March 9, 2004
Provincial negotiations continuing
Talks continue and last week the provincial Negotiating Committee met for two days. On Wednesday, February 25, the Committee met with Lyle Kanee, UNA’s representative on the mediation panel. The next day, February 26, the Committee went back to mediation talks with PHAA and Andy Sims.
Meeting dates with the mediation panel continued March 6 and 7 and sessions resume again on March 12th running to March 17th. The Negotiating Committee will be meeting with the Alberta Cancer Board again on March 10 and 11.
The UNA Negotiating Committee is respecting the agreement on avoiding public comment on the current process and is not speculating on the possible outcomes of the talks.
Boutique health care hits headlines
Premier Ralph Klein may have only been trying to distract from some of his government’s travel spending and he seemed to succeed with his comments on luxurious hospital care with wine for those who can afford it.
“Whenever politicians talk about allowing choices in health care, they are talking about getting people to pay directly for care.” - Heather Smith
“What about the three million other Albertans who are most concerned about getting quality medical care without the wine?” asked UNA President Heather Smith. “Whenever politicians talk about allowing choices in health care, they are talking about getting people to pay directly for care. That may mean choices for people who can afford to buy designer-style care, but it is a frightening prospect for the rest of us.”
Coming from the province with the $3.5 billion surplus Klein was complaining the loudest about affording health care at the Premiers’ meeting in Vancouver.
“We don’t think it makes it more sustainable to delist services so that Albertans have to pay for them directly out of our own pockets. That may be “sustainable” in his budget terms, but that doesn’t mean it would be affordable for everyone,” Heather Smith said.
Klein brings in Dr. No to hammer public health care
Gasps of dismay were heard across the province last week when Premier Klein announced he was appointing former cabinet minister Dr. Steve West as his new principal secretary. “We’re going to be going through some pretty tough times related to policy development, particularly as it relates to health care,” Klein told the Edmonton Journal.
“I think Steve is the right guy to see that we follow through on those policies, come hell or high water, because it’s going to be tough.”
“We’re going to be confronted by the Friends of Medicare and the Raging Grannies, and the media are going to get reaction and reaction to the reaction.”
Opposition politicians had some immediate reaction to the announcement. New Democrat MLA Brian Mason said West’s appointment signals that the government is returning to “dogmatic, far right-wing policies. This means deregulation is here to stay, and two-tiered health care is on its way.”
“I hope Dr. Deregulation hasn’t been hired to sabotage and privatize our public health care system. So let me just say that I hope Dr. West’s worst days are in the past rather than in the future,” interim Liberal Leader Don Massy said.
“We will see their rear ends pucker,” Ralph Klein is reported to have shouted. “One of the reasons Steve West is coming back is to pound some common sense into the Liberals.”
Nursing fastest growing occupation in the U.S.
Registered nursing tops the list of the 10 occupations in the United States with the largest projected job growth in the years 2002-2012. Although RNs have listed among the top 10 American growth occupations in the past, this is the first time in recent history that RNs have ranked first.
“The growth in RN jobs is skyrocketing,” said Barbara Blakeney, President of the American Nurses Association. “Plus, many of those nurses currently working will be retiring and will need to be replaced in the workforce,” she added.
According to the report, there will be more than 2.9 million RNs employed in the year 2012, up 623,000 from the nearly 2.3 million RNs employed in 2002. However, the total job openings, which include both job growth and the net replacement of nurses will be more than 1.1 million.
Government moves to put Blue Cross in competition with private sector
The provincial government is planning to introduce an amendment that will take away the Alberta Blue Cross’s premium tax exemption.
The plan would give private insurance companies a better chance to get into the market but it would result in higher Blue Cross insurance premiums and reduced coverage for up to 150 thousand people.
“The Tories are picking one million pockets so that their pals in the private insurance game can get access to Blue Cross’s market,” said New Democrat Leader Raj Pannu. “Albertans will have to pay more so private insurance can make more profit.”
Pannu also pointed out that the move runs contrary to advice from the government’s own committee on Blue Cross, which said “such a change would result in the transfer of costs to Albertans…”
Cross-Canada protest against P3 hospitals
A cooperative effort by citizens’ groups came out last week with a nation-wide campaign to get the federal government to block public-private partnerships (P3s) in Canadian hospitals.
The Canadian Health Coalition and other groups sent Health Minister Pierre Pettigrew a letter urging “an immediate moratorium on any initiatives to privatize the delivery of health-care services, including public-private partnerships.”
“Alberta is one of several Provincial governments working in concert with for-profit health corporations to build private hospitals across the country.” – Harvey Voogd
“Alberta is one of several Provincial governments working in concert with for-profit health corporations to build private hospitals across the country,” says Harvey Voogd, Coordinator for Friends of Medicare (FOM) in Alberta which took part in the campaign.
“P3 hospitals are a serious threat to the future of Medicare in this country and must be stopped. In these hospitals, for-profit corporations take over key hospital services, and run them for their own gain,” Voogd said. “Universal, accessible health services rely on non-profit hospitals under community control. We need to push our politicians to resist the siren call of privatization or we will lose our public health system.”
The Canadian groups says a corporate consortium is planning to build for-profit hospitals in several provinces, including Alberta, Ontario, B.C. and Quebec.
“They see the public health system as a potential place to make profits,” Kathleen Connors, chairperson of the Coalition, says in the letter to Pettigrew.
She warns that if health-care in Canada becomes open to private enterprise, trade agreements mean foreign companies would have to be allowed the same access as domestic firms.
UNA sponsoring members to AFL Forum and to CNA Conference
At the February meeting the UNA executive board decided to sponsor UNA members to attend an upcoming Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) forum and to attend the Canadian Nursing Association (CNA Conference). UNA will be covering the costs for 12 members to attend the Calgary AFL event and two members to the St. John’s Newfoundland CNA Conference.
The AFL meeting is geared to a discussion of the AFL agenda and priorities and to taking a serious look at the increasingly hostile attitude of governments to labour and workers’ rights, both in the private sector, and in the public sector where the government is the employer. Bryan Palmer from Trent University will be the keynote speaker and promises to provide the historical and current context for the attack on labour rights.
The CNA Biannual Conference includes talks on Public Health & Patient Safety: Policy Perspectives and Challenges for Nursing the main theme for the conference. As well there will be addresses by Stephen Lewis, the UN’s special ambassador on AIDs in Africa and other speakers.
UNA delegates to both meetings will be selected by a draw from entries. Entry forms appear below.
Enter the draws to represent UNA
AFL Membership Forum
UNA is sponsoring 12 members to attend the Alberta Federation of Labour Membership Forum, the evening of May 6 and all day May 7, 2004, at the Palliser Hotel in Calgary. The members will be chosen through a draw. Winners will attend the Forum with all costs: salary replacement (only if a Leave of Absence is necessary), travel, registration, accommodation and meals as per UNA policy.
Deadline for receipt of entries is 4:30 pm, Friday March 29, 2004. Members wishing to enter should send in their information, noting it is for the AFL Membership Forum along with their name, membership number, telephone contact numbers and Local number to UNA Provincial Office, #900, 10611-98 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T5K 2P7. Or Fax the information to 780 426-2093. Or email the information to: nurses@una.ab.ca
CNA Convention
UNA will be sending 2 members to the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) Convention, June 20-23, 2004 in St. John’s, Newfoundland. The members will also be picked through a draw.
Winners will attend the Convention with all costs: salary replacement (only if a Leave of Absence is necessary), travel, registration, accommodation and meals as per UNA policy.
Deadline for receipt of entries is 4:30 pm, Monday, April 26, 2004. Members wishing to enter should send in their information, noting it is for the CNA Convention along with their name, membership number, telephone contact numbers and Local number to UNA Provincial Office, #900, 10611-98 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T5K 2P7. Or Fax the information to 780 426-2093. Or email the information to: nurses@una.ab.ca
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