Making Health Care Better
Provincial strategy conference sets stage for Nurses' Bargaining Association contract negotiations.
Member engagement will always be one of BCNU's highest priorities. And nowhere is this better reflected than in the preparations for provincial bargaining. The recent BCNU Provincial Bargaining Conference held Oct. 4 to 5 in Vancouver was the culmination of a membership-wide engagement process that began more than a year earlier.
The current Nurses' Bargaining Association (NBA) provincial collective agreement is a three-year contract that expired March 31. Since that date, the union has been wasting no time engaging with members to educate them about the job action that could be required to achieve success at the bargaining table.
However, it's important to effectively prepare the groundwork for collective bargaining, and BCNU is committed to involving the entire membership in the bargaining process well in advance of actual contract negotiations. That means listening to members' concerns and identifying their priorities to help guide the union's discussions with health authorities and government on ways to improve quality of work life and nursing practice conditions.
To that end, surveys of members covered by the NBA were conducted in the summer of 2021 and again this fall asking nurses to identify the issues that are important to them. These surveys were complemented by a series of regional bargaining conferences that began in October 2021 and which carried through to March of this year. Senior BCNU elected leaders and staff visited the union's member regions to hear first-hand from hundreds of nurses about the challenges they are facing today and their hopes for future contract talks.
The over 400 delegates attending this October's Provincial Bargaining Conference were elected at their regional bargaining conferences. This event was the first in-person conference hosted by BCNU since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and delegates were excited to now come together to evaluate bargaining survey results, elect the members to the BCNU provincial bargaining and job action committees, and provide the union's leadership with a mandate to bargain in the year ahead.
KICKING IT OFF
Following a greeting from Indigenous Elder Roberta Price of the Coast Salish Snuneymuxw and Cowichan nations, BCNU President Aman Grewal welcomed delegates and began by acknowledging the horrendous working conditions members now face, and reminding them of the historic job action that previous generations of nurses undertook when faced with such adversity.
"Imagine what would happen if we were to go out on strike," Grewal asked the delegates. "It would put immense pressure on the government. I say we do have the upper hand at the moment and need to take back that power to achieve what our members deserve."
This bargaining conference was the first with BCNU Interim CEO Jim Gould at the helm as the union's lead negotiator. Although not an unfamiliar face – as a lawyer, Gould's firm has provided legal counsel to BCNU for over 16 years – he began day one by introducing himself to the assembled group and talking about his background in health-care bargaining.
"I am a strategist and a consummate negotiator," Gould said. "I am values-driven. Honesty, integrity, loyalty, transparency, teamwork and hard work are all very important to me," he told delegates. "I possess a strong moral compass and I intend to be transparent with the membership as we move through bargaining."
Gould also told attendees that the conference is a time for union staff to listen to the membership through the input of the assembled delegates. "You are here to advance the interests of the nurses of this province," he said. "And we are all here to listen to each other so that you can provide guidance to your bargaining team. This is your conference, and it is important that you share your thoughts so our bargaining team can properly hear and be guided moving forward."
REVIEWING THE BARGAINING PROCESS
The primary purpose of any provincial bargaining conference is to be a venue for delegates to share their experiences through open and honest conversation about how the union can achieve a provincial collective agreement that better serves members and meets their needs. And this conference was no different.
Delegates were given opportunities to participate in live polling sessions where they were asked to rank their most important priorities and issues and took to the microphone during open forums where they were encouraged to ask questions of union leaders and senior staff.
The event also saw delegates share their frustrations with previous rounds of bargaining and spoke of the difficulties they've encountered in getting health employers to implement the terms of the 2019-22 NBA contract.
Gould listened intently to the many delegates who spoke up at the mic. He reiterated his intention of taking their bargaining priorities to heart when negotiations begin, acknowledged the need to tackle the harsh working conditions nurses face and pledged to bargain an equitable collective agreement that delivers. "We need to make the government understand we are going to do whatever it takes to get our nurses a great contract," he said.
Our solidarity will help us make health care better for nurses and patients."
Our solidarity will help us make health care better for nurses and patients."
- BCNU President,
Aman Grewal
Gould also made a commitment to building trust and remaining transparent during bargaining and emphasized the importance of listening to the membership throughout negotiations. "There needs to be a level of trust in any relationship," he told delegates. "I intend to be trustworthy and transparent with the membership as we move together through the bargaining process."
Day one of the conference also saw Senior Director of Negotiations and Labour Relations Donna Bouzan and Director of Legal and Labour Relations Deborah Charrois join Gould at the podium to offer their insights into public sector bargaining.
Bouzan, who has been involved in the last four rounds of NBA bargaining, provided delegates with an overview of the bargaining process and players involved. She explained the relationships between the different unions in the NBA and the dynamics between the individual employers in the Health Employers' Association of BC and these players' relationship with the provincial government.
Bouzan also told the group what it's like to be part of a bargaining committee and shared that it's a lengthy but ultimately worthy experience. "You have to represent everyone's interests and communication is key," she stressed. "It's a challenge representing over 48,000 members who are all looking for a good deal, so we need to communicate with one another."
Charrois told members that success at the bargaining table is ultimately up to them. "It is through collective bargaining that unions achieve rights and benefits, but it is a determined and unified membership willing to engage in job action that is the most significant factor in achieving gains in bargaining," she said.
Addressing the members who put their names forward to be part of the bargaining committee, Gould acknowledged the hard work coming for those who are elected. "Your patience and resilience will be tested, but teamwork will be the thing that pushes us forward," he said. "Communications between the bargaining committee and the members is what makes things work and the task is to come back to the membership with a good contract that anyone would be proud to ratify."
ESTABLISHING PRIORITIES
BCNU senior health policy analyst Tarya Morel led conference delegates through a review of the results of a just-released membership-wide bargaining survey that, to date, had received 10,000 responses. According to the survey, the most important demands that members felt the union should propose in the next round of bargaining were increased wages, improved staffing levels, retention bonuses and wage premiums (see Vital Signs on page 45 for survey details).
Delegates then took these results into account before participating in a real-time polling exercise led by Gould, where attendees used their smartphones to indicate their top bargaining priorities for the year ahead.
Polling questions asked delegates to rate the psychological safety of their workplaces, how often they worked short and whether their employer offers paid education on anti-Indigenous racism. They were also asked to rank some of the demands commonly identified in member bargaining surveys, such as a return to the 36-hour work week, improved wage increases and mandatory nurse-to-patient ratios.
TAKING IT TO THE STREETS
On Wednesday afternoon, delegates took the energy and camaraderie of the previous day to the streets of downtown Vancouver to raise public awareness about the mounting pressure on the health-care system and the dire impact it's having on patient care.
Upwards of 500 nurses marched through the city to occupy the intersection of Burrard and Georgia streets. Dressed in their scrubs, they waved signs, flags and banners calling for the government to make health care better.
Despite the traffic disruption, pedestrians cheered, and car horns honked in support. At times, bystanders clapped, took photos and videos, and joined in with the group. The event garnered significant attention on social media and in the news.
Many nurses from nearby worksites, including St. Paul's and Vancouver General hospitals, also came out on their lunch breaks to add their voices to the cause.
"We are going to do whatever it takes to get our nurses a great contract."
- BCNU Interim CEO,
Jim Gould
"We can't stay quiet when it comes to this health-care crisis," Grewal told reporters covering the event, and said that nurses are morally distressed with the current state of health care in the province. "The system is under extraordinary pressure, and it is patients, nurses and health-care workers who are paying the price."
From ER closures to long waitlists, excessive workloads and understaffed long-term care facilities, Grewal said nurses want to see the government do more to make health care better.
BCNU Vice President Adriane Gear also led the group in a number of spirited chants, and said the event sent a loud message to government that nurses have had enough and want some action on improving patient care in BC.
MINING BARGAINING ISSUES
Delegates returned from the march and continued to participate in exercises that identified nurses' top bargaining priorities.
Gould reminded members that the union has been listening and gathering member feedback for months leading up to the bargaining conference. "We have been hearing from members via surveys, emails, member engagement events, and at regional bargaining conferences," he said. "We are listening. Your council is committed and willing to do things differently this time around."
Through a series of virtual polls, delegates ranked their bargaining issues in priority order, and indicated their willingness to strike to achieve these contract improvements. The top priorities identified were wages and premiums, benefits, flexibility and leaves, patient/staff ratios and workplace safety.
Gould said the polling and open feedback delegates provided at the microphone were crucial to providing the direction needed to focus the union's bargaining efforts. "This is fantastic," he said. "You've provided us with very clear direction on the top priorities and issues. There will be a lot of work to come. I'm ready for it. Are you?"
BARGAINING COMMITTEE ELECTIONS
Day two of the conference saw the election of the provincial bargaining committee (PBC). Seven successful candidates were chosen by secret ballot, each representing a specific health-care sector. Delegates elected fellow members Gerri Miller (community), Rise Ford (long-term care), Jereme Bennet (community), Kath-Ann Terrett (acute care – large: 701 members or more), Candi DeSousa (acute care – small: 200 members or fewer), Annelise Henderson (acute care – medium: 201-700 members) and Roy Hansen (acute care – large: 701 members or more).
The elected candidates will be joined by Grewal and Gould. This group, along with designated union staff coordinators and representatives of the Health Sciences Association, which has NBA members, makes up the entire PBC and will be tasked with negotiating a new collective agreement that best reflects the interests and priorities of nurses.
Members of the provincial job action committee (PJAC) were also elected. The successful candidates were Jassi Chahal (acute care), Margo Wilton (community), Shawntel Hildebrandt (member at large), Linda Mitton (long-term care) and Lindsay Manning (member at large). This group, along with BCNU Treasurer Sharon Sponton plus BCNU executive councillors Michelle Sordal and Aida Herrera, will be responsible for developing, implementing, and coordinating local and province-wide job action strategies that will support negotiations and help achieve the union's bargaining goals.
READY FOR ACTION
Gould shared his optimism with delegates following the march. "We're prepared to do things differently. Your council is prepared to do things differently, and we did things differently today by shutting down one of the busiest intersections in metro Vancouver!
"You are incredible, and you should feel incredible," he remarked. "We have power together – and you felt just a little taste of that during our march today when the public was supporting you, transport trucks were honking their horns and people had smiles on their faces."
Gould said he was impressed with the way members conducted themselves throughout the conference and was proud of how many people took the opportunity to stand up at the mic to share their experiences and concerns.
Grewal closed the conference by thanking the almost 500 delegates in attendance for their commitment to their patients, co-workers, and all of the nurses in BC. "What an incredible two days these have been," she said. "Your engagement and enthusiasm and hard work, functioning together as a united front has been amazing. This is what's called solidarity!"
Grewal recognized nurses for the vitality they displayed earlier in the day. "I don't remember a march that has been so well received," she said. "There was such infectious energy from you all and I'm so pleased by the enthusiasm and support from the public who cheered us on too!"
"This conference has been a great opportunity for nurses to stand up and be heard," she told delegates. "Not only have you shared your concerns over deteriorating working conditions, but you've told the public what you want and set priorities for the negotiating table."
Grewal confirmed that the NBA bargaining process will be moving forward with the election of the bargaining and provincial job action committees. "Congratulations to each of the successful candidates and thank you to everyone who was brave enough to put your name forward," she said. "Now our hard work can get underway."
Grewal concluded by giving thanks to the delegates who took time away from work and family commitments to attend the event and do the business of the union. "Thank you for being such inspiring activists. Our solidarity will help us make health care better for nurses and patients," she said. "Let's keep this energy going, we are in this together and need to keep our focus moving forward on staying engaged and being loud!" •
UPDATE (Fall 2022)
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