Reid’s Corner:

Carol Kenzie

Teri MacGillivray

Kirschner:

Marina Beauchamp

KGH:

Pat Burnett

Eileen Derkatch

Moneca Faircrest

Naomi Bailuk

Vivian Kneller

Vicky Legg

Brenda Matthews

Kimberly Slater

Tiffanie Walsh

Cottonwoods:

Barb Hayden

Lennie Dolinski

Brookhaven:

Mike Brodie

Donna Bird

Purchasing

Logistics

Payroll

LPN

Nursing Asst

Pharmacy

Support Services

Support Services

LPN

LPN

Support Services

Clerical

Leisure Services

Leisure Services

Unit B

Unit B

SHOP STEWARDS

Talk Shop Talk ShopTalk ShopTalk Shop Let’s Let’s Let’s Let’s Kelowna Local Newsletter

Chairperson

Vice-Chairperson

Chief Shop Steward

Secretary

Treasurer

Senior Trustee - 2 yr

Senior Trustee - 1 yr

Trustee - 1 yr

Conductor

Warden

Faye Sheldon

Lennie Dolinski

Lennie Dolinski

Moneca Faircrest

Teri MacGillivray

Boyd Sommerfeld

Vivian Kneller

Mike Brodie

Catherine Roberts

Barb Hayden

The Chairperson’s Message SPRING & SUMMER 2011

Thursday, June 9 th and Sept. 8 th - 5:00 pm KGH - 2nd Floor Conference Room (Access by staircase between the Cafeteria and Rehab)

LOCAL EXECUTIVE

NewsletterSpring&Summer2011-05

♦ As I write this it appears that spring is finally starting to make it’s long overdue arrival. It’s great to see the snow gone and the grass starting to grow! With the smell of spring in the air the Local is busy getting workshops, events and Local meetings organized. Check your bulletin board for Local meeting dates, upcoming events and training opportunities.

The Kelowna Local has been very suc-cessful for the past year in establishing a ‘Steward of the Day’. This is where the steward is booked off on a regular basis to represent members. Currently we have a Steward Tuesday through Thursday from 8am to 4pm. The HEU office is located at Cottonwoods and the ext. is 2616. Our Stewards are doing a fantastic job as they have been able to be more available to members.

2011 will be a busy year for HEU as we prepare for 2012 bargaining. The Local meetings this year will give you the oppor-tunity to bring bargaining ideas so that they may be submitted to the Wage Policy Convention that will take place this fall. We need to make certain that we give our elected Provincial Officers direction in what we would like to see in our next contract. Part of the preparation for bar-gaining is also the Occupational Confer-ences. This is an opportunity for members in a like profession to get together to iden-tify issues for their jobs and worksites. Any member of HEU can attend the confer-ences so if this is something that interests you please come to the Local meeting for more information.

I hope that everyone enjoys their spring and I look forward to working with you throughout the year.

Thank you, Faye Sheldon

♦ The Kelowna Local is excited to have Facebook avail-able to our mem-bers.

This site is meant to notify you of our Local union meetings and anything of interest that is happening; locally and provincially. Find us at HEU Kelowna Local on Facebook.

Local Charity Efforts ♦ Over the past year the Kelowna Local has made donations to 4 charities within our community, here is a brief overview:

- Kelowna & District Society for Commu-nity Living - they help physically & men-tally challenged individuals become more independent.

- Be an Angel Fund - helps families with Christmas preparations, dinner & gifts for their children.

- Womens’ Resource Centre - helping women & their children get out of abusive relationships and finds them alternate living accommodations.

- Kelowna Food Bank - they supply food hampers to residence of our community who cannot make their pay-cheque stretch into the next one and feed our homeless. For every dollar donated, the food bank turns it into 3 dollars.

Our Local is financially healthy & we should all be proud that we are able to help these charities help those who need a hand. If you have a charity that you would like your Kelowna Local to donate to, just come to a Local meeting and put it forward to the members. We could be donating to your charity. In solidarity, Teri MacGillivray

Crossroads Treatment Centre:

Sonia Nicholson

Upcoming Meetings:

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HEU Kelowna LocalHEU Kelowna Local

BCNU Raiding Again ♦ The BC Nurses Union is again attempting another raid campaign to try and bring HEU’s LPN’s into their union. Following BCNU’s complete failure in 2009 to get enough support from LPN’s the Labour Relations Board dismissed all their applica-tions and barred them from making any fur-ther applications until October 2011( this is the law under the Labour Code). It is very disappointing that BCNU has cho-sen to not listen to the majority of LPN’s deci-sion to remain in HEU but this further attempt to raid comes as no surprise to HEU. Once again we are confident that the raid attempt will be defeated but anticipate they will be more aggressive this time around. This will put LPN’s again in a stressful posi-tion when they could be better dealing with patient and resident care, and LPN profes-sional development. HEU has a number of LPN’s working on Nursing advisory committees, joint engage-ment committees, Improved patient/resident handling and Stand up for Seniors care cam-paigns which is where we would like to be focusing our efforts. Unfortunately we will again have to put ef-forts into fighting against another union raid-ing us. LPN’s are commit-ted to providing quality patient care and won’t be dis-tracted from the critical services they provide, by the BCNU’s raid. Please contact your HEU stewards at 862-4300 ext. 2616 for more information or to re-port any interference or disruption as a result of raid activity.

♦ The Local has been very busy training and organizing Shop Stew-ards.

There is now continued support for our Shop Stewards with monthly meetings to review grievances and worksite issues.

We are also in the process of apply-ing for funding to host more training. Ideally we would like to see at least 1 Shop Steward at each worksite / dept. It is a mutual benefit to have Shop Stewards available, during working hours, to discuss problems and potential grievances with mem-bers, as Shop Stewards can help resolve potential disputes in an ami-cable manner.

The two day Shop Steward training course includes, information about the collective agreement, how to complete grievance forms and sup-plies you with the tools and knowl-edge to deal with management in dispute situations / worksite issues and much more.

If you are interested in becoming a S h o p S t e w a r d e m a i l kelowna.heu@hotmail.ca and the Chief Shop Steward will get back to you.

♦ We are implementing a procedure to ensure Workload reports are proc-essed and followed up on effectively.

Although some concerns are better handled through the JOHS (Joint Occupational Health & Safety) committee, so there has been a re-newed focus on this committee. If you have an issue that you would like ad-dressed, contact a JOHS rep. at your site:

KGH - Vivian Kneller

CTW - Barb Hayden

BKN - Fran Moss

Kirschner - Wendy Blair

Reids - Teri MacGillivray

More reps are needed, if you would like to assist or join the JOHS commit-tee, please email Barb Hayden

Shop Stewards, JOHS & Related Information

Did You Know ? Kelowna Local - Editorial Staff

I.H.A. will soon release it’s financial report for the year ending March 31, 2011 www.interiorhealth.ca Home > Information > Accountability > Budget & Financials

Contained in the report will be; statements of executive com-pensation, board of directors renumeration, vendor payments over $25,000, a list of salaries over $75,000 & additional inter-esting information.

In a time of economic restraint, I.H.A.’s payroll for employees earning over $75,000 increased from 658 employees in 2005 to 2,091 employees in 2010. Many frontline HEU members have faced job reductions and 0% wage increases due to budget cuts. And of the employees earning over $75,000 less than 1% were HEU members.

With such statistics, it may give the appearance that managers are being hired at the expense of frontline workers?

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Let’s Talk Shop Let’s Talk Shop Let’s Talk Shop Let’s Talk Shop cont’d

Kelowna LocalKelowna LocalKelowna Local Remaining 2011 Meetings

--- Thursday June 9Thursday June 9Thursday June 9ththth --- Thursday Sept. 8Thursday Sept. 8Thursday Sept. 8ththth --- Thursday Nov. 17Thursday Nov. 17Thursday Nov. 17ththth

Information on Long Term Disability - L T D ♦ LTD - one of the most isolating, confus-ing and yet a vital component of our col-lective agreement. From the moment you are off due to illness, an injury or other per-sonal reasons, finding assistance can be diffi-cult to ascertain. Due to confidentiality, our employer can not notify stewards when our members go off, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want to help. Even the most trained steward can find cer-tain parts of LTD difficult when assisting mem-bers as each case can have a unique circum-stance. This is why we want to create a “task force”. Members who can provide general information about their claim, what parts they found most difficult to get assistance with, and even members who would like to be part of our LTD Team. Even if all you want to do is donate information about who you spoke to, where you found the most help, it can be used to help out future members with their claims.

LTD, return to works, early safe return to work, gradual returns to work, WCB claims, even ICBC issues, all can be part of your common questions. Maybe you spoke to a great source of information and would like to share that with others? Possibly you see where our LTD contract language can be improved? Work with your Local execu-tive and let’s get a bargaining demand written up for your next round of bargain-ing!! That time is creeping up again.

The overall goal is to create our own LTD dream team, possibly a package for those going on LTD so they know who to contact when they are off. Things change throughout the year(s) and it’s hard to know who to call when you need help the most.

If you are interested in sharing your story, maybe getting involved with helping others, we would love to hear from you!! Your information should be sent from a per-sonal email address or dropped off at our HEU office at Cottonwoods. Please remem-ber, your email is not confidential if sent from your work email address. Contributed by - Marina Beauchamp

Contract Information - Shop Stew-ards & union activists as all employ-ees are protected in our collective agreements.

Article 4.0 - No Discrimination

‘The Employer and the Association agree that there shall be no discrimi-nation, interference, restriction or co-ercion exercised or practiced with respect to any employee for reason of membership or activity in the Union.’

Working people have received the biggest hit from the Harmonized Sales Tax. The HST is estimated to take 2 Billion dollars a year from the pockets of British Columbians and give it to Corporations.

As trade unionists, we understand that taxes are important, as they pay for vital public services and pro-grams. What we want is a fair tax system, not one that disproportion-ately benefits the rich and big corpo-rations.

Our current tax system simply isn’t fair and it isn’t working for most British Columbians, it is working against us. By shifting more taxes onto individuals and giving corporations huge breaks, we are widening the gap between the rich and the poor.

We must reject the HST and demand

a fair taxation policy which will sup-port public goods and services which we all need.

The HST Referendum ballots will be mailed out mid - June, 2011. The question on the ballot is: ‘Are you in favour of extinguishing the HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) and rein-stating the PST (Provincial Sales Tax) in conjunction with the GST (Goods and Services Tax)? Yes No?

Ballots must be returned to Elec-tions BC before 4:30 p.m., Friday July 22, 2011. Please take the time to learn about the HST, discuss it at your union meetings and with members.

HEU President, Ken Robinson

Sample of Elections BC ballot below

YES - in favour of extinguishing the HST ‘The HST is the wrong tax, at the wrong time, for the wrong reason.’

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1. c 2. d 3. b 4. b HEU Kelowna LocalHEU Kelowna Local

How Well Do You Know What Your HEU Colleagues do ?

Provincial Trustee Carol Kenzie Reid’s Corner - Purchasing Assistant

♦ I believe in our strategic planning direction, in that we need to be more inclusive and we need to draw every-one in. I think we’ve become too separated by occupation, by region… We need to identify ourselves as HEU members, not by our occupa-tion or by where we work, but as HEU members. I’d like to see us think and act as one - the union principle - and get back where we started from years ago.

Excerpt from the ‘Guardian’

2010 HEU Convention

- Kelowna Delegation - Standing L - R, Vivian Kneller, Marina Beauchamp, Lennie Dolinski, Moneca Faircrest, Brenda Matthews, Ken ‘Louis’ Robinson, Pat Burnett, Barb Hayden

Sitting L - R, Mary Dwyer, Boyd Sommer-feld, Faye Sheldon, Janice Kossey, Carol Kenzie

- See your HEU Bulletin Board for a Kelowna Local application - Check online at heu.org for additional provincial bursaries and funding

Application Deadline: May 15, 2011

1. These HEU members perform autopsies, remove bone marrow, analyze speci-mens sent to histology, microbiology & chemistry departments & do urinalysis tests.

a) Ophthalmic Technicians

b) Licensed Practical Nurses

c) Pathology Attendants

d) Medical Lab Assistants

2. Setting up, calibrating & monitoring data recording equipment during procedures like cardiac catheterizations & pace-maker insertions are some duties per-formed by these HEU members.

a) Renal Dialysis Technicians

b) Medical Stenographers

c) Admitting Clerks

d) Physiological Lab. Technologists

3. Teaching & assisting clients in develop-ing life skills & community survival skills & engaging clients in acceptable recrea-tional & social activities in the community are some of the duties carried out by these HEU members.

a) Community Social Services Worker

b) Addictions Counsellors

c) Behavioural Therapists

d) Infant Development Consultants

4. These HEU members work directly in operating rooms with surgeons, nurses & anesthetists - inspecting, sterilizing & monitoring equipment for safety, such as nebulizers & suction machines.

a) Sterile Supply Supervisors

b) Respiratory Aides

c) CPR Equipment Attendants

d) Therapy Aides

Answers: Contributing Writers; Faye Sheldon, Teri MacGillivray, Barb Hayden, Marina Beauchamp, Tracie Mundy, Boyd Sommerfeld

Let’s Talk Shop Let’s Talk Shop

Let’s Talk Shop Let’s Talk Shop cont’d