HEU Guardian: Fall 2023

Guardian HOSPITAL EMPLOYEES’ UNION

500,000 less hours

FALL 2023 • VOL. 41 • NO. 2

Costs rise well beyond inflation

Profits double

Long-term care needs a long-term fix.

AGREEMENT NUMBER 40007486

RETURN TO The Guardian 5000 North Fraser Way Burnaby, B.C. V5J 5M3

Jennifer Gauthier PHOTO

Send your letter to the Minister of Health and your local MLA.

STANDING UP FOR RESPECT Long-term care workers stage walkout to bring employer back to the table

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Guardian HOSPITAL EMPLOYEES’ UNION

FEATURE

FALL 2023

Temp solutions fall short Using agencies to cover staff shortages comes at a cost

A vision for seniors’ care Restoring standards is key to better working and caring conditions | 7

NEWS

Intrusive and unnecessary Why this substance use disorder policy isn’t working | 3

Into the fires HEU members pull together when disasters threaten work and home | 5

Selling seniors’ care Most new beds in Ontario going to for-profit operators | 10

SEEKING RELIEF | Employers hit by the staffing crisis are paying a premium for temporary staff to keep facilities operating.

AS CHRONIC short-staffing

5 12 COLUMNS Viewpoint

Changes in B.C. governments have big impacts on HEU | 6

President’s Desk

Standing in solidarity felt risky but necessary | 6

You’ve got mail

But on work devices, digital privacy isn’t assured | 4

plagues B.C.’s health care system, more employers are relying on private temporary work agencies to fill vacancies.

Although acute care hospitals are using agencies to fill nursing, care aide and allied health positions, the problem is compounded in private and non-profit longterm care.

Lower compensation, heavy workloads, and lack of management support have left operators like the Good Samaritan Society (GSS) desperate for workers, and increasingly relying on temporary agencies.

“We lose staff to the public facilities because they have better benefits,” says a long-time HEU care aide at Heron Grove in Vernon, who asked to remain anonymous due to current tensions in bargaining.

Despite the BC NDP government’s wage top-up program, she explains, workers in many private facilities are still falling short on benefits and wage-related shift differentials.

At Heron Grove, she says, many agency workers insist on straight day shifts. This means a surplus of staff on weekdays, and a shortage on evenings, nights and weekends – leaving HEU members with less desirable schedules and heavier workloads.

“Union members who are working days try to take some of the load off the later shift by taking on extra duties, like giving a resident their bath early,” she added.

Raymond Ying, an HEU private sector servicing representative, sees similar conditions across the sector. “Employees are tired and burned out,” he said, adding that employers are paying agencies significant money for temporary staff, including travel and accommodation.

The Heron Grove care aide and Ying agree that quality of care is the biggest casualty.

“Agency staff don’t have buy-in,” says the care aide. “It’s temporary for them. Residents see a different face every day. Issues don’t get addressed.”

In January 2023, Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops had about 260 agency workers, including 78 care aides.

Today, that number is lower, but “our site has agency care aides working all shifts including overtime,” says HEU care aide Sharon Williams. “We need care aides who can do the job, but there’s no consistency in orientation.”

Williams says some HEU casuals are picking up extra shifts in other regions through the agencies.

“I work well with them, but it’s causing a lot of division, to be hon-

est,” says Williams. “Regular staff are getting redeployed to other units in our hospital because the agency care aides won’t move to other areas. It’s causing a lot of friction, and impacts continuity of care.”

But there could be a provincial public solution found in a recent initiative of Fraser Health. The Relief Care initiative deploys care aides, LPNs and RNs across the region to address urgent needs, including staffing shortages, in both private and publicly funded long-term care.

“Agency staff don’t have buy-in — it’s temporary for them. Residents see a different face every day.

Issues don’t get addressed.”

“The team of about 60 care aides was vital in supporting seniors during the heat dome and COVID-19 outbreaks,” says HEU secretary-business manager Meena Brisard.

“The government could explore this approach with all health employers to put more resources into protecting patient care and public services, and minimize the negative impact on patients and residents,” she said.

FALL 2023 | GUARDIAN 1

COMMENT Meena Brisard | Secretary-Business Manager The government can take steps right now to redirect profit-taking back into the care of B.C.’s elders and the workers who deliver that care.

How we begin to fix long-term care

THROWBACK HEU HISTORY

AS MANY of you see every day, our long-term care system is fragmented with a wide range of working and caring conditions.

But there is a theme that gets repeated over and over again.

And it’s about how profit-taking in the health system is impacting the delivery of care.

In her latest report, Billions More Reasons to Care, B.C. Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie finds that for-profit care home operators doubled their profits between 2017/18 and 2021/22.

Their profit jumped from $3,439 per bed to $7,465 per bed – more than seven times the amount of surplus generated by non-profit care operators.

Over the same period, private sector costs for delivering seniors’ care took a big jump. In fact, publicly subsidized long-term care delivered by the private sector rose 35 per cent – well beyond the rate of inflation.

And it gets worse. The report also found that for-profit care home operators failed to deliver 500,000 care hours for which they received funding.

In contrast, non-profit care homes delivered 93,000 more hours of care than they were funded to deliver.

More costly. More profits. Half-a-million hours of care missing.

Mackenzie’s report also shows a wide variation in labour costs

between for-profit and non-profit providers despite the additional funding provided to top-up wages during the pandemic to match those in public sector agreements.

B.C can do better.

While the current government inherited this fractured long-term care system, it can take steps right now to redirect profit-taking back into the care of B.C.’s elders and the workers who deliver that care.

They can bring in greater transparency to ensure public funding goes to frontline care. Government could enforce regulations so operators meet standards. They could invest all new care home funding in public and non-profit care homes.

And they could end the practice of subcontracting care and support services.

But perhaps most importantly, the province can restore the common standards we had in place 20 years ago.

This would reduce staff turnover and provide a standard level of working and caring conditions across all long-term care homes and assisted living facilities.

Together, these actions by the government would put the focus back on seniors receiving the care they need.

YOU’RE A MEAN ONE, MR. GRINCH! In 2016, workers at six sites run by the Good Samaritan Society voted for strike action. At a public rally that December, members in Salmon Arm showed up with the mean old green one himself, with signs that read “Good Sam hired a Grinch!” and “Even Grinch supports seniors’ care!”

Members eventually got a deal, but that contract expired in March 2020. And instead of returning to the bargaining table to negotiate a new agreement, Good

2 GUARDIAN | FALL 2023

Samaritan has been stalling ever since.

HEU members at seven Good Sam locations have worked more than three-and-a-half years without a contract. And members have been taking job action, after a 98 per cent “yes” vote to strike in July.

As the holiday season grows nearer, members can only assume that seven years later, the Grinch’s heart hasn’t grown any bigger.

NEWS

Your union. Your paper.

Substance use policy still a concern “Invasive” approach by health authority fails to serve workers WORKPLACE incidents involving substance use are taken seriously in health care settings.

But a punitive, one-size-fits-all policy applied by Interior Health Authority (IHA) has long been the subject of challenges by HEU. A policy grievance filed in 2014 claimed the policy discriminated against employees with substance use disorders, prescribing a disciplinary approach, failing to assess them as individuals, and intruding on their private, public, and medical lives.

In 2018, an arbitrator ruled in the union’s favour, saying the policy was flawed and must be suspended immediately pending a major overhaul.

But HEU representatives advise members to remain cautious when confiding in their employer.

“Most of these cases begin with absenteeism,” says Elizabeth Mielke, HEU director of member services for the Interior. “A member will be called in to talk to their supervisor, and if there’s any mention at all of substance use, anywhere in their life, it can trigger this process.”

The policy allows the employer to remove the worker from their job, send them for an assessment with an addictions specialist chosen by the employer, and impose residential treatment, followed by two years of invasive medical monitoring, all under a stringent “returnto-work agreement.”

UNRESOLVED ISSUES | The union urges members to contact an HEU servicing rep before having any conversation with their employer about substance use.

Mielke adds that some workers who self-disclose, even when there was no workplace impact, have been forced to follow this procedure to be allowed back to work.

And members using substances to manage mental health challenges often find themselves forced into a drug or alcohol program instead of being offered more appropriate supports.

“These are mostly not people who showed up for work impaired,” Mielke says. “Many of them work in positions where they don’t interact with patients or provide care. But they’re being treated like they pose a serious threat to health and safety in the workplace.”

The arbitrator’s 2018 decision improved IHA’s policy in several ways, although the revisions did

not address all requirements.

The revised 2020 version of the policy and guidelines requires the employer to consult with the worker and the union in choosing an addictions specialist.

It also improves confidentiality by restricting access to medical information to the employer’s Disability Management department.

Despite these improvements, there’s still disagreement on “safety sensitive” positions in health care settings – direct or indirect care – which would trigger the policy.

That’s why HEU filed a grievance in 2018 on behalf of a hospital housekeeper, who was subjected to an invasive independent medical assessment, mandatory treatment, and medical monitoring at her own expense, based in part on a pre-

sumption that her job was “safety sensitive”.

In a 2023 decision, an arbitrator ruled the employer failed to prove housekeeping is “safety sensitive”. The member’s treatment was deemed “highly intrusive and unnecessary,” as well as discriminatory, and she was awarded lost wages and damages.

But this still didn’t establish a clear definition of a “safety sensitive” job, and left other issues unresolved – including whether the employer should pay for mandatory medical monitoring.

Because the law and the application of IHA’s policy are still unsettled, HEU urges members to contact their union servicing representative before talking to their employer about substance use.

ELAINE LITTMANN

YOUR UNION Out to get a fair deal

Tanya Schlueter PHOTO

HEU members at two long-term care sites run by Good Samaritan Canada walked off the job October 20 for a one-day picket.

They’re pressuring the employer to return to the bargaining table after more than three years without a contract.

Delta View in Delta and Pioneer Lodge in Salmon Arm are among seven Good Sam sites around the province, where members voted 98 per cent “yes” to strike in July.

RESPECT THE WORK | HEU members “After two years of bargaining, at Pioneer Lodge in Salmon Arm walk during which Good Samaritan the line to send a powerful message delayed and cancelled dates, the to their employer.

employer is still offering no reasonable improvements to benefits, sick leave or shift differentials – despite the fact this employer has received substantial wagelevelling subsidies from the B.C. government since March 2020,” says HEU secretary-business manager Meena Brisard.

The employer has also demanded an end to contracting-out protections.

As the Guardian goes to press, mediation dates have been scheduled for early November.

Union group to tackle housing crisis HEU’s Provincial Executive is initiating a new Housing Working Group to provide members an opportunity to address homelessness, affordable housing, and discrimination in accessing housing, and make recommendations to the union.

The group will identify resources and recommend lobbying and campaign objectives aimed at the federal, provincial and local governments.

The group will coordinate with organizations to advocate for

FALL 2023 | GUARDIAN 3

IT’S THE LAW

Ruling is good news for caregivers IF YOU provide caregiving, you can now more easily seek accommodation from your employer, thanks to a recent ruling by the B.C. Court of Appeal.

In this case, the complainant, along with her husband, worked for Gibraltar Mines and they both worked the same 12-hour shift.

After the birth of their first child, the new mother sought a workplace accommodation. She requested that either she or her husband work a different shift. Changing their working schedule would help them with their child care responsibilities.

Her employer, Gibraltar Mines, refused. The new mother then filed a human rights complaint. In her submission, she alleged discrimination on the basis of “family status”. This status is a protected ground under the B.C. Human Rights Code.

The employer’s defense relied on a narrow “change of employment” test. Gibraltar Mines argued no accommodation was required, as they had not changed the worker’s employment terms or conditions.

For that reason, Gibraltar Mines claimed they had done nothing to discriminate against the complainant. In other words, nothing had changed in their relationship to their employee.

The Court of Appeal disagreed with Gibraltar Mines.

The court ruled no previous case and no wording in the B.C. Human Rights Code supported the employer’s position. If a worker’s personal circumstances change, an employer must accommodate their caregiving responsibilities.

The Supreme Court of Canada has deepened these human rights protections by ruling that human rights laws should be interpreted more liberally. Previously, legal precedent on human rights accommodation was far more limited.

TASHA LORENZEN-EWING

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

No privacy in cyber world Employer can trace your activity on work devices WHEN you surf the web or share a photo on social media, you should assume your actions may be monitored.

That’s because you leave an electronic trail back to your computer or cell phone when you visit a website, use Google search, or download an image.

When you use your employer’s online network, they can legally track your communications at work. Plus, they can read and trace your actions back to when you log in, even your personal emails.

Your employer also owns any computers, laptops and cell phones they have given you. And that includes the device’s content – whether you are working in-office or remotely.

Employers have clear guidelines about using email and internet at work, and departments that monitor the digital traffic on their online networks. These departments must report when users break employer guidelines.

Much of it is common sense. Don’t distribute hate propaganda. Refrain from gossiping about management or co-workers.

Don’t disclose confidential client or patient information. And never send hoaxes, chain letters and lewd jokes on the employer’s email system. For any of these activities, you could be at risk for disciplinary action.

Employers recognize some personal email and internet use by staff will take place. And most permit it as long as it meets their policy guidelines, takes place during scheduled breaks and doesn’t impact work performance.

However, if you check your personal email or social media accounts on employer-paid time, you could be disciplined. Your employer may consider this “time theft.”

It’s also risky to use your work email address to set up social media profiles.

That’s because the employer owns that email address.

However, as a unionized employee you have rights about how these policies are implemented. You always have the right to a shop steward, access to the grievance process, and certain privacy rights.

To find out more about your employer’s policy, contact your local HEU executive.

YOUR UNION

4 GUARDIAN | FALL Fall/Winter 2023 2018

First contracts are bargaining priority When new members certify to join HEU, bargaining their first contract is an exciting time.

HEU’s bargaining team works quickly to get first collective agreements negotiated for newly certified sites so that members have union benefits (such as standardized vacation and sick leave entitlements) and protections (like grievance processes) in place as soon as possible.

This year, HEU has successfully negotiated 13 first collective agreements for independent health care sites.

Nimfa Torrente PHOTO

affordable housing, enhanced tenant protections, and support for individuals experiencing homelessness.

Supported by HEU staff, the working group will consist of six HEU members – representing diversity in terms of equity groups, health authorities, geographic regions, and occupations – with related experience.

Working group members will be appointed until HEU’s 2026 convention. After that, members will be appointed for two-year terms.

A SWEET WELCOME | New members at Spring Valley Care Centre in Kelowna are among more than 800 health care workers who have recently chosen HEU to represent them.

Welcome new members The union welcomes 827 new members who made HEU their union of choice since the summer.

HEU now represents workers at: Normanna Rest Home, Merit Place, The Hamlets at the Duncan, Spring Valley Care Centre,

Suncrest Retirement Community, Residences at Belvedere, Belvedere Care Centre, Tabor Court, Amica White Rock, Sterling at Evergreen Cottages Ltd., and Harmony Court.

These new members work in long-term care, assisted living, and support services.

CLIMATE CRISIS

Forced to flee on a moment’s notice and stressful, but we all made it work. A couple of my friends who were camping with us followed us to Kim’s house in Chetwynd, so that was nice.”

When evacuees arrived, “Kim and her husband had prepared hotdogs, burgers and salads for us.

It was a really beautiful thing to do.

They made us feel welcomed and took care of us.”

HEU care aide Krista Zdrill fled to Summerland to stay with family before her work site Village at Smith Creek in West Kelowna was evacuated.

Redeployed, she commuted to

work for 24 days, and dealt with detours from a landslide.

Zdrill says her 164 residents ended up at two Kelowna facilities.

“We had residents housed in dining rooms and the activity room,” says Zdrill. “It’s never an ideal situation because you’ve got dementia residents who need to be in a locked area.

“And you’ve got mattresses stacked on the floor with 90-yearold people trying to get up and down at night. There were definitely some challenges.

“You can’t put that many people together in a dorm room situation

and expect things to be smooth, but I have to say there weren’t many hiccups. I think it has to do with the fact we were out two years ago as well, so we learned from that process what worked.”

Barker and Zdrill say they’re grateful for HEU’s Disaster Relief Fund, which helped cover some of their expenses.

As the climate crisis deepens, HEU will keep advocating for supports for all members who are impacted by these profound environmental changes.

BRENDA WHITEHALL

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH | When the massive McDougall Creek wildfire raged through West Kelowna, care aide Krista Zdrill was evacuated from both her home and her workplace of the Village at Smith Creek.

Sheila Mennie PHOTO

OVER the summer, the widespread evacuations in parts of British Columbia – households, businesses and heath care facilities – affected many HEU members as they escaped the raging wildfires, often with little notice.

Janeth Barker, a primary care assistant at Tumbler Ridge Health Centre, had her outpatient workplace evacuated while she had gone home for lunch.

“I came back to work at 1:30 and on my way, I saw people throwing stuff in their cars and vans,” says Barker. “I thought, ‘oh, well, people must be panicking.’

“When I got to work, the whole building was locked up with an immediate evacuation order.”

Barker rushed back home where her husband was packing up their camper and other belongings — that’s when union solidarity kicked in.

Kim Tricker, a cook at Chetwynd General Hospital, had become friends with Barker at an HEU regional meeting in Prince George.

“Everybody knew that Tumbler was evacuated, and Kim texted me and said she had room for six campers with full hookups,” says Barker. “So, we booted it to Chetwynd, which is about 75 kilometres away.”

Linda Matthews, a retired HEU housekeeper from Tumbler Ridge, also sought refuge there.

“We stayed on Kim’s property for the week,” says Barker. “It meant a lot because we can only use our camper for two days.

“My three-year-old grandson was with me, so it was quite hectic

Samantha Cartwright PHOTO

NORTHERN LIGHTS | Members in Prince George collaborate with community at Red Dress gathering in September.

Stolen sisters honoured Each October, local groups organize community events as part of the national Red Dress Campaign to raise awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous women,

girls, and two-spirit people.

In recent years, HEU members in Prince George and Surrey have collaborated with community and local Indigenous leaders to organize powerful Red Dress gatherings.

For tips on event planning, check out HEU’s Red Dress toolkit at heu.org/red-dress-toolkit.

Head of the class More than 150 HEU members gathered last June for the union’s first Summer School since the pandemic.

Under the theme of “Strengthening Connections and Organizing for Power,” members

Josh Berson PHOTO

POWER IN NUMBERS | Summer School 2023 brought HEU members together for a week of training, networking and community-building at Harrison Hot Springs. spent a week building their skills through four different streams: Take Back the Work Floor; Organizing for Health, Safety and Well-Being at Work; Organizing for Political Action; and Popular Theatre.

Throughout the week, members also heard from speakers including community and HEU local leaders, and elected provincial representatives.

Fall/Winter FALL 2023 2018 | GUARDIAN 5

WORKING FOR YOU

HOLDING THE LINE

Betty Valenzuela | Financial Secretary

VIEWPOINT

As we get ready to head to the polls for next year’s provincial election, I’ve been reflecting on how governments directly impact HEU members’ lives.

AUTUMN is often a time of reflection. I reflect on the year behind and what’s ahead.

I recently spoke at a meeting for HEU equity standing committee members. Seeing both new and familiar faces, I realized how far we’ve advanced to be more modern and inclusive.

As an HEU member, activist and leader, I’m proud of the many gains our union has championed over the years – achievements made possible through collective bargaining, convention resolutions and constitutional amendments, political action, policy and legislative reforms.

While our union prepares to celebrate its 80th anniversary – and we head to the polls for next year’s provincial election – I’ve been reflecting on how governments directly impact HEU members’ lives.

HEU’s history entwined with B.C. politics

Let’s go back to the 1950s. For 20 years, the Social Credit government, led by W.A.C. Bennett, cut hospital services and jobs, froze and slashed wages. Labour retaliated with job actions and strikes.

With BC NDP Premier Dave Barrett’s 1972 election victory, we saw the Labour Relations Board created, welfare system reforms, and an expanded public sector, among other improvements.

But that was short-lived.

Bill Bennett’s Socreds, elected in 1975, repealed labour laws; cut funding to education, health and social services, and introduced numerous bills to strip away tenants’, labour and human rights. It led to a general strike.

Fast forward to 1991 when the BC NDP returned to office. Labour rights were strengthened. Pay equity adjustments were realized. Private sector health workers were brought into the facilities contract.

HEU pioneered same-sex partner benefits, organized Indigenous health workers, and negotiated the Health Labour Accord, which led to a shorter workweek and employment security provisions.

Labour-friendly governments support workers

But in 2001, the BC Liberals took office, launching a 16-year attack on public services and workers. We all know the story of Bills 29, 37 and 94 – the massive privatization and job loss – mostly targeted at women and workers of colour. We never stopped fighting for justice.

Today, more than 4,000 HEU contracted support services workers have been repatriated into the public sector – a BC NDP election promise.

With a labour-friendly government who values workers and public services, we negotiated substantial public sector contracts. Anti-labour laws were repealed. Workers in seniors’ care saw their paycheques balloon with wage-levelling. And we did that by working together.

6 GUARDIAN | FALL 2023

Elaine Littmann PHOTO

WITH their enthusiasm for protecting workers’ rights and deep expertise on union matters, HEU servicing representatives are the frontline support for locals. Reps help file grievances, advise stewards and activists, support bargaining, prepare for arbitration hearings, and interpret collective agreement language. Many reps come from HEU’s membership and know the health care workplace well.

Shown here are some of the hardworking HEU staff on the Vancouver Coastal team.

Barb Nederpel | President

PRESIDENT’S DESK We were there to put our bodies on the line to protect the rights and freedoms of our members, and the marginalized people in our communities.

I PRIDE myself on being a strong, confident

woman with the courage to promote and defend human rights.

But I am deeply impacted by attending a recent protest.

I was in Ottawa for CUPE National meetings when demonstrations were held across Canada to dispute sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) being taught in schools.

The anti-SOGI side argues that children learning about diversity and inclusivity infringes on parental rights, and may influence children’s beliefs. They also don’t support children’s right to determine their own pronouns without parental consent.

But this hinders children’s self-expression, provokes shame and fear, and makes trans children feel invisible. It also makes them a target for bullying.

I’ve never attended a public event like this

Along with other CUPE National leaders and friends, we carried a banner in solidarity of trans rights and led the march to Parliament Hill.

I held the flank to prevent protesters from crossing our line.

I’ve never attended a public event like this.

It wasn’t a united rally where we gather en masse to protest government legislation, employer policies, social injustices, or global human rights violations.

This was a hate rally that demanded our counter protest.

Hundreds of protesters, including many children, were on the Parliament lawn awaiting us as we lined ourselves across the street.

It was two sides clearly divided ideologically, but also by a police line.

I’ve never seen that level of hate. I’ve never had hate directed at me in the way marginalized people regularly encounter – based on their skin colour, their accent, or how they identify.

Trans children in schools experience this hate, and it’s what SOGI education aims to eliminate.

That’s why I went to that protest. It wasn’t a Pride rally. It wasn’t a celebration. We were there to put our bodies on the line to protect the rights and freedoms of our members, and the marginalized people in our communities.

It was profound and made me feel grateful for my privilege.

As part of CUPE’s National Executive Board, I’ve been involved in a Safer Spaces Working Group committed to ensuring every member feels safe and included so they’re able to contribute and participate fully in their union without facing hatred, harassment and conflict.

And it’s critical work HEU is also committed to.

The seniors’ care landscape has endured waves of change over the last 20 years, and care aide Jennifer Reitan has had a front row seat since 1997.

That’s when she left her first job at Lions Gate Hospital and moved to Castlegar, a town of 8,000 set among the powerful rivers and rugged mountains of southeastern B.C. Her new employer was and still is a privately operated facility. But in the 1990s, almost all long-term care sites that received public funding were covered under a single collective agreement, and owners were affiliated with the Health Employers Association of BC (HEABC).

So, when Reitan started her job in the Interior, she was covered by the Facilities Bargaining Association (FBA) contract, with the same wages, benefits, pension and working conditions as care aides at public hospitals.

This “master agreement” was an achievement HEU had bargained hard for. It created more fairness and stability for workers, but it also meant health authorities had more direct oversight of standards and conditions of care.

Then in 2001, the B.C. Liberal government was elected, and with them came their relentless drive to privatize.

They passed new laws that removed contracting-out protections that were in the HEU contract since the 1960s, and eliminated employment security language for health care workers.

The BC Liberals also allowed seniors’ care operators like Reitan’s to opt out of membership in the HEABC, but keep receiving public funding.

An estimated 8,000 HEU members were fired in the first five years, as health authorities and long-term care operators privatized a long list of health services, and a raft of new private operators entered the sector.

Workers who were hired back by private contractors took an overnight pay cut of up to 50 per cent. And they no longer had a union.

HEU scrambled to re-organize the workers, but each deal was an individual, hard-won agreement with a single

GETTING SENIORS’ CARE BACK ON TRACK Restoring standards is key to better work and better care

FALL 2023 | GUARDIAN 7

contractor. There was no way to get the contracted workers back under the master agreement.

Jennifer Reitan, now an occupational health and safety steward at her local, has represented members on the bargaining committee.

She says that when her employer withdrew from the HEABC, “we got pulled out of the municipal pension plan immediately. And when we went to bargain a new contract, the employer suddenly told us they were operating at a loss, and we had to take cuts.

“But we couldn’t afford to lose it all from our wages. So, we also took less holidays, less sick time, a different benefit package.”

Once her workplace was removed from the FBA agreement, she says, her sense of connection with other long-term care facilities slipped away.

And without the direct administration of the health authority, Reitan felt there wasn’t much oversight for her small care home in the Kootenays.

“We all just went under the radar, I guess. It felt like we were just part of a whole bunch of little facilities.”

Within a decade, the seniors’ care sector was utterly fragmented.

Wages for care aides varied by as much as $7 an hour, standards of care were hard to measure, and there seemed to be no clear system in place to track the public money given to private companies – how much they spent on care, and how much they took as profit.

When the BC NDP regained power in 2017, they restored succession rights to health care workers, and repealed the Liberal legislation that allowed workers to be fired when operators switched contractors.

This brought some stability to the sector for workers, but did not address the deterioration and disparity in care and working conditions created by 16 years of privatization.

In a series of reports, the B.C. Office of the Seniors Advocate found that for-profit operators were spending far less on frontline staff and delivering fewer hours of care than their not-for-profit counterparts.

A 2021 report linked lack of paid sick leave and the contracting out of care staff to some of the largest COVID-19 outbreaks in B.C.’s long-term care and assisted living homes.

The pandemic also accelerated a staffing crisis that had been gathering steam.

“Before the pandemic,” Reitan says, “we were still managing.

If you’ve only worked in a private facility, you just accept the conditions, the struggles you have with equipment, and wages.

“But if you also work at Interior Health, you see the differences.

“When COVID hit, it was eye-opening to see all those people that left private facilities or chose to work … [in an] Interior Health site. We never got those people back.”

The wage-levelling program the B.C. government introduced during the pandemic subsidized private facilities

so they could maintain staffing levels.

But wage subsidies still didn’t put workers in private sites on par with comparable FBA jobs – they still fell short on benefits, pension, vacation, and shift differentials.

And in the just-released 2023 Seniors Advocate report, research shows what many had suspected. Private and nonprofit care homes are delivering less care than public facilities, while reaping more profit than ever.

“This study shows that contracted care home operators – and especially for-profit operators – are diverting public funds away from the frontline to their bottom line,” says HEU secretarybusiness manager Meena Brisard.

This is no surprise to workers in the sector – or to experts skeptical of the claim that private companies can deliver cheaper care to the same standard as public services.

Donna Baines, a researcher at UBC, says privatization is often linked to an “austerity” agenda, where some governments call for costcutting measures and blame economic woes on “big government” and public spending.

“There is rarely evidence to show health care privatization does what it claims. It doesn’t save costs, it’s not more efficient, it doesn’t deliver better services. But politicians just keep going back to it,” says Baines.

“During COVID, polls showed that two-thirds of Canadians supported moving long-term care back to the public sector.

The COVID outcomes in Ontario for seniors were the worst

HALF are more likely to

CARE AIDES STRUGGLE UNDER PRESSURES A recent survey of more than 800 HEU care aides reveals the alarming pressures of working in seniors’ care – and the challenges in retaining and recruiting these essential health care workers in the future.

“This poll underscores what we have known for years – many of our care home residents do not receive the attention they need and that our members want to provide,” says HEU secretary-business manager Meena Brisard.

“The situation also takes a huge toll on care staff. When workers are rushed off their feet trying to meet residents’ needs, they put their own health at risk. The experiences of care aides working through the COVID-19 pandemic have made this situation even worse,” she says.

This telephone survey was conducted by Viewpoints Research in September 2023 with 807 care aides who are members of the Hospital Employees’ Union. The survey is considered accurate to within +/- 3.3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

8 GUARDIAN | FALL 2023

leave their jobs following their recent work experience.

70

% say that their residents, patients or clients do not have sufficient attention and stimulation.

SHOW US THE MONEY | Report from B.C.’s Seniors Advocate shows that for-profit care home operators failed to deliver 500,000 funded hours of care, while profits doubled.

in Canada, and feelings were high that private facilities were failing. And yet right now, Ontario is making huge moves towards privatization,” she says.

In B.C., Brisard says it’s time to reverse that trend, starting with re-establishing a level playing field for seniors’ care.

“A good start would be the implementation of the BC NDP’s 2020 election promise to restore the standard wages, benefits and working conditions dismantled by the previous B.C. Liberal government.”

As for Reitan, she loves her job and her co-workers.

And she wants to make sure she is delivering the best resident-centred care possible.

She hopes it can improve, but fears the staffing crisis will have a negative impact on care over the long term.

When asked about the biggest change she’s seen over her career, Reitan doesn’t hesitate.

For herself, “it’s the unknown future. Where am I going to be next year? And my physical and mental well-being, doing this work.”

Despite the challenges, Reitan wants to keep on doing the meaningful and essential work she fell in love with almost 30 years ago.

“That’s why I’m so passionate about HEU’s Care Can’t Wait campaign. Because I feel like if there’s something that I can do to benefit the private facilities out there, then I want to do it.”

ELAINE LITTMANN

45

% have been off work because of an injury suffered at work.

62

% often end their shifts feeling mentally or physically stressed.

65

OVER

% say they do not have enough time to comfort, reassure or calm patients.

80

% have been subjected to some form of violence or aggression from a patient.

NEW REPORT RAISES ALARM – LESS CARE, HIGHER PROFITS B.C. Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie’s new report, A Billion More Reasons to Care, examined 181 contracted seniors’ care facilities providing subsidized long-term care between 2017-18 and 2021-22.

The report underscores the need for fundamental reforms, including implementing the BC NDP’s 2020 election promise to restore the standard wages, benefits and working conditions the previous B.C. Liberal government had dismantled.

Report highlights: • For-profit care home operators failed to deliver 500,000 care hours for which they received public funding.

• For-profit care home operators’ profits soared from $3,439 per bed to $7,465 per bed – more than seven times the surplus generated by nonprofit care operators.

• Eighty per cent of total profit is concentrated in 20 per cent of the facilities, most of which are for-profit.

• Non-profit care homes delivered 93,000 more hours of care than they were funded to deliver (up from 80,000 in 2017).

“This study shows that contracted care home operators – and especially for-profit operators – are diverting public funds away from the frontline to their bottom line,” says HEU secretary-business manager Meena Brisard. “Care home residents and health care workers are paying the price.”

The report makes four recommendations, including ensuring funding for direct care is spent on direct care with financial incentives, improving the accuracy and transparency of monitoring and reporting, defining profit, and making revenues and expenditures of publicly subsidized care homes publicly available.

In media interviews about the report, Health Minister Adrian Dix said the provincial government is working on a new funding formula for the sector and implementing the report’s recommendations.

SARA ROZELL

FALL

| GUARDIAN 9

LABOUR

News from here and around the world

Private seniors’ care trending up At one time, all seniors’ care was in private hands in Canada. Then, following the birth of Medicare in the mid-1960s, a drive to bring seniors’ care under public ownership took place.

However, since the late 1990s and early 2000s, in many provinces, depending on the political stripe of the government in power, there has been a sustained and deliberate effort to move away from public care and back to private seniors’ care.

In Ontario, successive Progressive Conservative governments aggressively expanded for-profit, long-term care beds during their time in power between 1996 and 2003, and then again from 2018 to today.

In 1998, Premier Mike Harris’ government committed to building 20,000 new long-term care beds. The majority went to forprofit corporations. This shifted long-term care in that province from one dominated by public and non-profit operators to one that is now majority private – nearly 60 per cent of all operators are now for-profit.

Now, more than 20 years later, the next generation of Ontario Conservatives are picking up where the Harris regime left off.

Coming out of a pandemic where Ontario’s long-term care

homes experienced among the worst death rates in the world, Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government took two actions on seniors’ care. First, in 2021, they legislated an end to shared rooms of more than two people, requiring the renewal of 30,300 outdated beds by 2025.

Then they pledged in 2022 to build 30,000 new beds by 2030.

The catch is that most of these renewed and new beds are slated to be run by for-profit corporations. But it gets worse, say public health care advocates.

“As part of their privatization drive, the Ford government is awarding corporations that have a long history of poor care coupled with some of the highest pandemic death rates,” says Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra. “In fact, the top 10 bid-winners are all for-profit chains, including those with the very worst records for resident deaths, negligence, and inadequate care.”

Back here in B.C., a similar shift to private care took place under the BC Liberals, now BC United, starting in 2001.

At the beginning of their 16 years in office, less than one-infive seniors’ care homes were operated by for-profit companies.

By the end of Premier Gordon

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette PHOTO

Nearly two-thirds of seniors’ care facilities in Ontario are now run by private companies

SAVE OUR SENIORS | People protest outside the Tendercare Living Centre long-term-care facility during the COVID-19 pandemic in Scarborough, Ontario. The Ontario Health Coalition says that the Ford government is awarding new private care contracts to companies with some of the highest pandemic death rates.

Campbell and Christy Clark’s combined reigns in 2017, about a third of B.C.’s care homes were operated by private for-profit operators, a third by non-profits, and a third by public health authorities.

“Thankfully, the ability to privatize more beds was constrained following the election of a BC NDP government,” says HEU secretary-business manager Meena Brisard. “Plus, modest efforts are now underway to build new public and non-profit beds helping

reverse the trend under the BC Liberals.”

That said, with a provincial election looming in just under a year’s time, the trend for seniors’ care could shift back to private interests. And that’s why, Brisard says, HEU will be looking to secure a firm commitment from party leaders that any new care spaces built going forward be only publicly or non-profit-run – and not operated by private companies.

NEIL MONCKTON

NOTEBOOK

New union staff to advance equity mandate MY NAME is Jennifer Reddy. This summer, I joined HEU staff to lead our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) work on behalf of our members.

I have served on the Vancouver School Board since 2018, and have worked in a variety of social planning positions in government and non-profits, with a focus on public engagement and policy.

I’m excited to support HEU’s important equity goals, building on the hard work and achievements of members, locals and leaders.

At the 2018 HEU convention, delegates directed the union to embark on a DEIA project.

The first phase of this work led to the creation of six new diversity vice-president positions on the Provincial Executive, elected at the 2022 convention.

Looking ahead, your equity office — including

10 GUARDIAN | FALL 2023

The project’s goal is to nurture, empower and support leadership

myself, equity officer Sharryn Modder and administrative assistant Morgan Dymond — will facilitate a review of HEU’s Constitution and By-Laws, engage in new research to better understand who our members are, and work to uncover barriers to union participation.

Our DEIA project’s goal is to identify and address inequities in order to nurture, empower and support leadership in the wider labour movement, and in our communities.

I am honoured to work alongside you to advance the important work of making HEU a truly equitable, just and inclusive union.

To receive email updates about HEU’s equity and inclusion work, go to heu.org/dei-signup.

JENNIFER REDDY (she/her) is Senior Advisor – Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility at the Hospital Employees’ Union.

WORKERS’ RIGHTS

Ontario union helps advocate for labour rights for migrant workers

MIGRANT farmworkers in Ontario aren’t allowed to join a union, but that hasn’t stopped unions from trying to support them.

One example is a pilot project to help Mexican workers who’ve come to Canada through the seasonal agricultural workers’ program (SAWP) to stay safe and healthy on the job.

Called the Migrant Workers Representation Pilot, the project is a partnership between the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) and governments in Mexico.

Through the program, UFCW delivers labour rights workshops to migrant workers before, during and after their work terms in Canada.

The initiative, says the union, shows the role organized labour can play in protecting migrant workers from “the abuse of exploitative and irresponsible employers.”

Organized labour can play a role in protecting migrant workers, even without a union.

Reverend Antonio Illas, who works with with the Migrant Farmworkers Project through the Anglican Diocese of Niagara in Ontario, says agricultural workers in the region need this kind of support.

“They are totally a vulnerable and

marginalized community here, to a point where I would say it’s a legal form of cheap labour for Canada.”

While Illas isn’t involved with the UFCW program, he comes from Mexico and lives in Ontario where he provides social services for migrant seasonal farmworkers. He says union initiatives such as the UFCW’s play an important role in advocating for migrant workers in a province where labour laws prevent them from officially unionizing.

Many who come through the SAWP have only an elementary school education, and spend their entire careers working in Canada, doing farmwork for minimum wage – work that Canadians aren’t willing to do, Illas explains.

Their employers are responsible for providing them with housing, which often results in substandard living conditions. Their families aren’t allowed to come with them, and they can only return to Mexico for a few months a year. Despite this, these workers for the most part aren’t eligible for permanent residency or citizenship in Canada.

“They are a community of workers that cannot organize and cannot vote, so they are totally without political power or labour power,” Illas says.

The need for protections and worker power while in Canada is something that governments in Mexico also recognize.

PROTECTION NEEDED | Many Mexican farmworkers spend their entire careers in Canada, but can’t join a union and aren’t eligible for permanent residency or citizenship.

They have launched campaigns to help their citizens return home from seasonal farm jobs free from workplace injury, stress and health complications. The partnership with UFCW is supporting these efforts.

While many migrant workers shy away from unions for fear that involvement will affect their work permits, Mexican governments are encouraging their citizens who work in Canada to connect with

the UFCW. Illas dreams of a day when labour laws change, and seasonal agricultural workers are allowed to formally unionize and get permanent residency.

“Organization provides empowerment and a voice,” he says.

Until then, unions like UFCW and civil society groups will play an important role in raising awareness about the rights of workers.

NEWSBITES New fund offers relief for HEU members In June, HEU established a Disaster Relief Fund to provide short-term financial support to members directly impacted by natural disasters like floods and wildfires.

Eligible HEU members can apply for $500 to offset costs associated with evacuations including shelter, food, and transportation costs.

These funds can supplement other assistance members receive through the Red Cross, disaster relief agencies, or government authorities.

To date, 272 members have accessed $136,000 in funding.

Visit heu.org/disaster-relief-fund.

New facility gives boost to seniors’ care HEU recently helped launch the grand opening of a new 150bed, long-term care facility in Vancouver.

Dogwood Care Home features shared living, dining and kitchen spaces and private bedrooms, and an innovative design that includes traditional Coast Salish house posts and house boards created in collaboration with the

Musqueam Indian Band.

HEU’s financial secretary Betty Valenzuela and Vancouver Coastal regional vice-president Karen McVeigh, who works at the facility as a care aide, attended the opening ceremony along with B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix and Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors’ Services and Long-Term Care Harwinder Sandhu.

“Building a public health care system that works for everybody means also increasing long-term care capacity to meet the growing demands for acute care and need-specific seniors’ services,”

WELCOME HOME | HEU financial secretary Betty Valenzuela, along with Dogwood local member and HEU regional vice-president Karen McVeigh and HEU’s Mike Old, join B.C. Minister of Health Adrian Dix at the opening of the new Dogwood Care Home in Vancouver.

FALL 2023 | GUARDIAN 11

BUILDING STRONG LOCALS

Turning apathy around at Menno Home

ONE BY ONE | The secret to raising the spirit at Abbotsford’s Menno Home was making a direct connection with individual members, says activist Shivonne St. Pierre (front row third from left).

AFTER spending nearly two years in a drive to unionize her assisted living facility in Abbotsford, HEU member Shivonne St. Pierre believed the spark of activism would keep growing among members.

But seven months after Menno Home certified, something happened during the second election for the local’s executive. Something so disastrous that St. Pierre, then the local vicechairperson, was worried about the future of the local.

Leading up to that election, St. Pierre and other activists spoke to more than two dozen members who ran for a position the previous time. All committed to standing for office. Come

election day, no one put their name forward.

“None of the people who had said to me that they would run, did – and they didn’t lie to me,” explained St. Pierre. “They just lost confidence between the time I talked to them and the election – and that was such a huge mistake.”

Instead of getting down on herself about the loss, St. Pierre recalled the words of renowned feminist and intellectual dissident bell hooks.

“She wrote that it’s okay to name the problems in society and to complain about them.

But when that’s only what we do, we actually remove hope because what we are doing then is just cynicism.”

St. Pierre and her fellow activists pursued

hope. They tried again with a third election.

But this time, they took a more people-powered approach.

“We went to each floor, each unit, each member and said, ‘Who do you want to nominate?

Who do you think would be fantastic at this?’,” enthused St. Pierre. “And members came up with dozens of names.”

They went back to the nominees and told them how many of their co-workers said they would be great on the executive and should run for a local position. And then, St. Pierre asked them if they would accept.

“Most people said yes,” says St. Pierre. “And, of course, so many members showed up to vote – because they had all nominated people they believed in, people they wanted to see succeed.”

With that election, the Menno local never looked back.

“We continue to work to ensure the grassroots know exactly what’s going on, how the local functions, and most importantly that they don’t need a ton of experience to get involved,” says St. Pierre.

“Our conductors make sure new members learn their rights, how the union works, and where to immediately find help,” she adds.

“They also get new members’ information on upcoming events at the local, with HEU and in the community, providing members with multiple roads to activism.”

Looking back on the experience, St. Pierre learned a lot from that election failure. But it was the hope she harboured about the great things that Menno local members were going to keep doing in the future that kept her focused.

“We have to maintain that hope and the only way we do that is continue creating and constructing and progressing and moving forward somehow.”

NEIL MONCKTON

NEWSBITES said Minister Dix. “By expanding these services with the new Dogwood Care Home within the Vancouver area, we are meeting our commitment to provide safe, accessible and quality care for seniors in our communities.”

Residents were transferred from Dogwood Lodge, George Pearson and Purdy Pavilion.

Data breach at HEABC On July 13, the Health Employers Association of BC (HEABC) discovered a data breach had

12 GUARDIAN | FALL 2023

occurred between May 9 and June 12.

HEU members on the BC Care Aide and Community Health Worker Registry may have had their personal information compromised.

HEABC immediately hired cybersecurity experts to launch an investigation and implement steps to secure their systems, and notified those potentially impacted with free resources to secure their personal information.

The incident was also reported to authorities.

First Nations premier elected in Manitoba Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew made history on October 3 by becoming the first First Nations premier elected in Canada.

Winning a majority government, Kinew’s campaign platform was anchored on increased funding for health care, including emergency departments and seniors’ care, along with child care and reduced class sizes.

Outgoing Progressive Conservative Premier Heather Stefanson stepped down as party

leader, as did Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont, who lost his riding to NDP’s Robert Loiselle.

Revera withdraws from seniors’ care sector Revera has sold 87 seniors residences across Canada, including five HEU sites, as the company shifts its focus to property management.

Parkwood Court, Parkwood Place, and The Kensington in Victoria will be managed

by Optima Living, while Crofton Manor in Vancouver

Powerhouse Ghie Candido’s passion for event organizing draws on her skills from health care work and community volunteering

Doing critical work

THI VU

and Hollyburn House in West Vancouver will be managed by real estate company Cogir.

All current Revera employees, including casuals, will continue their employment with the new service provider, and their HEU contract will be transferred with no changes to any terms or conditions of employment.

Telling union stories An ongoing oral history project by the B.C. Labour Heritage Centre tells the story of the province’s labour movement through interviews with

AFTER THE SHIFT

When Marie Bouchard became an HEU member in 2020, she expected to hear from her union right away.

But Mountain Lake local in Nelson was struggling.

There was little union presence, and no regular meetings.

Bouchard attributes this to high staff turnover. The for-profit facility has changed employers three times in three years, a frustrating experience that, she feels, showed little regard for the workers.

“We’re mostly women in this sector, and many of us are racialized,” says Bouchard. “So, even in 2023, we still have to fight for respect at our workplace. That means we have to get involved and organize to get stronger.”

Bouchard and her co-worker Kayla Van Dussen began talking with other workers, encouraging them to get involved, and identifying those who could take leadership roles.

And at a local meeting this July, a turnout of 30 people – much higher than previous meetings – allowed them to fill all the local executive positions.

The local officers plan to take skills and leadership training to sustain their momentum. And they’re eager to connect workers, so they are better positioned to stand up for their workplace rights.

Thi Vu PHOTO

STRONGER TOGETHER

Ghie Candido is a dedicated health care worker. She’s worked in a variety of health settings and roles since 2012, including patient care assistant and support worker.

As an immigrant from the Philippines, Ghie knows how critical community support is to newcomers. That’s why beyond her day job, Ghie spends time supporting and contributing to the Filipino community in B.C. She has volunteered with the Lions Gate Foundation to help fundraise for initiatives from the Filipino community.

She also trained in event planning at a community college, which led to her role as a key organizer of the largest Philippines Independence Day celebration in the Lower Mainland, held in North Vancouver.

This celebration recognizes the day the Philippines was liberated from its colonial Spanish state, establishing the nation as a republic.

For Ghie, marking this day in Canada is an important way to connect members of the Filipino community to their history and culture, and to build connections with each other.

Community involvement comes naturally to Ghie. Growing up in the Philippines, she For Ghie, marking this day was surrounded by family members who took in Canada is an important leadership roles in her community.

“My father was an elected leader in our way to connect members town and also a church leader,” she says. “As of the Filipino community a young person, I was elected to be a youth to their history and culture, representative in my local council.”

She currently works as a recreational pro- and to build connections grammer at a long-term care site in Vancouver. with each other.

This role allows her to combine her two passions: health care work and event planning. She’s taking some time away from community volunteering to focus on this work.

But she acknowledges that her community involvement has given her many resources that she can use in her job, such as connections with musicians and performers.

And as an active member of the Filipino community in Metro Vancouver, Ghie knows how critical volunteering is to build communities outside of work.

dozens of trade union leaders and activists, including two key HEU figures of the 1990s – secretarybusiness manager Carmela Allevato and director of communications Geoff Meggs.

Other former HEU notables interviewed include secretarybusiness managers Bonnie Pearson and Judy Darcy, financial secretary Mary LaPlante and organizer Sharon Yandle. Their stories and others can be found online at: labourheritagecentre.ca/ oral-history/.

THI VU

Photo project addresses poverty The annual Hope in Shadows wall calendar features images captured by the homeless and low-income vendors of Megaphone magazine, who sell the publication on the streets of Vancouver and Victoria.

Vendors keep 50 per cent of profits from sales of the calendar, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

More at: megaphonemagazine. com/hope_in_shadows.

Representing HEU as a sponsor, financial secretary Betty Valenzuela spoke at Hope in Shadows’ 2024 calendar launch in Vancouver with activists, and photo contest winners Lynda Choy and Izzy.

FALL 2023 | GUARDIAN 13

COFFEE BREAK

Elaine Littmann PHOTO

Red Dress gatherings spark awareness and honour the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people in Canada. At Bear Creek Park in Surrey, HEU members from locals around the Lower Mainland helped bring community together.

MAKING CONNECTIONS Mammogram

Ultrasound

Breathing

Gloves

Sonogram

Xray

MRI

Telegram

Gown

Phlebotomy

Ranjit Uppal is a member of the PHSA Amalgamated local, and works as a clerk at Children’s and Women’s Hospital in Vancouver.

Elaine Littmann PHOTO

Create four groups of four words that share something in common.

Meditation

Mask

Hologram

Yoga

Massage

Goggles

Elaine Littmann PHOTO

Ethel Purugganan is a member and chairperson of the Normandy local, and works as a clerk at Arbutus Care Centre in Vancouver.

HEU MEMBERS: Send us your answers to be entered to win a prize!

Go to heu.org/coffeebreak and submit your answer online by December 15, 2023.

14 GUARDIAN | FALL FALL/FALL 2023 2018

Nicole Pepper works as a clerk at Vancouver General Hospital, and serves as local secretary-treasurer.

HEU PEOPLE RETIREMENTS Retired in June, Francine Routley worked in mental health as a community support worker for Salmon Arm Health Centre.

Francine was active in the union, serving her local in various positions including secretary, vice-chair, senior trustee and shop steward. She was an HEU convention delegate and attended many workshops.

“I enjoyed working with all the people,” says Francine. “At times, things could get stressful, so jokes and funny stories helped me smile and laugh. I will miss my clients and co-workers.”

Francine plans to continue doing casual work, trying new hobbies, and socializing more with family and friends.

After 36 years of service, Veena Kumar retired in July as a warehouse operator at the Langley Fulfillment Centre.

Previously, Veena worked in Golden as a food services worker, then spent 25 years as a laundry worker at Royal Columbian Hospital and Tilbury Regional Laundry.

A dedicated union activist, Veena held multiple positions at her local, including vicechair, secretary-treasurer and shop steward.

She attended numerous HEU conventions, conferences and regional meetings.

“I loved working alongside so many different groups of people every day,” says Veena.

“It gave me the opportunity to learn and experience new things, and the pleasure of interacting with new employees and helping them out.”

Veena says, “over the years, I developed a very strong bond with all my co-workers as well as the management. Work was my second home, so I will miss seeing their cheerful faces every day.”

Outside of work, Veena is active at her local church and volunteers in her community. She also loves travelling and spending time with her family.

In Memoriam Longtime HEU activist Sandy McDowell passed away in August. As a 50-year HEU veteran, Sandy spent most of her career working with seniors.

Her last position was as an activity worker in the Netcare Day Program for older adults at Chilliwack General Hospital.

A staunch trade union activist, Sandy held many positions on her local executive.

She served on numerous committees, and attended many HEU conferences and workshops.

A fellow worker says, “Sandy loved her union and was always willing to help. She attended many picket lines and helped organize the ‘Save Parkholm Lodge’ fight.

Being good at conflict resolution, Sandy was heavily relied on to deal with conflict issues.

60,000 members in 296 locals

“She was very good at finding a peaceful middle ground.”

In her personal life, Sandy had a passion for attending agricultural fairs. As a youngster, she showed Guernsey cattle at the PNE. And in recent years, she travelled to competitions where her partner David showed Welsh ponies.

Sandy is remembered as an extrovert who enjoyed music, dancing, singing, and any social event that brought people together, as well as sharing her stories, humour and caring spirit.

Tragically, HEU care aide Alex Thompson died this September in a hiking accident.

While studying for his Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Alex began picking up casual shifts about a year ago at Cottonwoods Care Centre’s short-stay unit in Kelowna.

He was in his final year of the program at the time of his death.

While not working or going to school, the outdoorsman loved sports, camping, hiking and skiing. He also enjoyed spending time with family and friends.

After a 10-year cancer struggle, Carol Crosland passed away last June in hospice with her husband Reed and one of their beloved dogs by her side.

For 27 years, Carol worked as a food services worker at Kelowna General Hospital, and then as a housekeeper at Cottonwoods Care Centre. She finished her career as a housekeeper at the Kelowna Hospice House.

An avid photographer, she loved dogs, gardening, cooking, beadwork and cars.

Carol is remembered by a colleague as a hard worker with a great sense of humour, who took time to get to know her residents.

“She was always the fun one.”

Sadly, 29-year-old Dayton Wilson passed away in July.

He worked as a housekeeper at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops.

Always the first to offer help, Dayton developed strong friendships with staff around the entire hospital. He was fondly referred to as “Where’s-my-cart Wilson” due to his habit of misplacing his housekeeping cart.

Dayton worked at a variety of jobs before finding his calling as a hospital housekeeper – a job he really enjoyed. He also loved sports, music, cars, bikes and cats.

A co-worker recalls, “We will miss our chats.

We have many fond memories, and we will always remember the funny stories we shared.”

Equity matters

Did you know that HEU has six equity standing committees? Working with HEU’s equity officer, they provide outreach and advocacy to HEU members, and work in solidarity with other social justice groups.

To learn more, call 1.800.663.5813 to speak with HEU’s equity officer Sharryn Modder.

Ethnic Diversity • Indigenous Peoples Pink Triangle • People with Disabilities • 2-Spirit, Women and Non-Binary • Young Workers

“In humble dedication to all those who toil to live.”

EDITOR Neil Monckton MANAGING EDITOR Elaine Littmann ASSOCIATE EDITOR Brenda Whitehall GRAPHIC DESIGNER Elaine Happer PRINTING Mitchell Press PROVINCIAL EXECUTIVE BARB NEDERPEL President MEENA BRISARD Secretary-Business Manager BETTY VALENZUELA Financial Secretary BILL MCMULLAN 1st Vice-President CHARLOTTE MILLINGTON 2nd Vice-President DONOVAN ADLAM 3rd Vice-President TALITHA DEKKER Senior Trustee CHRIS BATTING Senior Trustee-Elect OLIVIA BURGON Trustee BONNIE HAMMERMEISTER Regional Vice-President Fraser SCOTT MCKAY Regional Vice-President Fraser DIANE TOMEI Regional Vice-President Fraser BALJIT SANDHU Regional Vice-President Interior MONICA THIESSEN Regional Vice-President Interior BARB SHUKIN Regional Vice-President Interior ANGELA SHARF Regional Vice-President North LISA CREMA Regional Vice-President North LOUELLA VINCENT Regional Vice-President Vancouver Coastal

MOVED? Please notify us of your change of address online: www.heu.org/change-contact-information

MARIA LUGS Regional Vice-President Vancouver Coastal KAREN MCVEIGH Regional Vice-President Vancouver Coastal

IAN SMITH Regional Vice-President Vancouver Island PHIL HENDERSON Regional Vice-President Vancouver Island LYNN SERHAN Diversity Vice-President Indigenous Peoples CORA MOJICA Diversity Vice-President Ethnic Diversity DARLENE BOWN Diversity Vice-President Pink Triangle LISA KREUT Diversity Vice-President 2-Spirit, Women and Non-Binary CHRISTINE EDGECOMBE Diversity Vice-President People with Disabilities SEYDA YALCIN Diversity Vice-President Young Workers HEU OFFICES PROVINCIAL OFFICE 5000 North Fraser Way Burnaby V5J 5M3 604-438-5000 1-800-663-5813 EMAIL heu@heu.org WEB www.heu.org REGIONAL OFFICES

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FALL 2023 | GUARDIAN 15

Guardian HOSPITAL EMPLOYEES’ UNION

500,000 less hours

FALL 2023 • VOL. 41 • NO. 2

Costs rise well beyond inflation

Profits double

Long-term care needs a long-term fix.

AGREEMENT NUMBER 40007486

RETURN TO The Guardian 5000 North Fraser Way Burnaby, B.C. V5J 5M3

Jennifer Gauthier PHOTO

Send your letter to the Minister of Health and your local MLA.

STANDING UP FOR RESPECT Long-term care workers stage walkout to bring employer back to the table

p3