Warning message

Please note that this page is from our archives. There may be more up-to-date content about this topic on our website. Use our search engine to find out.

In British Columbia, HEU members also used International Womens Day to send a strong message to the government and employers.
Angered by employer demands for rollbacks and the lack of a serious monetary offer for community caregivers, HEU called on its 45,000 members to vote yes in a province-wide strike vote that began March 8.
In eight intense weeks of bargaining with the provincial association representing health employers, HEU along with BCGEU and UFCW have tabled a range of practical solutions to the problems facing the health care system.
Our members are on Medicares front lines during some particularly challenging times, said HEU spokesperson Chris Allnut. We want to bargain solutions that will make our health care system better.
But health employers can only respond with a full menu of concession demands like vacation cuts and reduced benefits for injured workers, he said. Calling this strike vote should send a clear message to employers that they need to focus more on achieving solutions at the bargaining table.
In addition to parity for community caregivers most of them women the main proposals on the table include measures to reduce the on-the-job injury rate, increased staffing for long-term care, expanded training opportunities and a wage increase.