 February 16 2007
UNA negotiations continue, begin for LTC
Several other negotiation tables began in the last two weeks for the provincial negotiation round. This week UNA exchanged proposals with the Alberta Cancer Board and the Good Samaritan Society. Last week the provincial UNA Negotiating Committee exchanged proposals with Capital Care Group, Youville Nursing Home (St. Albert) and St. Joseph’s Hospital (Edmonton). Further negotiation dates with these employers were set for February 26, March 6 and 7th.
This week talks also continued at the main table with the province’s Health Regions represented by Health Board of Alberta Services (HBAS). Those talks are expected to go on through the month of March and the goal continues to be a settlement before the contracts expire March 31.
Health Canada research looks at nurses’ working conditions
“Research showed that within the first five years of graduation we were losing between two and three nurses for every five graduates. This forced us to examine the working conditions of both new and experienced nurses,” says Sandra MacDonald-Rencz (SMR), Executive Director of the Office of Nursing Policy, Health Policy Branch, Health Canada. Her comments come in an introductory statement to a new review of research on improving working conditions for nurses published by Health Canada.
The Working Conditions of Nurses: Confronting the Challenges 46-page Bulletin is packed with information about retention, recruitment and statistics about the nursing crisis. For example: “If RNs retire at age 55, and no new recruiting and retention initiatives are put in place, up to one third of the 2001 RN work force could be lost by 2010.”
The full report does not appear yet on the Health Canada website. For a copy (2.1 Mb, PDF) email: keith@una.ab.ca.
On-line video about RN care
The Canadian Health Services Research Foundation has released an electronic video documentary (eVD) titled “A short film about how nurses save lives.”
This on-line documentary features a patient, an oncology nurse, a nurse manager, and a leading researcher in the field of nurse staffing, who express the importance of nurses’ contribution to health and healthcare and how higher levels of nurse staffing lead to improved patient outcomes.
The video is based in part on a new paper from the Foundation Staffing For Safety: A Synthesis Of The Evidence On Nurse Staffing And Patient Safety. The paper reviews the extensive research showing the importance of RN care.
The eVD is viewable on the internet at:
Public Interest Alberta tackles the province’s “democratic deficit”
Public Interest Alberta has released a discussion document and is hosting public forums in eight centres across the province to raise the questions about our democratic process.
“Alberta’s democratic deficit is at least as large as its infrastructure deficit, and the consequences are every bit as problematic,” says Larry Booi, Chairperson of Public Interest Alberta. “We need a lot more democracy in this province, and we need to get started now. The goal has to be to renew and revitalize democracy in comprehensive and systematic ways.”
Public Interest Alberta’s document, Democratic Renewal In Alberta, focuses on nine major areas of the democratic deficit. PIA’s Democracy Task Force proposes more than 80 suggested solutions that are designed to spark discussion across the province.
“We have an opportunity to engage the diversity of our province to create a system we can all participate in and is truly reflective of all Albertans,” said Samantha Power, U of A Students, Union president. “If we really want to get young people, women and others who are frustrated and excluded from our democratic system to participate in our democracy, then now is the time for all of us to consider these proposed solutions and to act on them.”
Public Interest Alberta announced that they will kick-start the discussion with eight public forums across the province. The forums will be held in Red Deer (March 3rd), Lethbridge (March 10th), Medicine Hat (March 11th), Athabasca (March 16th), Edmonton (March 17th), Camrose (March 23rd), Calgary (March 24th), and Grande Prairie (March 31st).
To view the discussion document and to register for one of the eight public forums, please visit PIA’s website at www.pialberta.org.
Canadian strike updates
ATA strike in Parkland School Division
Teachers went on strike on Friday, February 16 in the Parkland School Division.
The 550 teachers are disappointed that classes have been interrupted but have resigned themselves to the fact that Parkland trustees are simply not interested in arriving at an agreement.
UTU and CN
Canadian National Railway 2,800 conductors and yard-service workers walked off the job early Saturday morning. According to the UTU, the main sticking points in the contract talks have been breaks and the size of the wage increase.
The union wants a 40-minute lunch break during nine-hour shifts instead of the 20 minutes that workers currently get.
Union negotiators were also pushing for a 4.5 per cent wage increase over two years and a four per cent increase in the third year.
It’s no palace!
The striking workers at the Palace Casino at West Edmonton Mall voted down an offer from their employers that was mandated by the Labour Relations Board. The strike has been ongoing since September 9, 2006. Picket lines have remained solid and the Employer has lost at least 80% of its regular business. Picketers have vowed that they will strike as long as it takes to get a fair Collective Agreement. They always welcome friendly support on the line.
Actors union ACTRA
U.S. producers outnumbered Canadian producers by a wide margin at negotiations with ACTRA that ended without a deal on February 8. U.S. producers offered to pay $5.65 a year for unlimited internet use - a proposal that extended the current impasse. Internet appearances are a major issue in the strike. The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) is a national organization of professional performers working in the English-language recorded media in Canada. ACTRA represents the interests of 21,000 members across Canada.
Harper gets failing grades on childcare
Code Blue has stepped up the campaign to save childcare with a report card on the Harper government’s performance on childcare.
So how did Stephen do in his first year of childcare? Well, he must improve his active listening skills and shouldn’t be allowed to play with scissors after the drastic cuts he made to childcare.
Code Blue gave the Harper government Fs in Universal Childcare, Balancing Work and Family, and Honouring Agreements (Stephen doesn’t play well with others, they say).
Code Blue is a Canada-wide campaign to build a real pan-Canadian child care system. They are now asking Canadians to add their comments to Stephen Harper’s report card. You can see the report card and add your comments at buildchildcare.ca.
On the Lighter Side
Weighing In
Whenever my aunt went to the doctor, she would complain to me about the long delay she always endured.
One day, when my aunt’s name was finally called, she was asked to step on the scale. “I need to get your weight today,” said the nurse.
Without a moment’s hesitation, my aunt replied, “One hour and 45 minutes!”
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