July 17 2008
Nurses briefing Canadian Premiers
UNA President Heather Smith and First Vice-President Bev Dick joined other nurses from across the country at the Premier’s summit in Quebec City in July. The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) organizes nurses to lobby the Premiers at their annual summer “council of the federation” meeting. This year the nurses have organized a “Think Tank on Health Care” to put pressure on the premiers to act on the nursing and health workforce shortage.
Extendicare nurses get agreement
On June 24 UNA’s Extendicare negotiating committee reached a Memorandum of Agreement on behalf of the nine UNA Locals in negotiations. The agreement, which the members voted to ratify on July 7, gives them parity with the provincial agreement in most areas, including salaries, the long service 2% increment and the lump sum. The weekend and shift premiums and seniority portability, which were some of the sticking points that had led to a strike vote at one Extendicare facility, were all resolved with parity or very close to parity with the provincial agreement. Full recognition of previous experience will mean a big change for some members who will jump years up on the salary scale. Congratulations to Extendicare nurses who after considerable stress reached a good new agreement!
Edith Cavell and Grande Prairie Care Centre get provincial parity
New contracts were recently settled for UNA nurses at Edith Cavell Nursing Home in Lethbridge and for the Grande Prairie Care Centre. Besides parity with provincial salaries, the 20 year 2% increment and the lump sum payment, the nurses got significant increases in shift differentials which will rise to provincial rates. They also get provincial education allowance rates, a major increase. Full recognition of previous experience will mean a big change for some members who will go from Step Five to Step Nine on the salary scale. Congratulations on your new agreement!
Rivera also gets provincial rates
UNA nurses at Rivera facilities, formerly called Central Care and earlier Central Park Lodges, will also bring signficant increases in shift differentials, which along with salaries, will rise to provincial levels. The nurses also get the 2% long service increment and the lump sum that is in the provincial agreement. The new contracts also see considerable rises in benefits for some of the Rivera nurses. Congratulations on the new agreement!
Welcome to new members at Touchmark
New UNA members at the Touchmark at Wedgewood facility in Edmonton already have their first collective agreement which was quickly negotiated. The new members get provincial salary rates, and a cost of living lump sum, along with many provisions in a first agreement. Welcome to the new UNA members and congratulations on your first contract.
Province puts long-term care reports on-line
Albertans can find information on more than 550 licensed long-term care facilities and seniors lodges in the province on a new website put up the government. The government says up to five facilities can be viewed at a time, comparing the type of licence, a list of met and unmet standards, and any verified complaints for each facility.
Unfortunately the data is not completely up to date on the site and a number of facilities are not brought up with the site’s search engine.
CFNU releases book urging action on health workforce
Early in July the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) released a synthesis report on the nursing shortage in Canada. The report, A Renewed Call for Action, provides an overview of recent studies on the nursing crisis in Canada and makes ten specific recommendations.
One of the report’s authors, Victor Maddalena, PhD, an Associate Professor in the School of Health Services Administration at Dalhousie University said he hopes the book will prompt action beyond well-meaning words and band-aids. “They know there is a problem, but we haven’t been able to get any sustained action. Its going to take more than just asking nurses finishing a 12 hour shift to stay on for more overtime or begging them to stay in working conditions that are endangering their health.”
CFNU President, Linda Silas R.N., wants the book to inspire substantive concrete action. “It is not enough to keep issuing thick, bound study after study if employers and policy makers are still not getting the message,” said Silas. “We felt we needed to present the good work that is being done to document and highlight the nursing shortage in a big picture way so that policy-makers can really grasp what we are facing every day. We want them to understand that the evidence is in, solutions are available and its time for comprehensive action.”
Nurses’ overtime part of Health Region deficits
Health and Wellness Minister Ron Liepert recently tabled reports on nursing work hours in the Legislative Assembly. Liepert was responding to questions from Calgary MLA Dave Taylor about overtime and sick hours of nurses. The speculation was that a large part of Calgary’s reported $100 million deficit was caused by nursing overtime. Capital Health’s deficit was supposed to be much smaller. But Liepert’s numbers show Capital Health nurses worked more overtime than Calgary nurses.
|
Calgary |
Edmonton |
Overtime hours worked |
448,631 |
600,000 |
Total hours worked |
9,190,045 |
9,840,492 |
OT as percentage of total |
4.88% |
6.1% |
Sick Hours Total |
449,796 |
453,043 |
All numbers for the 2006-2007 year. |
Liepert bowls over Health Region executives
In a sudden move, Health and Wellness Minister Ron Lierpert fired all the Health Region CEOs early in July. After earlier announcements, Health officials had tried to reassure everyone no major changes were coming to the Regions until April 2009, but Liepert, or as he says, Ken Hughes, opted to fire the CEOs. According to news reports the CEOs were given no notice and were effectively escorted to the door.
“This sudden change will cause more instability in our health system,” David Harrigan, UNA’s Director of Labour Relations told news media. Harrigan voiced concern that the system would run into problems with the crash change in leadership.
The Health Regions do continue to exist until next April and until then, David Harrigan says, the Regions “continue to provide services, it’s just that no one is in charge.”
Saskatchewan nurses ratify contract
Members of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses have voted 78 per cent in favour of accepting the employers’ final offer.
According to SUN President Rosalee Longmoore, “Health regions essentially said to nurses - we will give you a big wage and premium increase, but we refuse to fix staffing and patient safety issues - even with your strike vote. The 78 per cent acceptance vote means that most nurses believe that government isn’t prepared to hold health regions accountable for failing to improve retention and recruitment.”
The four-year agreement provides near parity with Alberta nurses in years one and two in wages and premiums less the cost of living. This includes a market adjustment of 5% and a general wage increase of 5% in the first year, and annual increases of 5% in each of the remaining three years.
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