Monday, February 2, 2009
HSAS HISTORY
|
|
Monday, February 2, 2009
|
|
|
HSAS HISTORY
|
|
|
Major dates in Health Sciences Association of Saskatchewan history include: July 2008
|
| Number voting | = | 1344 | ||
| HSAS vote | = | 980 | ||
| SGEU votes | = | 359 | ||
| Spoiled ballots | = | 4 | ||
| Disqualified ballots | = | 39 | ||
| Disputed ballots | = | 35 | [for Board determination] |
After a period of time four unions [SGEU, SEIU, CUPE and SUN] met under the facilitation of Barb Byers, President of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour. The meetings that Barb Byers facilitated were solely to pressure SGEU to join them in their attempt to ensure HSAS would no longer exist in health care. They felt by joining forces they could slip SGEU a few members from SEIU and CUPE to ensure HSAS would not be included in a vote for their membership. In return SGEU was to give up their Homecare members, Wascana Rehabilitation Centre members, all Nurses and accept the idea of no votes anywhere.Return to Top
1 - November 28, 1996 - Dorsey named the professional unit the Licensed Provider Unit and only included those professionals who are governed by statute except LPNs.2 - December 13, 1996 - Dorsey changed the professional unit to exclude Technologists and include Community Health Nurses [RNs and RPNs] and named it the Public Health and Rehabilitation Unit.
3 - December 18, 1996 - The professional unit is now called the Third Unit and includes RNs, RPNs in Public Health/Community Health.
4 - January 8, 1997 - The professional unit becomes the Health Support Practitioner Unit and includes 1500 Certified Home Health Aides. Nurses are out of the unit.
5 - January 15, 1997 - Dorsey's final report. Only named professions make it into the professional unit called the Health Support Practitioner Bargaining Unit.
With Dorsey's December 13, 1996 report we were scheduled to lose all of our Technologists [300] to SEIU in Saskatoon without a vote. As well, non union Technologists throughout the province would be forced into SEIU and CUPE without a vote. As a result, we requested Technologists throughout the province to petition Dorsey to both: create a professional unit based on functional criteria and hold a vote among all professionals to determine which union would represent them.
Unfortunately, the hundreds of petitions that were mailed or faxed to Dorsey by Technologists and other professionals from around the province fell on deaf ears. In an attempt to have government revisit Dorsey's final report we sent each MLA a document on all of our Technologists which demonstrated their professional status and why they should be included in the professional unit.
Return to Top
SEIU, SGEU, CUPE and SUN presented a signed document to them requesting a Commissioner be appointed. When asked why we didn't sign HSAS replied:
1 - The other heath care unions would not agree to our request that the Commissioner be guided by Section 3 of the Trade Union Act which provides employees the right to belong to the union of their choice andReturn to Top2 - In our view the Labour Relations Board could deal with the Saskatoon District Health Board application.
The LRB granted HSAS's application to represent the following unrepresented professionals at Wascana Home Care and Client Assessment Services in Regina: Dietitians, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Social Workers, Lab Services Coordinators and Assessor Care Coordinators.
HSAS applied to the LRB to consolidate all its bargaining units in Saskatoon naming Saskatoon District Health Board as the successor.
Saskatoon District Health Board [SDHB] made application to have the Labour Relations Board [LRB] create three [3] bargaining units in the District [professional, nursing, support]. While HSAS was prepared to allow the LRB to proceed we were concerned whether the Technologists would be placed in the professional or support unit. SUN, SEIU, CUPE and SGEU wanted to stop the application as they feared it would have negative implications for them in other Districts, especially if it was decided the Technologists belonged in the professional unit.
The following HSAS applications to the LRB [all with evidence of majority support] were outstanding at the time the government enacted the Health Labour Relations Reorganization Act on July 12, 1996:
Return to Top• Royal University Hospital
- application to carve out Recreation Therapists from SEIU
- application to consolidate the HSAS Technologist and HSAS degreed bargaining units.• Saskatoon City Hospital
- application to carve out balance of SEIU Technologists and Recreation Therapists from SEIU and place in HSAS bargaining unit.• Parkridge Centre
- application to de-certify SEIU degree bargaining unit and certify HSAS as the bargaining agent.• St. Paul's Hospital
- application to carve out all Technologists from SEIU and to consolidate into existing HSAS bargaining unit.
1994
The LRB granted HSAS's application to amend its certification order at Saskatoon City Hospital to include the following professionals: Psychologists [unorganized], Speech Language Pathologists [SEIU members] and the Orthoptists [HSAS members transferred from RUH]. Unfortunately, the LRB decided the Recreation Therapists, who had also been applied for, belonged in the SEIU all employee general bargaining unit at Saskatoon City Hospital.The Saskatoon District Health Board voluntarily recognized HSAS as the bargaining agent for Sleep Disorders Technologists at Royal University Hospital.
Despite overwhelming support from the employees affected the LRB rejected HSAS's application to represent the following professionals at Wascana Rehabilitation Centre who were represented by SGEU: Exercise/Conditioning Therapists, Recreation Therapists, Music Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Prosthetists, Prosthetic Technicians, Prosthetic Trainees, Orthotists, Orthotic Technicians, Orthotic Trainees, Social Workers, Dietitians, Pharmacists, Speech Language Pathologists, Psychologists, Radiology Technologists, Laboratory Technologists, Audiologists, Psychometricians and Vocational Coordinators.
Without evidence of employee support SEIU made application to the LRB to have all HSAS Technologists in Saskatoon placed in a new, single all employee bargaining unit for all facilities within the jurisdiction of the Saskatoon District Health Board.
Return to Top
1993
The LRB granted HSAS's application to carve out the following group of professionals from an SEIU bargaining unit at Royal University Hospital and add them to the HSAS Technologist bargaining unit: Laboratory Technologist Students, Radiology Technologist Students, Cardiology Technologists, EEG Technologists and Trainees, Perfusionists, EMG Technologists, Pulmonary Function Technologists and Trainees and Orthopedic Technologists.
Return to Top
1991
HSAS certification orders were amended by the LRB to include the following professionals:• Occupational Therapists [unorganized] - St. Paul's Hospital
• Orthoptists [unorganized] - Royal University Hospital degreed unit
• Dietitians, Occupational Therapists, Laboratory Technologists [unorganized] - Saskatoon City Hospital.
Return to Top
1990
The LRB granted the following HSAS applications:• To carve out Dietitians and Speech Language Pathologists from an SEIU bargaining unit at St. Paul's Hospital and add them to the existing H.S.A.S. unit of Pharmacists and Physical Therapists.
• To include Social Workers in the HSAS certification order at Saskatoon City Hospital.
Frustrated by the failure of the Saskatchewan Health-Care Association to deal with their concerns during the latest round of provincial negotiations (April 1988 to July 1989) HSAS members voted to amend the Constitution and By-Laws. Prior to the amendment one of the Objects of the Association outlined in the Constitution provided that no disciplinary proceedings would be taken against any member who refused to take part in any concerted refusal to provide service either by strike or honouring any picket lines. The amendment did away with this provision and replaced it with:
"To ensure patient safety participate in the creation of an essential services committee at each health care facility in the event of a legal strike."
The amendment to the By-Laws made it an offence for a member to work during a legal work stoppage unless specifically authorized by decision of Executive Council.
Return to Top
1988
HSAS was certified by the LRB to represent all Pharmacists, Dietitians, Physical Therapists, Social Workers and Psychologists employed by Victoria Union Hospital in Prince Albert.
Return to Top
1987
HSAS was certified by the LRB to represent all Pharmacists, Dietitians, Occupational Therapists and Social Workers employed by the Plains Health Centre.
Return to Top
1986
HSAS was certified by the LRB to represent all Pharmacists and Physical Therapists employed by St. Paul's Hospital in Saskatoon.
Return to Top
1981
HSAS was certified by the L.R.B. to represent all Medical Laboratory Technologists, Radiology Technologists and Nuclear Medicine Technologists employed by University Hospital. Rather than add these professionals to our existing bargaining unit the LRB decided to create a separate unit for them.
Return to Top
1974
HSAS was certified by the LRB to represent all Pharmacists working at Pasqua Hospital in Regina.HSAS was certified by the LRB to represent all Pharmacists, Physical Therapists and Dietitians working at Regina General Hospital.
The LRB rejected applications by HSAS to represent health care professionals working at St. Paul's Hospital in Saskatoon, Holy Family and Victoria Union Hospitals in Prince Albert and Yorkton Union Hospital.
Return to Top
1973
HSAS made application to the LRB to represent all Physical Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Pharmacists, Social Workers, Electroencephalograph Technologists, Electrocardiograph Technologists, Occupational Therapists, Dietitians, Medical Laboratory Technologists and Radiology Technologists for a total of 139 employees working at University Hospital. However, the LRB determined that an appropriate unit for collective bargaining should be comprised of only Physical Therapists, Pharmacists, Dietitians, Social Workers and Registered Occupational Therapists. As a result, HSAS was certified to represent these 5 groups for a total of 50 employees.HSAS made application to the LRB to represent all Medical Technologists, Medical Record Librarians, Pharmacists and Physical Therapists working at Saskatoon City Hospital. The LRB certified HSAS to represent only Physical Therapists and Pharmacists for a total of 6 out of the 37 applied for.
The LRB rejected HSAS's applications to represent health care professionals at Lloydminister Hospital, Eatonia Union Hospital, Moosomin Union Hospital, Shaunavon Union Hospital and Swift Current Union Hospital.
Return to Top
1972
The Government amended the Trade Union Act. Prior to this the Labour Relations Board (LRB) could exclude all the members of a professional association from a union if satisfied that a majority of the members of the professional association were in favor of being excluded. The amendment did away with this provision which opened the door for large multi-occupational type unions to include health care professionals in their certification applications.Because of their training, certification and professional ethics, our founders believed the interests of health care professionals differed from those of other health care employees and for this reason they met to form HSAS.
Return to Top