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In a province-wide ballot, members of the Hospital Employees’ Union (CUPE) have voted overwhelmingly to support a comprehensive action plan that calls for a variety of measures – including political protest job action – to fight the Campbell government’s attacks on health care in B.C.

HEU spokesperson Chris Allnutt says 89 per cent of the close to 15,000 members who cast ballots backed the plan. The HEU leader says the outcome shows “the commitment of front line health care workers to defend decent paying jobs and vital health care services for British Columbians.”

Our members are ready to take action,” he says, “to protect our health care system from Campbell’s reckless agenda, and to fight facility closures, service cuts, the eviction of seniors from care homes, and rampant privatization. We’ve already launched workplace protests. And together with others in communities across the province, our members have been involved in countless rallies, petition drives and protests.”

The plan has already had a positive impact, and we’ve won a number of victories. Now we have a clear mandate to step up the pressure to force the Campbell government to adopt better ideas for changing our health care system.”

Allnutt says 14,608 ballots were cast in the vote, which began in late March. Just shy of 13,000 backed the action plan developed at an emergency HEU conference in February.