teachers during their September 17 regional meeting in Kamloops. Holding BCNU support signs, from left: Patricia Wright, Diane Lingren, Brenda Boyton and Tracy Quewezance. 5. Powell River members Liana Cole and Liz Young join a local teacher on the picket line. 6. BCNU provincial executive committee announces union’s $500,000 donation to the BCTF’s hardship fund at a September 10 news conference. From left: BCNU Treasurer Mabel Tung, BCNU Vice President Christine Sorensen, BCNU President Gayle Duteil and BCNU Executive Councillor (OH&S) Will Offley. 7. BCNU Central Vancouver region co-chair Marlene Goertzen and BCNU Vice President Christine Sorensen attend September 5 rally for teachers in Vancouver 8. BCNU South Fraser Valley region members took the opportunity to show their support for teachers during the BC Seniors’ Games held September 9-13 in Langley. From left: Internationally educated nurse Toni Ann Nicdao, Barb Cyr, Catherine Clutchey, Young Nurses’ Network provincial chair Linh Nguyen, internationally educated nurse Christine Esver and BCNU South Fraser Valley region Lobby Coordinator Walter Lumamba. 9. BCNU Fraser Valley region executive members Tracey Greenberg and Katharine Hamilton showed their support at a September 4 rally for teachers in Langley.
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FIGHTING FOR RETIREMENT SECURITY
Sentry Correctional Health Services workers vote to ratify a new collective agreement giving them access to the municipal pension plan for the first time
GREEN AND WHITE BCNU members who work for Sentry Correctional Health Services participate in a “green and white” day on July 10 to promote the advantage of defined benefit pension plans. Left to right: Diane Kolonics, Chris Delciotto, Megan Rutledge, Mandy ByeJensen and Lorna Leshien.
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FTER THREE ROUNDS OF BARGAINING, MONTHS OF EDUCATIONAL outreach and an ambitious communications campaign, close to 300 BCNU members working for Sentry Correctional Health Services have voted in favour of ratification of a new collective agreement that includes enrollment in the Municipal Pension Plan (MPP) for the first time. Sentry is a private contractor that provides a wide range of health services to people who are in the care and custody of the BC Corrections Branch. BCNU members working for Sentry provide medical services, mental health services and addiction counselling. Deb Ducharme, BCNU’s executive councillor for pensions, says she was thrilled to hear the bargaining team was able to provide members with retirement security. She feels the recent success at the bargaining table is a massive step forward for the group of nurses, medical office assistants, drug and alcohol counsellors, pharmacy technicians and clerks, who before now were without a defined benefit pension plan in their contract. “I was really pleased,” says Ducharme. “It really was the fair thing to do. When I looked at the contract I thought the funding was there. MPP is a defined benefit plan that guarantees a person income throughout their retirement. These members, before now, only had access to an RRSP plan which only provided a finite amount of income during retirement. “We know in this day and age, people are living longer, we know the cost of living is up
CALLING CARD Members working for Sentry Correctional Health Services campaigned to explain the benefits of the Municipal Pension Plan to co-workers this summer.
everywhere and we know people aren’t saving enough for retirement. Having MPP in their collective agreement gives them security.” A campaign was organized to educate members on what access to MPP would mean for them even before talks began. Two surveys were conducted at all nine worksites around the province, and a “green and white” day was organized at the North Fraser Pre-Trial Centre in Port Coquitlam. In addition, pizza nights were held with members at various worksites and MPP stickers were handed out to show support. Diane Kolonics is a medical office assistant who’s worked at North Fraser for seven years. She spent hours of her time raising awareness on the importance of MPP and why her fellow colleagues should vote to be included in the pension program. “We had to sit down with some of our colleagues and explain to them that, yes, while some more money would come off their paycheques, this was the right thing to fight for,” says Kolonics. “I’m 49-yearsold and have been really thinking about my options if I want a decent pension. To be honest, I had actually started looking for other jobs because I figured I had to do something to get a pension. So for me, this new collective agreement gives me the feeling that I don’t have to go anywhere.” The newly ratified collective agreement will run from April 1, 2014 through to April 1, 2017. The settlement also includes a wage increase of one percent on June 1, 2014 and one percent on April 1, 2016. In addition, casual employees will be eligible for MPP enrollment in accordance with the provisions of the plan. update
UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2014
THE MUNICIPAL PENSION PLAN: MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS BENEFITS Young member stresses the importance of bargaining for a defined benefit pension plan
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HEN 28-YEAR-OLD Megan Rutledge first heard that her bargaining team at BCNU had successfully reached a tentative collective agreement with Sentry Correctional Health Services that would include enrollment into the Municipal Pension Plan (MPP), she started crying. “I was in tears I was so happy,” she says. “My coworkers phoned me as soon as they heard. I was in a store at the time and tried my best not to cry too loud. It has been very important to me. I phoned my mom right away and we were screaming on the phone.”
“I’ve been putting money into RRSPs, but learned about the advantage of a defined benefit plan and an assured retirement income.” MEGAN RUTLEDGE
Rutledge may be in the early stages of her career, but the BCNU member and medical office assistant at the North Fraser Pre-Trial Centre in Port Coquitlam is well aware of the importance of saving for retirement. Despite her young age, she’s been a disciplined RRSP contributor for a number of years, but she never had access to a defined pension plan until recently, when Sentry and Rutledge’s BCNU bargaining team settled on a new collective agreement which will see the 300 employees who work for the private contractor enrolled in the MPP on September 1, 2015. “I’ve been putting money into RRSPs, but learned about the MPP when I spoke with [BCNU Executive Councillor – Pensions] Deb Ducharme. She did a great job of explaining the advantage of a defined benefit plan and made me realize it was important to fight for MPP and assured retirement income.” There’s no question Rutledge’s enthusiasm behind her retirement savings is impressive, but she is a minority among her peers. For many young
Canadians – BCNU members included – priorities like paying off their education debt, travelling and maintaining the cost of living come first before thoughts about retirement. Rutledge can sympathize with the costly demands of day-to-day life, but insists it was her own mother that made her realize saving for retirement wasn’t something she should ignore.
EQUALITY=MPP Sentry Correctional Health Services workers Margaret Sherwood (l) and Diane Kolonics (r) enjoy green and white cupcakes July 10. Members ratified a new collective agreement with Sentry that includes membership in the Municipal Pension Plan.
“My mom works here with us and she didn’t have a pension for a long time. She was a stay-at-home mom for a while and has worked in corrections for about 10 years, but her RRSPs aren’t going to cover her when she retires,’ explains Rutledge. “She’s really been pushing for MPP – and that got me inspired too. She’s getting closer to that age now, and there’s a little bit of panic. I want to make sure I don’t have to experience that.” For those who aren’t sure where to start, she says it helps to start thinking about what you want your lifestyle to look like post-employment. Then, look at how a defined benefit plan like MPP compares to investing in RRSPs. “I started using an online tool that helped me visualize what kind of lifestyle I want to have when I retire. It’s helped me put things in perspective. I was right out of school when I started working as a medical office assistant and didn’t know much about pensions. However, young members should remember the earlier they start, the better.” update
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Q&A YOUR PENSION
WHAT IS A “DEFINED BENEFIT” PENSION PLAN?
The Municipal Pension Plan is a “defined benefit” plan that uses a formula (years of service x highest average salary x accrual rate) to calculate an individual’s pension. Based on this formula, the pension plan promises to pay plan members a predetermined pension for life after they retire. This allows participants to plan for retirement because they know well ahead of time the value of an important portion of their retirement income. In other types of pension plans, such as defined contribution plans, a member’s pension benefit cannot be predicted. This is because the benefit available at retirement is based on how well the member’s individual investments perform over time and how much the member will receive from an annuity or other incomegenerating vehicle at retirement. In addition to providing the benefit of predictability for plan members, defined benefit plans offer advantages for employers, as they can be an effective way to recruit and retain a quality workforce.
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Member Profile YOUR COLLEAGUE CLOSE-UP
WHAT BENEFITS DOES THE PLAN PAY?
GUARANTEED BASIC PENSION The basic lifetime pension payment (the monthly payment each retired member receives) is paid for as long as the member lives and may continue to be paid to the member’s spouse or dependant after the member’s death. The basic pension benefit is defined and is based on how many years of pensionable service the member has accrued in the Plan and the member’s highest average salary (highest 60 months, not necessarily the last 60 months). COST-OF-LIVING ADJUSTMENTS Costof-living benefits, once granted, become part of the basic pension. This benefit is available at the discretion of the plan’s board of trustees and provided there are sufficient funds in the plan’s Inflation Adjustment Account. The board of trustees annually considers whether to grant a cost-of-living adjustment. POST-RETIREMENT GROUP BENEFITS Retired members have access to extended health care and dental plans at group premium rates that typically are more affordable than individuals could purchase on their own. Retired members may be eligible for a subsidy.
42,000–strong membership. While Rutledge is able to list A CHALLENGING CAREER off a number of reasons why MEDICAL OFFICE ASSISTANT she enjoys her job, there are MEGAN RUTLEDGE IS PROUD significant challenges that come with working in a prison setting, TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO instead of a doctor’s office or CORRECTIONAL HEALTH hospital. Working with inmates, SERVICES WORKERS for example, can pose a heightened safety risk. “There are definitely behaviours you need to watch out for,” she explains. “You have to realize who you are dealing with and understand that the way you care for them will be different than if STRONG SUPPORT you were in a doctor’s office with Medical office members of the public. assistant Megan Rutledge says “You can’t connect with her job at Port patients here as you would Coquitlam’s North elsewhere. You can’t get friendly Fraser Pre-Trial with them. You need to watch Centre caters to her organized how you interact with certain personality. individuals.” “It’s often best if I don’t know OR THE LAST FIVE patient appointments and what they are in for,” she says. years, Megan Rutledge has organizing files,” she says. “What “Sometimes you feel sorry for been enjoying a career as I love about this job is that it’s them and other times you find a medical office assistant at the never boring and it caters to my yourself not wanting to help North Fraser Pre-Trial Centre organized personality.” them because you know they’ve in Port Coquitlam. The 28-yearRutledge is one of approxidone something horrible. You old is one of many “non-nurse” mately 225 BCNU members have to make sure it doesn’t get BCNU members across the who work in non-nurse posiin the way of your job.” province. Her role as a medical tions in various settings across Rutledge, who works alongassistant, in one of the largest the province. She currently side her mother at the same pre-trial centres in the Lower works for Sentry Correctional worksite, says her job at the Mainland, comes with a variety Health Services, which is an North Fraser Pre-Trial Centre of challenges and responsibilities. independent contractor in the has satisfied her desire to enter a “We work with doctors and provincial prison system. While career in medical services – one nurses here at North Fraser nurses make up a large number she’s had since she was young. In ensuring inmates receive the care of employees at Sentry, there the future, she’d like to advance they require,” explains Rutledge. are also a number of drug and her career to a place where “If I’m not scheduling nurses and alcohol counsellors, medical she’s working side-by-side with organizing the multiple nursing office assistants, clerks and doctors. lines we have here at the North administrators who work for the “I can definitely see myself Fraser Pre-Trial Centre, I’m employer. These workers, along working here for a number of working on payroll or transcrib- with others across the province, years,” she says. “We’ll see what ing doctors’ orders, making are an important part of BCNU’s happens.” update
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UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2014
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COMMUNITY BARGAINING MEETINGS UNDERWAY BCNU members Julie Roman, Jane Smith, Liz Goba and Huy Nguyen.
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING —WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU? Fall 2014 member education meetings being held across the province Curious about the bargaining process? Want to learn more from BCNU’s negotiators and bargaining team? Find out about the current public sector bargaining climate and what to expect as BCNU enters the next round of collective bargaining for the Provincial Collective Agreement (NBA). Your collective agreement is fundamental, defining basics such as salary, hours of work, breaks, benefits, and dispute resolution processes. BCNU is committed to safeguarding and improving the contract language through the collective bargaining process and the involvement of you – the members. WHO SHOULD ATTEND
All BCNU members (LPNs, RNs, RPNs) are encouraged to apply. Especially welcome are our new members and those who may not have had the opportunity to attend previous BCNU events, but are curious about bargaining, workload, or worksite issues. Seats are limited. Members are encouraged to apply early. update
DATES
Central Vancouver & RIVA October 2 South Islands October 9 East Kootenay & West Kootenay October 15 Coastal Mountain October 28 Fraser Valley & South Fraser Valley October 29 North West November 6 Okanagan-Similkameen & Thompson North Okanagan November 18 Pacific Rim November 20 Shaughnessy Heights & Vancouver Metro November 24 North East November 25 Simon Fraser November 27
Community nurse bargaining meetings are being held in regions across the province this fall. BCNU Director of Legal Services Jessica Bowering and members of BCNU’s community bargaining team will be joined by BCNU Vice President Christine Sorensen to gather members’ input and prepare the union for negotiations with health employers in the coming year. The evening meetings will provide members with a brief overview of bargaining and job action implications for community nurses – including possible government responses. “These meetings are a great opportunity to learn about the goal of bargaining and how to bargain improvements without concessions,” says Sorensen. “We’ll also talk about the gains that were made in the last contract that have not been implemented for community nurses, and how to make sure employers uphold their end of the bargain.” Sorensen says the meetings will give community nurses a chance to prioritize areas of concern, and discuss such areas as contracting out, caseloads, nurse safety, technology and communication tools, and agency nursing. Contact your regional chair for more information. update
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SAME OLD URL, BRAND NEW SITE! BCNU HAS RECENTLY COMPLETED A FULL RENOVATION OF OUR WEBSITE. For those of you who have lived through a home renovation, you know the process: strip everything back to the studs, see what lies beneath, and roll up your sleeves and start fixing. The site redesign began this past spring, with assistance from Habanero Consulting, a Vancouver-based company whose design model is based on extensive research and emphasis on the user’s experience. Over 2,000 members responded to our online survey and we were able to recruit a large sample of members willing to critique what worked on our previous site, identify what was missing, and give feedback on what was needed to make the project successful. The user feedback guided the outcome, informing everything from the navigation menus to the kinds of pictures used on the pages. The most noticeable new feature is the responsive design. From now on, no matter what device you use, you’ll have an easy time navigating the site. No more zooming in on your smartphone to read the tiny text on the pages, or tapping the wrong links because your finger’s “too big” (which it isn’t, by the way). Responsive design ensures that all of the content will appear in a way that’s user friendly, allowing you to access information quickly and easily from your tablet, smartphone, or desktop computer. Other details you’ll like: • modern, clean design that incorporates the new brand logo and colours that help make our union stand out from the crowd • a search tool that produces more accurate results that match your query • a News and Events section that filters the content for you, so that you don’t have to • all professional photos of nurses on the site are of your colleagues – not stock photos! Just like that home renovation project you survived, the new BCNU website doesn’t have an end date. Once launched, it will be a true work in progress that requires strategic planning, daily maintenance, and regular monitoring of the analytics to help inform the future of the site. Contact us with your feedback at any time at websupport@bcnu.org. update
RESPONSIVE DESIGN No matter what device you use, you’ll have an easy time navigating the new BCNU website.
GOT SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT MENTAL HEALTHCARE?
THE BC NURSES’ UNION IS developing a position paper on mental health care services in BC. This document will highlight the gaps in the system of caring for patients and families struggling with mental illness and make sound recommendations informed by the voice of frontline nurses. In order to ensure that this paper truly reflects a frontline nursing perspective, BCNU is hosting a series of workshops across the province – one in each of the union’s 16 regions. Participants will be provided with current knowledge and research on best practices in the provision of mental health services, summaries of other key Canadian policy documents on the topic of mental health and led through a facilitated exercise designed to capture the views and opinions of nurses working in the system. These conversations will be summarized into a document to be reviewed by the Provincial Mental Health Strategy Steering Committee and then submitted to BCNU Council for approval. Each of the 16 workshops will include six to eight participants. One session will be offered through videoconferencing in order to facilitate the participation of members in rural and remote areas. If you think you have ideas that will make a difference, you are encouraged to apply. Application criteria are available online at www.bcnu.org (Home>A Safe Workplace>Mental Health Strategy). Applications will be vetted by the Mental Health Strategy Steering Committee who will make the final selection. APPLY TODAY!
UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2014
MENTAL HEALTH
CARING FOR ALL: MAYOR’S TASK FORCE ON MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTIONS RELEASES ITS FIRST REPORT
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UST OVER A YEAR AGO, Vancouver’s police chief and mayor declared a mental health crisis in the city. The police had been tracking an increasing number of people being taken into custody under the Mental Health Act, and there were heightened concerns about the risk of unprovoked attacks on people. It was a call to action to support Vancouver’s most vulnerable residents, and to create a coherent and adequately supported mental health and addictions system. Nurses on the frontlines have also seen growing numbers of people suffering from untreated mental illness – both on the street and in acute care facilities. This has resulted in an increase in violent incidents and unhealthy work environments. Now, BCNU, in partnership with the Union of Psychiatric Nurses, is gathering information from nurses across British Columbia about the problems and gaps in caring for patients and families struggling with mental illness. The goal is to create a position paper, based on the recommendations from frontline nurses, which will be used to improve health care policy. BCNU also sits on Vancouver’s Mayor’s Task Force on Mental Health and Addictions, which was created last October in the wake of the declared mental health crisis. The task force released its first report this September. Housing support for the mentally ill has been identified as critical to the success of any long-term strategy. According to the report, some 300 long-term treatment beds are needed to create permanent, supportive housing. So far, the provincial government
Download the report. COMPREHENSIVE REPORT The Mayor’s Task Force on Mental Health and Addiction was initiated in October of 2013 to convene leaders from a broad range of sectors and people with lived experience to address the ongoing mental health crisis in Vancouver. Its first report released this September identifies six priority action areas that aim to guide this complex work forward and address the crisis head-on.
has only committed to funding 14 additional beds. The ability to immediately offer a bed and support to someone who is ready for treatment and to ensure ongoing recovery through access to rehabilitation following detox treatment must be accessible to those suffering from severe mental illness, stress the report’s authors. The current reality of asking a homeless person to call multiple times a day for weeks on end in order to access substance abuse treatment is untenable. Research also strongly suggests that detox without followup rehabilitation – the current reality in many instances – actually worsens outcomes. Among the 23 other priority actions iden-
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tified in the task force’s report: • Improve coordination between various service providers and health care workers. This would involve bringing different community and government agencies together; including housing services, social supports, health care workers, law enforcement and individuals and families with personal experience with mental illness to create a common vision. • Convene an advisory group to create concepts for Aboriginal healing and wellness centres in Vancouver. • Integrate collective action on youth transitioning out of care, and focus on interventions to provide youth with the best chance for early recovery. • Enhance training and outreach with the Vancouver Police Department, working with people with lived experience. • Increase community awareness in order to reduce the stigma and discrimination faced by people living with mental illness and addictions. “The Task Force has taken important steps to lay the foundation of an effective and responsive system of care for those with severe mental health issues and addictions,” says BCNU President Gayle Duteil. “Now we need to focus on sustaining this initiative. The ongoing cycle of implementing pilot projects that cease when the funding runs out, does not serve to improve the lives of those suffering from mental illness.” The next steps for the task force include numerous short-term actions, the assignment of key leaders and implementation strategies. The group will report back to city council next summer. Duteil says that helping Vancouver’s mentally ill can’t come soon enough. In the first six months of this year, Vancouver police arrests of mentally ill individuals hit a five year high. Police made 1,470 apprehensions under the Mental Health Act, which permits officers to arrest and detain individuals deemed to have a mental disorder and pose a threat to themselves or others. For more information on BCNU’s Mental Health Strategy, visit: www.bcnu.org (Home>A Safe Workplace>Mental Health Strategy). update
FEATURE
READY TO LEAD Gayle Duteil brings a wealth of experience to her new role as BCNU president. She was elected to a three-year term last March and assumed office September 1.
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JOURNEY AHEAD
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An interview with BCNU President Gayle Duteil
ON MARCH 31, BC NURSES’ UNION members elected Gayle Duteil as president of their union. The 21-day voting period allowed members to choose from 13 candidates competing for positions on BCNU’s provincial executive committee and 130 candidates running for positions on the union’s 16 regional executive committees.
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FEATURE
Elected leaders assumed office September 1. In addition to electing a new president, members also voted for many new faces on the union’s 16 regional executives. Nine new regional chairs will join 11 incumbent chairs and the five members of the provincial executive committee that comprise the 25-member BCNU Council (see page 34 for a full BCNU Council contact list). Update magazine sat down with Duteil to find out more about her vision for BCNU and the journey ahead under her leadership. UPDATE: Congratulations on your election. How did you feel when you saw the results and members had elected you president? DUTEIL: I felt very proud. I felt excited
and grateful – very grateful. If I’m going to be honest, I also felt a little scared. It’s a big responsibility, a trusting responsibility. And I want to do my best for nurses across BC. But I’m excited and thrilled at the opportunity.
UPDATE: You’ve replaced a long-standing BCNU president who served for many years. How are you different and what do you hope to bring to the organization? DUTEIL: I’m bringing over 30 years of expe-
rience as a nurse to this organization. I’ve done everything from being a steward, to serving as executive director of the union, to most recently working as a frontline nurse and patient care coordinator on the acute care floor at South Okanagan General Hospital in Oliver. In a small community hospital or in any small community, the hospital is a major centre of health care. So I bring stories of patient experiences and nurse experiences – those of colleagues, friends and community members. I also bring frontline experience. I’m very glad I went back to the bedside. It taught me a lot. I’m a life-long learner and I thought I knew a lot in nursing. There’s
always something new to learn in nursing. Every single day another patient comes through the door and teaches you something, and I’m very proud to bring those experiences to this organization. UPDATE: Being the president of a union of over 40,000 members is a big responsibility. This is the first time you have been elected to a senior leadership position. What do you hope to learn from this experience? DUTEIL: Although it’s the first time I’ve been elected to a senior leadership position, it’s not the first time I’ve held a senior leadership role. I served as BCNU’s director of labour relations and executive director of operations for many years. So, I know the organization. I know nurses’ issues. I know the fiduciary responsibilities that come with running a large union like BCNU. I hope to learn about ways in which we can improve the working lives of nurses who are on shift today. We have to do better. And so I want to come away with new strategies – and that means listening to our members and communicating better with our members. I also hope to learn to become more patient – that has always been one of my personal goals. I think that working with our 42,000 members will provide me an opportunity to exercise greater patience. I have some ideas and I hope they roll out. But I really do want to learn how I can make a work day better for nurses – that’s my goal. UPDATE: What are some of the ideas you have? What do you hope to accomplish in the upcoming months or further on in your term? DUTEIL: For any union, bargaining a strong
contract is a priority. Our contract expired March 31st and we need to move ahead with negotiations with the employer – so that’s a major initiative for our organization in the coming months. Now that there’s new union leadership in place, we’ll be
UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2014
working with the bargaining team and the skilled staff we have to engage in bargaining discussions with the employer. As president, I also want to work on putting the emphasis back on the members. I’ve talked about this frequently. When a member has a difficulty or a challenge or an issue or just wants to chat, I want them to have somebody at the other end of the telephone line. Ensuring that members receive service and responses in a timely way will be one of my major initiatives. We are going to be looking at how we conduct business at BCNU and see how we can do it better so that our members feel well represented at the workplace and in the communities they live in. We’re a social justice union, so it’s not just about the workplace, it’s about how BC nurses are represented in the community as well. UPDATE: The bargaining environment
provincially is a difficult one. Our members might be looking at what the teachers went through and wondering what’s in store for them. Do you have anything to say to members on how nurses can bring the employer to the table to negotiate a fair collective agreement?
DUTEIL: The teachers certainly have had a
struggle and this is not going to be an easy round of bargaining. But our focus has to be on advocating for safe patient care. I know that that’s what nurses want and I think that’s what the government wants. I certainly know safe patient care is what the citizens of British Columbia deserve. Nobody plans to end up in the emergency department. They don’t wake up at 6:00 in the morning and think, “I’ll go to the emergency today.” But they want to be able to know that the care is there when they do show up. People access health care for variety of reasons. They access health care when mom has broken a hip and needs to go home after spending 10 days in hospital recovering from surgery. They access health care when there has been a traumatic
emergency. They also access health care for chronic disease – and our community, our public health and our residential care nurses really are at the forefront of those issues. So, people access health care on a regular basis. We need to ensure and do everything possible at the bargaining table, and as a united group of nurses, to advance the provision of safe patient care.
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Ensuring that members receive service and responses in a timely way will be one of my major initiatives.
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BCNU PRESIDENT GAYLE DUTEIL
UPDATE: In the last round of bargaining BCNU negotiated tough new workload language that gives members the ability to require that there be adequate staffing to ensure safe patient care. But employer resistance has made implementation difficult. How can BCNU ensure that employers live up to what was bargained? DUTEIL: That’s a good question. One of
the very first things we discussed at the bargaining table when we met with the employer for two days in May was the implementation of the language negotiated in the last round of bargaining. And they openly admitted that they have not fulfilled the requirements of the last contract. And so we’re starting from square one and we’re going to fix what wasn’t implemented in the last round before we move forward on other discussions. Nurses are still not being replaced when
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they call in sick and continue to work short, and nurses on vacation are also not being backfilled. Our members continue to work under deplorable conditions – and that’s unacceptable. Talk about workload: I have worked 16- and 17-hour shifts, I’ve worked five to six shifts in a row and been called in on my one day off, not once, not twice but four to five times during the same day to see if I would work the shift, part of the shift, part of the next shift, or if I could do a four-hour transport. That’s what nurses are going through right now. UPDATE: There is definitely a lot of work to be done. Given the reality that members are facing right now, is there anything that BCNU can do to improve morale in worksites around the province? DUTEIL: Low morale is directly linked
to workloads. We need to do everything we can to improve the workload of the nurses out there. We need to work together because this isn’t a problem that can be solved independently. We need to stand up for each other. We need to stay united through what will be a very tough set of negotiations – and we need to avoid being so hard on each other. I firmly believe that nobody walks in anybody else’s shoes. Everybody comes to work trying to do their best for that day. As a 30-year nurse, I know that. And so we have to try to be a little more appreciative of our colleagues’ strengths and really work together. And once we tackle the workload issues and develop manageable workloads, morale will increase. Right now people are working too much overtime. They’re being faced with violence every day. They’re working six or seven shifts in a row. Lack of family life and lack of time away from the workplace affects how we function – and it produces morale problems.
UPDATE: Flu season is around the corner. What will you do to ensure that health employers respect nurses’ clinical judg-
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FEATURE
ment and professional autonomy, and stop pushing punitive policies that are not evidence-based? DUTEIL: Employers need to respect nurses’ professional autonomy and clinical judgment – and we’ll continue to oppose any policy that unjustly penalizes any member who does not receive the seasonal flu vaccine. We encourage our members to be vaccinated, but ultimately it must be an individual’s choice.
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We need to ensure and do everything possible at the bargaining table, and as a united group of nurses, to advance the provision of safe patient care.
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BCNU PRESIDENT GAYLE DUTEIL
UPDATE: Care delivery restructuring is being implemented on Vancouver Island and members there who are blowing the whistle on its threat to patient safety continue to be ignored. How can members ensure that care delivery restructuring does not become the norm across the province? DUTEIL: It is coming to other health
authorities. We’ve seen the signs and the results. What’s happening in Island Health is disgraceful. They’re replacing nurses – licensed nurses – with unregulated care aides who are untrained in the intricacies of nursing care. It’s one
thing to have care aides to assist the care teams. I work in a team of RNs, LPNs and care aides. We work well as a team and understand each other’s roles and contributions. But when you’re replacing a licensed nurse with a care aide, that’s vastly different. Now, you’re no longer just relying on a care aide to provide activities of daily living. Care aides are being trained to take vital signs. What happens when you have a low grade temp, post-op patient? A nurse knows a low grade temp, immediately post-op, is certainly worth watching so their monitoring and assessment of that patient will increase. A care aide would not know that. A care aide may not report this to the person that they’re supposed to or bring it forward to the attention of the doctor. But nurses do know that. Nurses know the importance of a slight change in vital signs. Nurses know the important change in a colour of a wound. They know that, and care aides do not. You know, we’re all about safe patient care and you have to go back to that. Is replacing licensed nurses with care aides safe patient care? We say no. UPDATE: Nurses do have the skills that care aides don’t have. But nurses themselves are not a homogenous group. BCNU is becoming a larger and more diverse union. What will you do to ensure that all our members feel equally represented? DUTEIL: Our union is a great and diverse organization that is a reflection of the communities that our members live in. The communities of British Columbia are very diverse. We have different ethnicities and different socio-economic backgrounds. Our communities are both small and large, and urban and rural. BCNU represents a good cross-section of nurses and other health care workers across the province, and we have to listen to them. Because
UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2014
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OPEN FORUM FOR BCNU MEMBERS
LETTERS
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We need to stand up for each other and stay united through what will be a very tough set of negotiations. BCNU PRESIDENT GAYLE DUTEIL
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with the diverse membership comes diverse opinions, and that’s what’s going to move our organization forward. It’s not about one opinion or two opinions. It’s about listening to our members – and that’s where I think we need to do a better job. UPDATE: BCNU has a social equity man-
date where it advocates for policies that will improve the lives of everyone. A good example of this is the legal advocacy that we’ve provided to patients who were charged unlawful fees for access to medically necessary health care service by for-profit clinic operators in the province. How do you envision the union’s efforts going forward to protect public health care for British Columbians?
DUTEIL: BCNU stands up for our nurses but we also stand up for public health care. And we will continue to do that. You don’t have to have a wallet to get treated in Canada, and the overwhelming majority of Canadians value our public health care system. As advocates for safe patient care, it’s our responsibility to stand up for public health care and prevent its erosion – and we’re going to do that. Many years back, we were instrumental in starting the court case to ensure that medicare rules in BC are enforced, and we’ve helped patients who were illegally billed. Private clinics are not about safe patient care, they’re about money. The audit that was done by the government in anticipation of this court case, found almost half a million dollars of illegal fees. Sometimes double dipping fees that were charged to patients. This is about money – not about public health care. update
CDMR IS TAKING A TOLL ON FAMILIES THE ARTICLE IN THE LAST ISSUE OF UPDATE CONCERNING NURSES stressed by the new care delivery restructuring [Nurses stressed by Island Health’s care delivery restructuring], misses an important factor: stress at work not only affects patients and colleagues, but also family dynamics. A wife or husband who is over-stressed at work will take this home to the family. It is not surprising that rising numbers of nurses are looking for other work if a happy, normal home life is disrupted because of stress. Children from stressful homes will not function at school as well as they might otherwise. I would have thought the government would be able to see the complete picture and do all in its power to help nurses by reducing their stress, not adding to it. I wonder how many spouses have asked their partners “Do you have to do this?” I have – more than once. That of course only adds to the stress. It is a vicious circle beginning on the ward. For the sake of the nurses, patients and the whole family, there has to be another solution. Neville Winters Sydney BOOK REVIEW MISSES THE BROADER PERSPECTIVE As the author of The Moral Work of Nursing: Asking and Living with the Questions, I am disappointed that the book review published in the July/August issue of Update is more about the union agenda than the book itself. I have supported the union’s campaign against CDMR by writing letters to newspapers, politicians and the health authority, and by speaking at the Nanaimo town hall meeting on May 5. However, I’d like to clarify that the book examines the factors affecting ethical nursing practice from a much broader perspective. The book integrates my own experience, studies in health care ethics with historical trends, and current research regarding nurses’ moral work. I note, with regret, that nurses are not always taken seriously and acknowledge that, at times, for their own well-being, nurses choose to leave the profession. Matters pertaining to nurses’ health, and psychological health
Please join our open forum and send your letters to: lmacdonald@bcnu.org. and safety in the health care workplace are discussed in depth in the last two chapters of the book. Dedicated to all nurses, it was written to encourage and support nurses in their moral work, and to inform the public about the nature of that work. Hazel Magnussen, retired nurse Parksville Editor’s reply: The review’s purpose was to illuminate aspects of the book that we felt were most relevant to Update readers who, as a group, are nurses who are engaged with their union and active in the campaigns that we run. We chose to focus on an aspect of the book that we believed would be most relevant to the experiences of those members being confronted with CDMR – a care model that devalues nurses’ advocacy role and undermines their professional autonomy. The intent of our positive review was merely to shed light on one aspect of the book that we hoped would compel members to purchase a copy of their own.
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LETTERS STRIKE DONATION PROMPTS CONCERNS
On September 10, BCNU President Gayle Duteil announced that the union was donating $500,000 to the BC Teachers’ Federation hardship fund. It was an expression of solidarity and an act of support that was welcomed by teachers who had been on the picket line since May. BCTF President Jim Iker has since notified the union that his members are very appreciative of the support, and that the funds have been distributed to BCTF locals to go to teachers in need. Many BCNU members responded to the announcement, both supporting and opposing the decision. We have included a selection of their letters, emails and Facebook posts here. Unilateral decisions like this have no place in a democracy and we feel we should have had input in to what is done with the money WE pay in dues. Within a week of this “generous” gift, the teachers came to an agreement with the government and are now back at work. So our questions to you are: 1. What happens to that half million dollars that they no longer need? 2. What happens if our union goes out on strike next year? Do we have enough money to support our members and their families should we be out for a lengthy time? 3. If the answer to question 2 is yes, then we respectfully request our union dues to be reduced as we obviously have a large surplus of money. We look forward to hearing back from you with regard to our questions around our union dues. Maureen Garland (and 25 PACU nurses at Victoria General Hospital) Victoria As a BCNU member, I feel the executive should have asked the membership if they wanted to donate or make a no-interest loan to the teachers’ union. I know other members where I work are not happy with the decision either. I talked with someone in the union and they said that we elected our executive and that we should let them make the decisions for us. That gives them too much free range. Some issues need to be taken to the members to let them decide. This was one of them. June Clarke Victoria
I do support the BCTF, but I do also think that giving $500,000 as a gift or a loan is too generous and I question the process of how this decision was made. Our annual union dues are, in my opinion, already exceptionally high. I understand the intrinsic (higher settlement for BCTF may lead to higher settlement for BCNU) and extrinsic (helping the teachers that we do all support) benefits to giving some financial support, but nurses need support too, and that means being more careful with the money you ask us for.
Many of BCNU’s members were upset about the union giving half a million dollars, and many are worried about our union going into contract talks with now less money for OUR members. I completely support the teachers! I think that if given the chance to vote online the majority [of BCNU members] would have voted yes. [However,] being informed when our union gives substantial gifts of money to another union builds trust and I think that is what is important to our members with our new BCNU leadership.
Dawna Erland Penticton
Lianne Houston Victoria
A union only has so much financial resources to fight the government. Unions are about solidarity. We need to support each other. I strongly support the decision made by our provincial leadership and chairs. The teachers need financial assistance, the strike has gone on too long, and some teachers are struggling financially. They are selling their homes. The money will go directly to help those teachers who are suffering financial hardship. We elected our leaders to make the difficult decisions and that is what they did. I am proud of BCNU and I fully support this decision. Sara Johl Surrey
I was shocked to learn of the $500,000 “gift” provided by BCNU to the BC Teachers’ Federation. I have always supported teachers and still do, however this decision should have gone out to the membership. There are much better ways to support the teachers and I am very angry that this decision was made without any consultation to the membership. I was hopeful with a change in leadership that BCNU would manage our money much better. I resent that our union is going in the direction of other big unions with the creation of a monstrous administration, supporting the union staff and paying salaries above and beyond their members.
Two-tiered education system, two-tiered health care system… absolutely not! Stand tall teachers, you have my total respect. So proud nurses could help out in some way.
Love, love, love it! I would work oodles of overtime to support these superheroes!
Trish Boileau Kelowna
Anna-Maria Laughlin Victoria
Shannon Maddess Creston
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The resolution to the strike is easy, and from my chair it is 25 percent the government’s fault and 75 percent the teachers union asking for crazy amounts of cash and benefits. Also every point the teachers’ union makes talks about how nurses have it better…and that’s not what we should be supporting. Lisa Keech Kelowna As a longstanding BCNU member, I am proud to help the teachers with my dues, and don’t think a vote was necessary. Sometimes we have to put our money where our mouth is, and helping our union sisters and brothers cannot hurt us. If not for unions, the divide between rich and poor would be much greater. Dawn Banville Salmon Arm I’ve been a bedside nurse since 1980 because I care about others and have always cared about the well-being of others. I care when people are suffering and facing hardship. I’m not questioning the decision to help others. I just have one question: Why was the donation to BCTF a gift and not an interest free loan? Sue LeClair Pitt Meadows
BCNU’S PROVINCIAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE RESPONDS
The BCNU Council was united in its decision to donate $500,000 to the BCTF’s hardship fund. It was a way to provide significant practical support to individual teachers facing extreme hardship due to the strike, and it enabled them to pay for basic necessities such as food. Teachers and nurses share a common commitment to maintaining quality public services, whether in education or in health care. For teachers, working conditions are teaching conditions. As the dispute continued it became clear that the provincial government was trying to starve teachers into permanently accepting the education cuts it imposed in 2002, cuts which have twice been ruled illegal by the courts. Council understood that we had to support teachers in order that the BCTF could endure the strike and successfully defend public education. That’s why we attached so much importance to this decision, and why council members and senior staff dug into their own pockets to personally donate over $10,000 to the hardship fund. BCNU’s donation, along with material support from other unions, was responsible for forcing the government back to the bargaining table, and led directly to the settlement of the strike. Where did the money come from? Part of
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BCNU’s budget is allocated specifically for solidarity support and donations to community groups and aid organizations. Our support for teachers had no effect on the BCNU strike fund, and will have no effect on dues. It was a contribution we could afford, representing slightly more than $12 per member. Should Council have consulted the members? Council has the mandate and the authority to make this decision. However, even if we had chosen to poll members, the process would have been costly and time consuming. This was a luxury we did not have given the urgent situation. Support for other unions and public services are at the very heart of our union. This donation to the teachers lies squarely within our core values and is aligned with our mission statement. We believe Council’s decision was both the correct and principled one to have made. Gayle Duteil President Christine Sorensen Vice President Mabel Tung Treasurer Deb Ducharme Executive Councillor (Pensions) Will Offley Executive Councillor (Health and Safety)
“DIGNITY DENIED” RAISES ETHICAL CONCERNS
In our last issue we published a story entitled “Dignity Denied” as part of our coverage of BCNU’s annual nursing practice conference held last May. A BCNU member has since expressed serious concern about the manner in which the
caregivers, some of whom are our members, were portrayed in the story. Margot Bentley, a patient and subject of the story, has a reflex response to a spoon being placed at her mouth whereby she opens her mouth and “eats”.
The term “force feed” which was used in the article, could certainly evoke images of a feeding tube being forcibly inserted and nutrients provided. We recognize that issues related to end of life care are complex and there are many
points of view involved. The article reflected a presentation by a patient’s family member at our conference and did include information about court decisions, which in effect obligate caregivers to continue to feed the patient.
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CODEVELOPMENT CANADA: A PARTNER IN SOLIDARITY “AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY to all.” It’s an aphorism that best defines the principle of solidarity – and serves to remind us that we are all connected – even if those connections are sometimes hard to see. It also means that solidarity must extend beyond the workplace – BCNU’s support of striking BC teachers was a recent example of this. Promoting fair working conditions for all is the best way to safeguard our own – and that includes the working conditions of those beyond our borders. Workers around the world are facing similar challenges as those in Canada, and their success or failure in advancing labour rights directly affects the ability of unions in this country to effectively advocate for their members’ rights. That’s why building international relationships with labour and social movements is so important. But this work requires organization, and it’s often not easily done. Traditional solidarity models have usually involved formal arrangements between national organizations – such as the Canadian Labour Congress – and their counterparts in developing countries. All too often these connections begin and end with sending financial aid. This support, while important, can make it difficult for Canadian workers to make meaningful connections with the groups they are supporting financially. Enter CoDevelopment Canada. Founded in 1985 by a group of activists who wanted to go beyond financial aid, this small but effective BC-based non-profit builds partnerships between like-minded organizations in Canada and Latin America. The goal is to foster learning, social change, and community empowerment. These partnerships educate Canadians about Latin America and allow them to
MAKING CONNECTIONS BCNU’s Jennifer Roy holds eight-month-old Ricardo outside the clothing factory where his mother works in Honduras.
directly support the region. Such connections build solidarity, mutual understanding and ultimately improve prospects for a fairer global order. BCNU is one of several BC unions that support CoDev’s work. Each union’s contributions are linked to a specific Latin American partner organization. Since 2005, BCNU has been partnering with El Salvador’s Association for Integrated
Health and Social Services (APSIES) which works to strengthen health rights and women’s rights in rural communities, and the Honduran Women’s Collective (CODEMUH), which helps women workers – primarily sweatshop workers – defend their health rights. CoDev project coordinator Steve Stewart says that it’s difficult for individual workers and unions to directly support this kind of work without the expertise of the organization’s staff. “Our role is to facilitate direct relationships of solidarity between Canadian organizations and their counterparts in Latin America – and we coordinate with those partners around education work here in Canada. “Our educational focus is on working to reduce the negative impact of Canadian foreign policy on our partners in Latin America,” he says. “A good example of this is BCNU’s partnership with CODEMUH.” CoDev’s solidarity tours are one of the most effective ways the organization connects and educates Canadian partners. Jennifer Roy is a public health nurse and steward who works for Hope Public Health and Agassiz Public Health. She participated in a 2009 BCNU solidarity delegation to Honduras and El Salvador. She was there to learn more about women’s rights issues in the rapidly expanding maquila (sweatshop) sector, and the first stop was a visit to the offices of CODEMUH. “It was a little shocking to see that Honduran workers’ occupational injuries and illnesses were being so blatantly disregarded and not even recognized or treated with the typical resources we have here in BC or Canada,” she says. “It was hard LEARN MORE Watch a short video that explains CoDevelopment Canada’s unique solidarity model.
UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2014
for me to grapple with just the sheer lack of [employers’] acknowledgement of the illness and the lack of resources available to prevent or treat injuries.” Roy also spent several days in El Salvador touring the community health unit set up by APSIES. She says she was impressed by the community’s ability to make effective use of limited resources. “We travelled through the jungle with their health educators and visited homes to weigh babies. I travel around with a heavy scale and a big bag that can cause some muscle strain issues, and yet they were able to throw a rope over the rafters and hook it up to a scale system that the baby is suspended in,” she explains. “It just seems so brilliant to me – their simple little techniques that were environmentally friendly and efficient in terms of cost and caring capacity. They had such great techniques to be able to reach out to these people and make a difference in their lives.”
SOLIDARITY BCNU delegation members visit the offices of CODEMUH – a Honduran Women’s Collective that works to improve working conditions in the country’s clothing factories.
Roy says the trip was an eye-opener, and doesn’t hesitate to recommend it to other BCNU members. “I’m really proud to be able to say that I went on this trip – it was one of the best things I’ve chosen to do. It was so rich and rewarding, and it really increased my awareness of what’s beyond the borders that I’ve grown up within.” update
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FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TARGETS PROGRESSIVE CHARITIES AN INITIATIVE BY THE CONSERVATIVE government to politically audit activist charities has left Canada’s not-forprofit sector convinced it’s being targeted for political reasons. And with good reason: since 2012, when the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) was given $8-million to step up its political activity audits, a small number of progressive charities have been getting all the attention. Out of some 86,000 charities in Canada, 52 have been targeted to date, while just 12 have been cleared. Most of those targeted are progressive organizations, often with roots in the church, social justice and trade union communities. The audits are designed to ensure compliance with rules that allow charities to spend no more than 10 percent of their revenues on political activities. CRA auditors initially targeted environmental charities that have been openly critical of Conservative policies on climate change, tar sands development and oil export pipelines. These include Environmental Defence Canada, Tides Canada, David Suzuki Foundation and other vocal charities. The list of targeted charities has since grown to include groups such as Oxfam and PEN Canada (promoting freedom of expression) to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) and the tiny CoDevelopment Canada (a BC group that helps labour and community groups in Latin America). The CRA insists that no sectors or particular groups are being targeted and that it is simply ensuring accountability based on its mandate. The impact of CRA’s open-ended investigations on charities and their public activities is concerning. The heavy financial burden placed on small
organizations by the audit process, plus the threat of being shut down for speaking out on policy issues, are draining resources and injecting a chill into their public activities. CoDevelopment Canada, while having cleared the political activity bar, now finds itself forced to translate all its receipts from activities in LatinAmerican countries into English for a financial audit. Executive Director Barbara Wood says there’s “a great sense of disquiet or unease that the CRA could come back at any time and say this is not actually what we were looking for.” Groups subject to audit report say that the process is both more intrusive and intensive than in the past. The CCPA, a progressive think-tank whose purpose is to criticize public policy, says the current audit is “far more intrusive in terms of the volume and nature of the information requested. It has taken up an inordinate amount of staff time, diverting precious resources from our policy work and resulting in substantial legal costs.” Critics say the CRA audit process is being skewed towards progressive charities because it allows complaints by external groups such as Ethical Oil (a front group founded by a Stephen Harper aide) to guide its targets. In the case of environmental groups, the main sources of complaint appear to be federal Cabinet ministers and close friends of the oil and gas industry. The CCPA minces no words on this latest Conservative attempt to contract the public space for open debate: “We are a nation of diversity, with a universal belief in protecting human rights, including free speech. We cannot, and most certainly will not, stand by and watch as these rights are threatened.” update
PRFs
IN THE WORKPLACE
QUIET NO MORE Vancouver General Hospital Transition Services Team nurses made effective use of professional responsibility forms to secure more staffing to care for patients moving out of the hospital and back to the community. From left: Angie Angeles, Grace Isog, Jas Billing, Ketu Patel and Georgina LaPointe.
PRFs + PERSISTENCE = SAFE PATIENT CARE Meet the Vancouver General Hospital Transition Services Team nurses who used the professional responsibility form process to successfully tackle workload and improve conditions at their worksite
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NGIE ANGELES SAYS there’s a slogan she and her colleagues use to describe the work they do: “Transition Services Team: the quiet force behind the smooth and safe transition from acute to community.” Angeles is based at Vancouver General Hospital. She’s one of some 25 nurses who staff Vancouver Coastal Health’s Transition Services Team (TST) that works out of six major acute care hospitals in the region. TST nurses play a critical role in ensuring that the continuum of care is a smooth one for patients moving to and from acute and community care settings. Transition services are vitally important – they keep patients moving while ensuring they are stabilized wherever they find themselves. Without transition services, patients – often those who are elderly – can become “bed blockers” occupying an acute care bed as they await placement in a residential care or other community setting.
Conversely, patients who are moved into the community without the necessary supports in place can all too soon find themselves back in acute care. To prevent this, TST nurses gather information about patients and liaise with the wide range of care providers working in the health care system so that patients are cared for safely and appropriately. Transition services may not be as visible as other areas of nursing, but they are no less important. For Angeles and her TST colleagues, reminding their employer of this simple fact recently became one of their biggest challenges. With an ever-growing workload and limited resources, the team at VGH decided to be a quiet force no more. Last year, the group embarked on an initiative that took advantage of the professional responsibility form process contained in the Nurses’ Bargaining Association provincial contract in order to improve working conditions for TST members across the Vancouver
Coastal Health Authority. Determination and persistence were essential for success, but the additional staffing that is now in place shows that the PRF process is an effective tool for addressing workload and practice conditions in the pursuit of safe patient care. TST member and nurse educator Ketu Patel describes the changes her team faced and the resulting workload pressures. “When the current TST role was introduced around 2000, it was more for community services and arranging for discharge planning. But our team has evolved since then. We had taken on a lot of new initiatives but our staffing levels never really changed,” she explains. “So our workload grew: in addition to doing a lot of assessments – we do the ALC assessments for all acute care settings – we also took on Clinical Nurse Leader roles and were tasked with moving to the ‘Home is Best’ care model. So we were trying to attend all the rounds and make the assessments. The pressure on us to move people out of acute care safely was huge because of our staffing levels – we just didn’t have enough people.” TST member Jas Billing recalls the mounting pressure her team was facing. “A lot of people were going on stress leave and there were gaps that were not filled, but our managers would say ‘this is all the staffing we can get and you guys have to cover for each other’ – we were given no choice.” “When I came onto the team two years ago I had no idea that this role was so
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broad and evolved and complex,” says Georgina LaPointe. “These guys were so used to working in these conditions and it wasn’t even a reasonable workload. I thought, ‘How do you guys manage to do this work?’.” TST member Grace Isog says the almost constant lack of coverage and absence of casual staff that brought the team’s situation to a head. “When there were sick calls or vacation there wasn’t any coverage, so most of the time we’d be carrying two pagers – sometimes three.” It was BCNU full-time steward Gerald Dyer who convinced the group to take a
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15 minutes to fill one out’, and customizing them meant that we could just tick off the issues as they were all the same reasons [workload] – it never changed,” says Isog, who is quick to credit Dyer. “Gerald was pivotal in this whole process because if he hadn’t helped us it wouldn’t have happened,” she stresses. “I’ve worked at other places and used PRFs before, but in some cases some we didn’t know how to do it [effectively] and didn’t know what our rights were. Gerald would be right in there supporting and educating us.” Several meetings with the employer took place throughout 2013. At first, managers
IT’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE ANYONE’S BEEN DOUBLE PAGED, AND IT USED TO HAPPEN DAILY.
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ANGIE ANGELES
strategic approach to solving the problem. “For years I told them to deal with the issue using the PRF process that’s in the collective agreement,” says Dyer, who noted that the team, like many nurses, knew about the process but was also wary of the paperwork involved. “I told them that I couldn’t do anything until they did. This is your problem, not mine, and I can’t file PRFs for you.” Dyer suggested that the team customize the existing PRF form to reflect their dayto-day workload and practice conditions, and make it easier to fill out, as the issues the nurses faced were similar. “As soon as they did that, everyone got on board because the forms were easier to use. They were doing it in droves every day.” The initiative began in earnest in March 2013. “When we first started filling out the PRFs it was like ‘it’s going to take me 10 or
were resistant to any proposal that would increase staffing levels, and unwilling to acknowledge new NBA contract language requiring them to replace and call in more nurses to meet patient demand. “They kept saying time and time again, ‘We don’t have the money. You’re going to have to learn to deal with it’ and so on,” recalls Dyer. “I said ‘that’s not good enough’ and I had many conversations with Human Resources and the manager myself. And finally, I just said to staff, ‘keep up the PRFs up, keep up the PRFs – they’re not listening’.” Dyer reports that the team’s persistence appeared to be having an effect after health authority directors became involved. It was at a meeting in December 2013 when the employer agreed to take action and commit to hiring more staff. However, he said that experience taught him to be cautious of promises not backed by actions. “They asked that we stop filling
PRFs, but I said, ‘no, with all due respect, I’m not closing any PRFs until we know those [new hires] are trained up and independent, and we’ve resolved the issues the members have’.” Even before a resolution was reached, the team says the process forced the employer to be aware of the challenges nurses were facing. “This has caught the eye of a lot of people,” says Isog. “Many still don’t know what the TST does, but now we are getting our name out there and getting the attention of the directors, and it’s good –especially for the bedside nursing staff – it’s good for them to know who we are as well.” “Before, they knew patients were being placed in homes and hospices and someone was following up on them in the community,” explains Angeles. “They knew that that was happening but they didn’t know that it was TST who was doing all that work.” “We had a special projects director who was assigned to take on the redesign and he spent six months looking at every single detail,” says Patel. “He was shocked with what we were doing,” adds Angeles. “The TST role was broken down and every single layer of our job was looked at and dismantled,” explains Billing. “It was investigated to the point where they asked where we really needed to be involved. There are so many different roles on one ward: there’s Clinical Nurse Leader there’s nurse educator, there’s social worker, there’s TST, there’s PCC. So who can be assigned these jobs so that the patient is still safe? Because you do want to ensure patient safety in all of this – and that needs to be a shared responsibility. These days patients are going home with more complex issues and there are so many different care needs that you need to make sure that everything is being looked after.” It wasn’t until March of this year that new staff was hired – but the team was surprised
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by the increase in staffing levels that they had achieved. “The employer hired five new casuals all because of this [PRF initiative],” reports Dyer. “And they even created a nurse educator position,” he said, explaining that the new hires wound need to be oriented. “It’s a big learning curve that takes about three months.” Today, the team is satisfied with their achievement. “They were really against having casual staff because our work is so specialized and you really need to be trained for at least two months before you could take this job on,” says Billing. “But we’ve taken a totally different turn on that – and we have a huge casual pool now. Our shifts are covered if we are on vacation. We have flex staff available. All of the positions are filled and we have vacation relief.” “It’s been a while since anyone’s been double paged, and it used to happen daily,” adds Angeles. Dyer credits the entire TST at VGH for their tenacity. “They did it but it took an awfully long time and a lot of group meetings. They would come to the stewards’ office for meetings to brainstorm other ways we could work on things. They would come on their time off after work. We would stay late and discuss what we could do. We did a lot of work. But it in the end they got what they wanted and more actually.” The team’s message to other BCNU members? “Support each other and be
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patient,” says Angeles. THE PRESSURE ON US TO MOVE Billing agrees. “It took PEOPLE OUT OF ACUTE CARE months to get this to hapSAFELY WAS HUGE BECAUSE OF pen. We were told the TST redesign was being done but OUR STAFFING LEVELS – WE JUST there were huge amounts of DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE. time when we wouldn’t hear anything, but you have to keep JAS BILLING asking questions and keep going,” she says. “We had a PRF committee that would meet every couple of months to see what had changed and what HOW TO CONTACT YOUR was going on, and what issues REGIONAL PRF ADVOCATES were outstanding. Directors and managers were present at Please check the website for current updates. those meetings, which were South Fraser Valley Pacific Rim documented.” Catherine Clutchey “The key is to keep positive,” Ray Hawkes catherineclutchey@bcnu.org says Patel. “Some of the bedside rayhawkes@bcnu.org nurses I’ve spoken with say they Simon Fraser don’t file PRFs because nothing South Islands Cameron Ward Fiona Dunn happens. But it’s about having camward@bcnu.org fionadunn@bcnu.org a positive attitude and getting everyone on board.” Okanagan Similkameen Isog agrees that it’s about pro- Vancouver Metro Danika Ellis cess. “A lot of nurses think that Andrea Rauh danikaellis@bcnu.org andrearauh@bcnu.org filling out the PRF is a venting form to complain. But it really Thompson North Okanagan isn’t. So knowing the process is Coastal Mountain Lance Tifenbach Pauline Barlow important.” lancetifenbach@bcnu.org paulinebarlow@bcnu.org As a steward, Dyer is proud to have supported the work of East Kootenay RIVA these members. Heather Picklyk Sara Johl “Even though the team at heatherpicklyk@bcnu.org sarajohl@bcnu.org times felt nothing was changing they were determined to West Kootenay continue,” he says. “It took a lot Shaughnessy Heights Glenna Lynch longer than expected, but it did Laurel Kathlow glennalynch@bcnu.org laurelkathlow@bcnu.org happen, and it’s only because they were persistent and they North East Central Vancouver filed multiple PRFs – we’re Barb Erickson Judith McGrath talking over 186 PRFs – and barbaraerickson@bcnu.org jmcgrath@bcnu.org nothing changed until after those 186 were done. It took a North West Fraser Valley long time and a willingness to Erin Kachmar Janice Young continue saying ‘no, this is not erinkachmar@bcnu.org janiceyoung@bcnu.org right’.” update
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REGIONAL REPS
Who Can Help?
BCNU IS HERE TO SERVE MEMBERS
BCNU CAN. Here’s how you can get in touch with the right person to help you. 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.
VANCOUVER METRO Meghan Friesen Chair C 604-250-0751 meghanfriesen@bcnu.org COASTAL MOUNTAIN Kath-Ann Terrett Chair C 604-828-0155 kterrett@bcnu.org CENTRAL VANCOUVER Judy McGrath Co-chair C 604-970-4339 jmcgrath@bcnu.org Marlene Goertzen Co-chair C 778-874-9330 marlenegoertzen@bcnu.org SHAUGHNESSY HEIGHTS Claudette Jut Chair C 604-786-8422 claudettejut@bcnu.org
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
TREASURER Mabel Tung C 604-328-9346 mtung@bcnu.org
PRESIDENT Gayle Duteil C 604-908-2268 gayleduteil@bcnu.org
EXECUTIVE COUNCILLOR Deb Ducharme C 250-804-9964 dducharme@bcnu.org
VICE PRESIDENT Christine Sorensen C 250-819-6293 christinesorensen@bcnu.org
EXECUTIVE COUNCILLOR Will Offley C 604-240-1242 woffley@bcnu.org
LPN REPS
INTERIOR HEALTH Janet Elizabeth Van Doorn C 778-214-4798 janetvandoorn@bcnu.org
SOUTH FRASER VALLEY Jonathan Karmazinuk Co-chair C 604-312-0826 jonathankarmazinuk@bcnu.org
NORTHERN HEALTH Louise Weightman C 250-639-6436 louiseweightman@bcnu.org
Michelle Sordal Co-chair C 604-880-9105 michellesordal@bcnu.org
COMMUNITY BARGAINING ASSOCIATION Rannoch Campbell C 250-309-3617 rannochcampbell@bcnu.org
RIVA Lauren Vandergronden Chair C 604-785-8148 laurenvandergronden@bcnu.org SIMON FRASER Liz Ilczaszyn Co-chair C 604-785-8157 lilczaszyn@bcnu.org Debbie Picco Co-chair C 604-209-4260 dpicco@bcnu.org
FRASER VALLEY Katherine Hamilton Chair C 604-793-6444 katherinehamilton@bcnu.org WEST KOOTENAY Lorne Burkart Chair C 250-354-5311 lorneburkart@bcnu.org EAST KOOTENAY Lori Pearson Chair C 250-919-4890 loripearson@bcnu.org NORTH WEST Sharon Sponton Chair C 250-877-2547 sharonsponton@bcnu.org NORTH EAST Veronica (Roni) Lokken Chair C 250-960-8621 veronicalokken@bcnu.org OKANAGAN-SIMILKAMEEN Rhonda Croft Chair C 250-212-0530 rcroft@bcnu.org THOMPSON NORTH OKANAGAN Tracy Quewezance Chair C 250-320-8064 tquewezance@bcnu.org SOUTH ISLANDS Adriane Gear Co-chair C 778-679-1213 adrianegear@bcnu.org Lynnda Smith Co-chair C 250-361-8479 lynndasmith@bcnu.org PACIFIC RIM Jo Salken Chair C 250-713-7066 jsalken@bcnu.org
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Council Profile
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HERE’S WHO’S WORKING FOR YOU
STRONG MENTOR THOMPSON NORTH OKANAGAN CHAIR TRACY QUEWEZANCE EMPOWERING MEMBERS
“I love sitting down and hearing directly from members about the issues that concern them – that’s what keeps me going,” says Thompson North Okanagan chair Tracy Quewezance.
QUICK FACTS NAME Tracy Quewezance. GRADUATED Brandon General Hospital School of Nursing 1988. UNION POSITION Thompson North Okanagan region chair. WHY I SUPPORT BCNU? Not only does BCNU stand up and protect our members, but it is one of the strongest voices protecting and advocating for our health care system.
TRACY QUEWEZANCE says the training and support she received from BCNU has transformed her life. “When I first became a steward I was pretty quiet and meek, with not a lot of self confidence,” she says. “But over time, with help from lots of people, I learned to speak out in public and stand up to management without crumbling.” Quewezance first became involved with BCNU after taking an unpaid leave after a car accident. “I didn’t know my contract rights and was surprised to be given a big bill for my benefits. I also lost quite a bit of seniority. It opened my eyes to the need to know the contract. “Shortly after that, I met BCNU steward Judy Brown. She helped my unit resolve a rotation problem when there was the possibility of manage-
ment imposing a 7.2-hour rotation on us. We ended up coming up with a rotation we all could live with. “Judy encouraged me to attend union meetings and then to become a steward. When I did, in 1995, Judy became my mentor. She took me under her wing. Her willingness to share her knowledge still makes me want to mentor other nurses.” In 2004, Quewezance became her region’s vice chair and steward liaison. From 2006 until 2012, she served as Royal Inland Hospital’s full-time steward. She was first elected regional chair in 2012, and was acclaimed in 2014. “At first, I was hesitant to take on the role of regional chair, because it can be so political,” she says. “But I have no regrets. I’ve learned so much and I’m finally feeling very comfortable in my role.”
Today, as chair of BCNU’s sprawling TNO region, she spends much of her time proudly advocating for both members and the health care system. Quewezance was raised in Dauphin, Manitoba. “It’s a nice small town, a good place to grow up,” she recalls. “But when I was younger, I had no desire to be a nurse. In fact, the thought never crossed my mind.” It was, however, a profession she grew to love – while studying nursing and raising a young daughter by herself – at Brandon General Hospital School of Nursing. After graduating in 1988, Quewezance moved west to Kamloops to work at Royal Inland Hospital. She’s never left. “I just love nursing and the nurses I work with,” she explains. When she’s not dealing with union business, you may find her working with stained glass “to tap into my creative side.” Or pursuing “my passion for hot yoga, which is good for my soul, helps me deal with stress.” Or visiting her three grown children, whom she proudly describes as “very strong young women who speak their mind and stand up for themselves.” But you’re more likely to find Quewezance travelling across her region, speaking with members at their worksites or at union meetings. “I love sitting down and hearing directly from members about the issues that concern them,” she says. “That’s what keeps me going.” update
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Off Duty MEMBERS AFTER HOURS
NURSES ON THE BALLOT BCNU MEMBERS ACROSS THE PROVINCE ARE RUNNING FOR OFFICE IN THIS YEAR’S MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS
RUNNING FOR POLITICAL office is a powerful and effective way for nurses to stand up and speak out for real change in their communities. “It’s important for nurses to advocate, not just for their patients, but for anyone who doesn’t have a voice at the table,” says Terrace nurse Michael Prevost. “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” Prevost is one of five BCNU members running in the upcoming municipal elections, which will be held in towns and cities across the province on November 15, 2014. Prevost is a long-term care case manager at the busy Terrace Health Unit. He has spent most of his life in the rapidly growing northwestern community, situated on the banks of the Skeena River. He believes the experience he has gained, both as a community nurse and as a BCNU activist, will prove to be extremely useful in his current campaign to represent the people of Terrace as a city councillor. BCNU offers assistance to members like Prevost who choose to run in municipal, provincial or federal elections. Candidates may receive up to four days of paid union leave, or the cash equivalent, towards their election expenses. To be eligible, candidates must support the BCNU’s mission statement, core values and core beliefs, as well as policies that improve patient care and the publicly funded, delivered and
administered health care system. In the past, BCNU has supported candidates who went on to win council seats in a number of communities, including North Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Victoria.
“Nurses have a history of making do with limited resources. I think having a nurse on council will help provide a different way of looking at issues.” MICHAEL PREVOST
“I think it’s wonderful that BCNU supports members running for office,” says Diana LaMonte. The veteran nurse is currently campaigning for a council seat in the upcoming Qualicum Beach municipal election. “I appreciate any support BCNU can offer.” LaMonte, who recently became disabled and is no longer able to work as a nurse, wants to give back to her Vancouver Island seaside com-
munity. “During my nursing career, I developed so many skills that are transferable to politics,” she says. “Working as a dementia care nurse, I gained a lot of respect in the community. And it taught me that people can achieve a lot when we work together on any number of important issues. She also recognizes that this is no easy feat. “I know that if I’m elected I will face a steep learning curve as a new councillor. But I want to advocate for improved access to public health care in Qualicum Beach. We have the highest percentage of seniors in Canada. We urgently require more long-term care beds, and we need facilities where seniors can age in place. I’ll do whatever I can to improve public health care.” LaMonte also wants to focus on attracting more young people to Qualicum Beach. She says that means building affordable housing for families and single parents who work in the community but can’t afford to live there. She’ll also be lobbying for better public transportation options for residents. Meanwhile, Northern communities face many of the same problems as those in rural towns and cities across the province, says Prevost, who notes that Terrace has changed rapidly over the past few years, pointing to numerous proposed pipeline projects and Kitimat’s massive expansion of its aluminum smelter.
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“We’re part of the whole boom and bust mentality,” he says. “That’s why it’s so important for Terrace council members to make the right decisions today. The choices our elected representatives make now will affect our community for years to come. For example, the current housing situation is dire. We need more affordable housing, right now and in the future.” Terrace’s growing population also makes it difficult for residents to access health care when and where they need it, says Prevost. “Many newcomers to Terrace have no family physician and end up going to the
ER for help. Our council needs to build positive relationships with Northern Health and other community organizations and stakeholders. We have to learn to be more creative with the limited resources we have been given. Nurses have a history of making do with limited resources. I think having a nurse on council will help provide a different way of looking at issues.” Other BCNU members running in the November municipal elections include Linda Buchanan in the City of North Vancouver and Ted Gamble in Lake Cowichan and Virie (Via) Fearnley in the
city of North Vancouver. Buchanan is an incumbent in the city of North Vancouver and is throwing her name into the hat again. “We must foster solutions to a number of challenging social issues . . . many of which are influenced by the social determinants of health. My skill set as a nurse helps me to work on these issues and achieve outcomes that support the people in my community,” she says. Ted Gamble delivers care at Duncan Home and Community Care. He promises to work with BCNU members to influence public health policies in the community of Cowichan Lake
and beyond. “I believe,” he says, “that universal health care is a human right, not a commodity.” Fearnley works at Lions Gate Hospital and hopes to be more involved in community decision making. Why are so many nurses around the province interested in seeking political office? Prevost thinks he knows the answer. “Politics is very much ingrained in our nursing practice,” he says. “Nurses have always advocated for our patients. We’ve always worked to improve people’s lives and speak out on their behalf. As nurses we must continue to be a voice for the voiceless.” update
2014 MUNICIPAL CANDIDATES BCNU is a non-partisan and politically active organization that supports members running for political office.
LINDA BUCHANAN Worksite: West Vancouver Community Health Centre Position sought: Councillor City of North Vancouver
TED GAMBLE Worksite: Duncan Home & Community Centre Position sought: Councillor Lake Cowichan
DIANA LAMONTE Worksite: Eagle Park Health Care Facility Position sought: Councillor Qualicum Beach
MICHAEL PREVOST Worksite: Northwest Community Health Service Position sought: Councillor Terrace
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UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2014
Staff Profile
HERE’S WHO’S SUPPORTING BCNU MEMBERS AND LEADERS
EDUCATION OFFICER KATE MILBERRY IS A COMMITTED ACTIVIST WHO ENJOYS PROVIDING BCNU MEMBERS WITH THE SUPPORT THEY NEED IN THE WORKPLACE KATE MILBERRY BRINGS A rare blend of political activism and academic smarts to her new job as a BCNU education officer. Her passion for teaching and social activism is evident as soon as she begins discussing BCNU’s popular A Brief History of Work course. During the one-day class, Milberry helps lead 24 participants on an historical walk through the Vancouver neighbourhoods of Strathcona, Chinatown and the Downtown Eastside. The in-class portion of the course is held at the Chinese Cultural Centre, where students learn about early Vancouver labour history. Participants stop outside Insite, Canada’s first supervised injection site for drug users (staffed by BCNU members), after eating lunch at a nearby Chinese restaurant. They also hear stories about Frances Redmond, Vancouver’s first community nurse, and Nellie Yip Quong, a midwife, feminist and social activist who fought against racism. “The course is very popular,” says Milberry. “We offer it five times a year and we always get many more applicants than we have spots. It’s a fun course to teach – and members write rave
CRITICAL THINKER Community activism plays an important role in Kate Milberry’s work as a labour educator.
reviews about it.” Milberry’s department duties include helping to design and deliver the online portion of BCNU’s new Leadership & Labour Relations program for stewards. She also provides technical support and design ideas for the education department’s section of BCNU’s website. “I’m really enjoying being a member of BCNU’s education department, which includes so many creative and passionate people,” she says. Milberry’s resume is impressive. She has a PhD in Communications from Simon Fraser University and is an expert in online privacy and
surveillance, specializing in social movements and the Internet. She’s a frequent commentator on tech and privacy issues for CBC Radio. She recently co-authored a report for the Privacy Commissioner of Canada on privacy problems with the new BC Services Card – the CareCard’s replacement. She also teaches an online course for the University of Alberta’s Masters of Communications and Technology program. This tireless mother of two school-age children also finds time to volunteer on a wide variety of progressive campaigns. For example, in 2011, when the BC Liberals slashed funding to a
program that paid for nurses to visit all new BC moms, Milberry helped organize a successful protest outside Premier Christy Clark’s constituency office. She told The Tyee that the protestors – mums and dads with their kids in tow – wanted “to let Christy Clark know the real importance of this service, these universal nurse visits to new moms and babies, and to personally show her the stories of women who have been positively affected by this program.” More recently, during the teachers’ job action, Milberry founded Families Funding Teachers, a website that encouraged the public to donate money to struggling teachers. Milberry says she didn’t become a social justice advocate until she began writing for the University of Toronto’s student newspaper, The Varsity, in 1992. “It was baptism by fire,” she wrote in her blog (www.geeksandglobaljustice.com), “and I had my first real lessons in gender, economic and environmental injustice, under the editorial leadership of Naomi Klein.” She then co-founded an alternative newsweekly in Windsor, Ontario. After seven years with the paper, she returned to university in Windsor and eventually moved to Vancouver to complete her graduate studies. Milberry has been with BCNU for just over a year now. “Working in the education department is positive on so many levels,” she says. “There is so much creativity and a sincere concern for members. It’s inspiring to work with other activists, and to be able to integrate my activism into my Nurses’ Union work.” update
BCNU HUMAN RIGHTS & EQUITY SEEKING CAUCUSES Promoting equity and recognizing our collective struggle for justice – in BC and around the world Find out more at bcnu.org > About BCNU > Human Rights and Equity
Aboriginal Leadership Circle • Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgendered • Men in Nursing • Workers with Disabilities • Workers of Colour
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BCNU ERS
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I’m
ENGAGED
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I first became involved in BCNU to help advocate for
myself. I was a brand new nurse and the union provided the information and support to help me adapt to the situations that I encountered in my nursing career.
Being engaged helps me advocate not only for myself but for my colleagues and patients too.
Sarah MacMurchie BCNU Fraser Valley region
MAY 2012 Attended first BCNU Young Nurses’ Network meeting
NOVEMBER 2012 Attended first BCNU regional meeting
DECEMBER 2012 Took BCNU “Building Union Strength” course
FEBRUARY 2013 Participated in first regional education conference
MARCH 2013 Attended first BCNU convention
NOVEMBER 2013 Joined Aboriginal Leadership Circle
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