BCNU Update Magazine May-June 2014

MAY/JUNE 2014

CDMR: ISLAND NURSES KEEP UP THE PRESSURE TO HALT FLAWED CARE MODEL

SPEAKING OUT ABOUT OH&S: TOWARD A WORKPLACE CONCERNS: PSYCHOLOGICALLY KNOW YOUR RIGHTS HEALTHY WORKPLACE

UPDATE BRITISH COLUMBIA NURSES’ UNION

“WE ARE ALL

WWW.BCNU.ORG

CONVENTION 2014

LEADERS”

BCNU TAKES ACTION FOR SAFE STAFFING

VIOLENCE ON THE JOB

+

ABORIGINAL HEALTH POSITION STATEMENT PULL-OUT

BC NUR SES’ WORKLOAD IMPACT ST UDY

HOW IS YOUR

WORKLOAD

AFFECTING YOU? UBC nurse researchers are partnering with BCNU to document the impact of workload on nurses’ physical, emotional and mental health as well as on patient safety.

A sample of BCNU nurses will be receiving postcards in the mail with unique passwords for an online survey. Postcards will be sent out soon (June). When you receive a postcard, please take part in the survey.

PARTICIPATE! Survey participants will be entered in a draw to win an iPad Mini tablet, or one of five $100 gift cards.

To learn more about the study, please visit: www.bcnwis.net

Look for the postcard in yo

ur mailbox

ring with BCNU to UBC nurse researchers are partne ad on nurses’ physical, document the impact of worklo well as on patient safety. emotional and mental health as Together with a random sample to take part in the study.

of nurses, you are invited

Complete the confidential online survey

at: www.b cnwis.net

Your password is: _______

PART ICIPATE!

Survey partic ipants will be entere $ Mini iPad or 1 of 5 100 gift cards.

To learn more about the study, please

d in a draw to win a visit: www.b cnwis.net

UPDATE MAGAZINE May/June 2014

UPDATE

•

CONTENTS vol 33 no 2

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may/june 2014

TAKING ACTION Royal Jubilee Hospital’s Jessica Celeste and Royal Columbian Hospital’s Grace Wong rally for safe staffing at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

UPFRONT

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Check In

BCNU members around the province are making news.

11 Attendance Management Nurses continue to be harassed.

15 Code White

Nurses are speaking out about violence on the job.

18 The Big Chill

Are employers’ scare tactics preventing members from speaking out?

34 Making PRFs Work

Peace Arch Hospital is a model of success.

DEPARTMENTS

5 PRESIDENT’S REPORT 14 MEMBER PROFILE 28 HEALTH & SAFETY 30 YOUR PENSION 31 STAFF PROFILE 32 HUMAN RIGHTS & EQUITY 36 COUNCIL PROFILE 37 WHO CAN HELP? 38 OFF DUTY FEATURE

20 “WE ARE ALL LEADERS” Convention 2014 saw BCNU members gather to take action for safe staffing and safe patient care.

On the cover: From left, Pacific Rim region members Nancy Boulet, Lori Schaefer and Roseanna Dugas

Aboriginal Health Position Statement

special pull-out page 13.

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STAY CONNECTED

BC Nurses’ Union

UPDATE MAGAZINE

OUR MISSION STATEMENT BCNU protects and advances

MOVING? NEW EMAIL?

When you move, please let BCNU know your new address so we can keep sending you the Update, election information and other vital union material.

Forward us your home email address and we’ll send you the latest BCNU bulletins and news releases.

the health, social and economic well-being of our members and our communities.

BCNU UPDATE is published by the BC Nurses’ Union, an independent Canadian union governed by a council elected by our 42,000 members. Signed articles do not necessarily represent official BCNU policies.

EDITOR Lew MacDonald CONTRIBUTORS Juliet Chang, David Cubberley, Gary Fane, Monica Ghosh, Katharine Kitts, Evans Li, Courtney McGillion, Debra McPherson, Catherine Pope PHOTOS David Cubberley, Monica Ghosh, Katharine Kitts, Lew MacDonald, Courtney McGillion, Doug Payette, Catherine Pope

CONTACT US BCNU Communications Department 4060 Regent Street Burnaby, BC, V5C 6P5 PHONE 604.433.2268 TOLL FREE 1.800.663.9991 FAX 604.433.7945 TOLL FREE FAX 1.888.284.2222 BCNU website bcnu.org EMAIL EDITOR lmacdonald@bcnu.org MOVING? Please send change of address to membership@bcnu.org.

Publications Mail Agreement 40834030 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to BCNU, 4060 Regent Street,

Please contact the Membership Department by email at membership@bcnu.org or by phone at 604-433-2268 or 1-800-663-9991

Burnaby, BC, V5C 6P5

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

UPDATE MAGAZINE May/June 2014

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DEBRA MCPHERSON

I WANT TO SEE YOU BE BRAVE

PHOTO: CHRIS CAMERON

S

PRING. IN NATURE IT IS ALWAYS A TIME OF RENEWAL, and so it is in the BCNU. We have just completed convention – our annual dialogue on the activities of the union – and wrapped up our first ever province-wide election for both provincial and regional leadership positions.

Our members have spoken. Many new faces have been elected to our Council, including a new president, all of whom will take office September 1st.

I congratulate all those elected, commend all those who ran, and thank all those who have served and are stepping down. You have demonstrated a huge commitment to the BCNU membership.

We are now entering a time of transition. Departing council members will be working with the newly elected members to prepare them for the new responsibilities they will be assuming, the challenges ahead, and the learning curve associated with the governance of a large and complex organization like the BCNU. Many are wondering what this means for BCNU, its membership, staff, and the work in which we are engaged.

It means new directions, new voices, new faces, and perhaps new ways of doing things.

Above all, it’s an opportunity for us to demonstrate our strength, resiliency, and ability to rely on our structures, policies and communities of members and staff to maintain our core purpose in the face of this change. That purpose – standing up and speaking out for

members, their patients and the healthcare system – continues. It is front-and-center every day, now and for the future.

As nurses and healthcare providers we are of necessity open, flexible and willing to adapt to change. Knowing this should reassure us all that we can and will rise above any challenges this transition might present, and move on to do still greater things in the future.

The pages of this magazine highlight the abilities of our members to overcome challenges to their physical and mental wellbeing. How ironic that one of these challenges is a new care delivery model that increases workload and the other is violence in the workplace. In both cases, the employer has violated members’ sense of security, confidence in their ability to practice to their standards.

Members facing these challenges have found the courage to confront difficult, even potentially life-threatening experiences, and seek ways to rise above them.

There is a contemporary song that comes to mind: “Say what you wanna say And let the words fall out Honestly I wanna see you be brave” These members have found the courage to speak out, to speak their truth in the face of employers’ threats of reprisal.

They are able to do this, in part, because of the support of colleagues and the BCNU. We have structures that support campaigns to inform the public and are engaged in political dialogue on these issues. We have policies that support individuals to be brave and speak out (see page 18). We have processes that allow us to shift resources as needed to take on emerging and important issues. And we have the capacity to bring members together, to enlist that community of social support around them.

We are a union of committed individuals. We are strong, united and resilient.

Together we have built a dynamic organization that will continue to grow and achieve great things.

We are the BCNU. update

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CHECK IN

NEWS FROM AROUND THE PROVINCE

BY THE NUMBERS

BRITISH COLUMBIANS RELATIVELY HAPPY WITH HEALTHCARE DELIVERY Healthcare management?

Not so much

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RECENT SURVEY CONDUCTED BY MARKET research firm Insights West has found that British Columbians give high marks to the care they receive from their healthcare system, despite having serious concerns about poor management.

In the online survey, residents were asked to rate their healthcare system on a 1 to 10 scale. Some 34 percent of residents gave the system a rating of 8 to 10.

Fifty two percent of residents believe that their healthcare system is “excellent” or “good” at being friendly, 49 percent believe it supports Canadian values, 43 percent believe it supports the community and 46 percent believe it is good at being trustworthy.

The one area where the healthcare system does remarkably poorly is on being “well managed.” Only 21 percent of British Columbians think the healthcare system does an “excellent” or “good” job on this indicator. This places BC health authorities near the bottom of the list when compared with the over 150 other organizations in Western Canada that were included in the survey.

The top-ranked concerns that are directly tied to poor management included long waiting times for procedures and tests (for 74 percent of respondents), followed by a perceived shortage of doctors and nurses (57 percent), long waiting times in emergency rooms (54 percent) and unnecessary bureaucracy (40 percent). update

BCNU MEMBERS ELECT NEW PROVINCIAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

From March 10 to 31, BCNU members across the province voted online and by telephone to elect the union’s next provincial executive committee.

Gayle Duteil beat out longstanding incumbent Debra McPherson and Petra St. Pierre in a tight three-way race for BCNU president.

Christine Sorensen was re-elected as vice president and Deb Ducharme was reelected as executive councillor (pensions).

Will Offley was elected as executive councillor (health and safety), defeating incumbent Margaret Dhillon.

Incumbent treasurer Mabel Tung was elected by acclamation.

All successful candidates were elected for three-

year terms and take office September 1.

The BCNU Nominations Committee was responsible for overseeing the election process. “I wish to congratulate the winners and thank all of the candidates who ran in these elections,” said Nominations Committee chair Marco Gnoato. “I especially want to thank all of the BCNU members who took time out of their busy schedules to cast their votes.”

This year’s elections were the first that saw all five provincial executive positions on the ballot. They were also the first to run concurrently with the elections for regional executives in the 16 BCNU member regions across the province.

Full provincial and regional election results are available on the BCNU website.

PINK SHIRT DAY Royal Inland Hospital members take a stand against bullying on February 26.

UPDATE MAGAZINE May/June 2014

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THE NEW BCNU: YOU GAVE US YOUR VIEW VANCOUVER VAISAKHI From left BCNU staff member Doug Payette, Vancouver Coastal LPN rep Marlene Goertzen, NDP MLA Adrian Dix, Men In Nursing caucus chair Walter Lumamba and NDP MLA John Horgan.

MAKING NEWS DEFENDING HARM REDUCTION

BCNU in the headlines

harm reduction model has been studied closely in the When US-based PBS News U.S., China and Europe.

Hour visited Vancouver The supervised injecrecently to report on BC’s tion facility – Insite – is the efforts to reduce the transonly one of its kind in North mission of HIV-AIDS among America, and one of the intravenous drug most visible users in Vancouver’s examples of the Downtown Eastside, model. street nurse Tracy PBS also D’Souza was there informed its to speak about her viewers about work. the Harper “If I have to come government’s in the alley to find ongoing you – no problem. opposition to Tracy D’Souza If I have to come harm reduction to your home policies and its – no problem,” said the determination to frustrate Vancouver Coastal Health the efforts of D’Souza and RN of her efforts to help others to provide evidencestem an epidemic of AIDS in based healthcare services one of the hardest to reach to people suffering from the populations. disease of addiction.

PBS profiled the work of the BC Centre of Excellence in AIDS, which has led a successful strategy to reduce View the PBS transmission rates. Its report on your “treatment-as-prevention” mobile device

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HAPPY WINNER BCNU Vice President Christine Sorensen presents VGH Educator Marilyn Shamatutu with a brand new iPad Air. Close to 2,000 members took part in an online survey to gather input on BCNU’s re-branding initiative.

SK ANY LONG-STANDING BCNU MEMBER who’s been active in the union and they’ll tell you a story about an organization that has transformed remarkably since it began in 1981. Today, BCNU represents a growing and diverse membership on a range of issues.

With this in mind, last year BCNU Council tasked staff with taking the union through its first “re-branding” process. BCNU’s brand, which includes its logo and the messages that shape communications inside and outside the organization, is now being updated to ensure that the union is effectively representing today’s membership.

“Since it began, the BCNU has undergone significant changes in membership and services. We want to portray today’s BCNU in a way that speaks to us all,” says union President Debra McPherson.

“In the 21st century, there are so many ways to communicate and many organizations and interests competing for attention. To serve our members and advocate for public healthcare, BCNU needs to stand out.”

This spring BCNU members were encouraged to participate in a survey to provide input into the re-branding process. Survey participant and Vancouver General Hospital nurse educator Marilyn Shamatutu was the lucky winner of the draw for an iPad Air tablet.

“Shamatutu and other participants provided invaluable input into the process and I want to thank all those who participated in the survey,” says McPherson.

Members are likely to see the most visible change – a new logo – this spring. A new BCNU website will also be launched this year that will showcase the union’s new organizational identity. update

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CHECK IN

VANCOUVER ISLAND 1

CARE DELIVERY RESTRUCTURING

THE FIGHT FOR SAFE PATIENT CARE CONTINUES

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SLAND HEALTH AUTHORITY began the planned the roll-out of its controversial care restructuring scheme – dubbed CDMR, or Care Delivery Model Redesign – at Victoria General and Royal Jubilee hospitals April 23. The date marks the beginning of the second phase of an implementation plan that started at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital last September, and which sees professional nurses replaced with unregulated care aides.

Twenty-six nurses have been replaced at NRGH, cutting over 48,000 annual hours of nursing care from some of the sickest patients in the hospital, and it is estimated that more than 100 nurses will be replaced in Victoria, cutting at least 187,000 annual hours of nursing care.

Despite this, Vancouver Island nurses

and their supporters haven’t let up in their push to halt the ill-conceived policy and raise awareness among policy makers and the public about the risks that CDMR poses to safe patient care.

There is no doubt that BCNU members’ actions are having an effect. CDMR was scheduled to be implemented in Victoria last January, but Island Health delayed its plan in the face of a concerted and coordinated campaign that has seen petition drives, extensive media coverage and public rallies in support of nurses’ calls for safe staffing.

Island Health’s resolve was also questioned when it refused to participate in a February 27 panel and public discussion on CDMR hosted by Oak Bay MLA Dr. Andrew Weaver.

The panel included representatives

2

Stop Island Health from cutting nurses at the bedside Send a message to Island Health’s CEO and chief nurse! They have implemented their scheme at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. Plans are in place to introduce it at Victoria hospitals and move it throughout the Island. Help Vancouver Island nurses push back!

Tell them that when patients have increased care needs, they need more of the skills and knowledge of nursing professionals.

VISIT THE BCNU WEBSITE. Sign our petition and join us in demanding that Island Health keep the promise of safe patient care.

Email Island Health

UPDATE MAGAZINE May/June 2014

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1. EVIDENCE-BASED DECISION MAKERS (l-r) BCNU Pacific Rim region’s Kris Vanlambalgen, Oak Bay MLA Dr. Andrew Weaver, South Islands region co-chair Adriane Gear and Pacific Rim region’s Kelley Charters. Gear spoke at a February 27 town hall meeting organized by Weaver and which Island Health refused to attend. 2. NURSES LOBBY (l-r) East Kootenay region’s David MacVicar, Burnaby Lougheed MLA Jane Shin, West Kootenay region’s Glenna Lynch and Vancouver Metro region’s Krena Hay. 3. TALKING SAFE PATIENT CARE (l-r) BCNU President Debra McPherson, BCNU Vice President Christine Sorensen, Surrey-Green Timbers MLA Sue Hammell and BCNU Simon Fraser region’s Deb Picco at April 9 BCNU-hosted MLA meetand-greet. 4. SIGNED AND DELIVERED (l-r) BCNU South Islands region co-chair Margo Wilton, Pacific Rim region chair Jo Salken and South Islands region co-chair Adriane Gear delivered a batch of petitions opposing CDMR at the March 26 Island Health Board meeting.

5. SPEAKING OUT “Nurses are the backbone of healthcare,” BCNU South Islands region Cheryl Knott told Island Health CEO Dr. Brendan Carr at the health authority’s March 26 Board meeting.

5

from BCNU and the University of Victoria’s School of Nursing. Dr. Weaver said he had hoped “to bring together the different perspectives so that we can all get informed about this significant change to our healthcare system.”

“I think that an appointed body responsible for delivering healthcare to threequarters of a million people should be willing to defend its patient care model in a public forum,” said BCNU President Debra McPherson at the event. “Part of the job of managing change in healthcare is engaging in public forums that give the public a chance to weigh the pros and cons.”

BCNU South Islands region co-chair Adriane Gear agreed. “Island Health has repeatedly said it has to do a better job of communicating with nurses and hearing their concerns for safety when patient

loads double,” she said. “I don’t see how ducking discussion of these concerns contributes to better communication with nurses or the public.”

But Island Health couldn’t hide from critics at its scheduled March 26 Board meeting. Victoria nurses were there in force to deliver 3,000 new petitions demanding a halt to CDMR. Some 17,000 people have signed the BCNU petition demanding that Island Health immediately halt its plan and subject it to an independent review of the patient safety impacts with full public access to all data and supporting studies.

“When you replace 100 nurses with care aides as is proposed for Victoria, you’re doubling the patient responsibility while cutting the nursing capability,” Gear told the Island Health Board.

“The public sees that these changes are all about saving money, not about improving care,” added South Islands region cochair Margo Wilton. “Cutbacks can’t trump patient safety in the design of hospital care without compromising health outcomes.”

Vancouver Island activists continued their push for safe staffing and safe patient care when they targeted policy makers at a BCNU-hosted MLA meet-and-greet in Victoria. Over 20 members of the BC Legislature met with nurses April 9 to hear their concerns first-hand.

Their message to MLAs was clear: safe patient care should be the priority of everyone in British Columbia. Patients recovering from serious illnesses or surgeries deserve access to quality care in hospitals, which must include bedside nursing. update

10 MEDICARE

DAY OF ACTION BCNU members stand up for public healthcare and a renewed federal health accord

B

CNU MEMBERS JOINED with concerned Canadians from across the country March 31 in a nation-wide day of action for a renewed federal health accord. Rallies were held in 10 BC communities – and BCNU activists were at the microphones raising the alarm on the federal government’s decision to let the 2004 accord expire that day.

“I am deeply concerned that the failure to renegotiate the health accord with the provinces eliminates any leverage the federal government has to ensure provinces are complying with the Canada Health Act – an Act that operates with a foundation in non-profit healthcare and equal access to care for all Canadians,” said BCNU West Kootenay region lobby coordinator Jessie Renzie told rally participants in Nelson.

Renzie shared her concerns that the federal government’s “hands off ” approach to healthcare policy will lead to the fragmentation and cutting of services, especially considering Ottawa’s announcement in 2012 that the amount of federal health transfers would be tied to economic growth, resulting in a healthcare spending cut of $36 billion over 10 years.

“BCNU is troubled by the fact that without a renewed health accord, federal funds are given to the premiers with no 1

strings attached. This means provinces and territories can spend the money however they like, often resulting in some provinces having less public coverage of services than others,” says BCNU Vice President Christine Sorensen.

“We participated in this national day of action as a wake-up call about the loss of the 2004 health accord and the fact that cuts to federal transfers will serve as a pretext for healthcare privatization and the dismantling of medicare.”

The 10-year 2004 health accord was negotiated in order to increase the federal government’s share of healthcare funding and improve key areas of the healthcare system. Prior to the accord, Ottawa had been contributing only 18 percent of the public spending on medicare, in contrast to the previous 50 - 50 cost sharing arrangement the federal government kept with the provinces up until 1977, and before deep cuts in the 1990s that seriously compromised access and quality of care.

Poll after poll has consistently shown that Canadians overwhelmingly support public solutions to make public healthcare stronger. update

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TAKE ACTION Sign the leadnow.ca health accord petition today.

Tell Prime Minister Harper: Don’t Sabotage Our Public Healthcare Please join thousands and send a message to your Member of Parliament, Prime Minister Harper, and Health Minister Rona Ambrose: Stop the sabotage! Defend Canada’s public healthcare now. www.leadnow.ca/ defend-health-care/

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1. BCNU Pacific Rim regional executive members (l-r) Kris Vanlambalgen, Brenda Hill and Kelley Charters rally in Nanaimo. 2. BCNU Pacific Rim region’s Cherrie Sarauer sends her message. 3. BCNU Coastal Mountain region chair Kath-Ann Terrett joins the Raging Grannies in front of the offices of federal MP Wai Young. 4. BCNU Vancouver Coastal LPN rep Marlene Goertzen and Coastal Mountain region chair KathAnn Terrett join with retired BCNU member Alice Edge and Seniors on Guard for Medicare’s Art Kube.

5. Vancouver Coastal LPN rep Marlene Goertzen and Coastal Mountain region chair Kath-Ann Terrett rally with the Raging Grannies.

UPDATE MAGAZINE May/June 2014

FEELING LIKE A NUMBER Abbotsford Regional Hospital nurse Lesley Davoren says she knows that colleagues are working sick to avoid employer attendance meetings.

UNDER A WATCHFUL EYE Health Employers’ “Attendance Management” policies continue to cause grief in the workplace

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esley Davoren was in a panic. The Abbotsford Regional Hospital nurse had just looked at the text from her friend.

“You need to get a steward now,” it read.

Davoren had just left a meeting with her manager moments earlier. She had texted her friend to let her know that she felt the meeting had gone well, and that she had gotten a letter. “It’s a disciplinary letter,” said her friend. Davoren felt blindsided.

“I’m like ‘what!’,” she recalls.

“I’m such a neophyte,” admits Davoren, who says she contacted a full-time steward after the meeting who then confirmed that the letter was disciplinary.

“You should have had a union rep there,” confirmed

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YOUR LICENSE YOUR PATIENT YOUR HEALTH Know your rights 1. You do not have to have a personal discussion with your manager about your private medical information.

2. Your medical care, your diagnosis and treatments are not public information.

3. You can ask to have all questions referred to your union representative.

4. Your Provincial Collective Agreement gives you up to 18 days a year off for legitimate illness, a right negotiated fairly over a decade ago, agreed to freely by management, and ratified by our members.

5. As a licensed nurse, you have a professional responsibility to your patients and your own health not to work when legitimately ill.

IF YOU ARE SUMMONED TO AN ATTENDANCE MANAGEMENT MEETING: 1. Do not attend without bringing your union representative along to protect your rights.

2. Recognize that managers may show concern for your health, but they’re there to send you a message that you’ll be disciplined if your sick time is above average.

3. If you don’t know who your BCNU Steward is, call us at 604.433.2268 or toll free 1.800.663.9991.

the steward. “You need to grieve this because this should not be on your personal file,” she said.

Davoren’s experience should serve as a reminder to all BCNU members about the seriousness of these kinds of meetings. Employees are not obligated to have a personal discussion with their manager about their private medical information.

This discussion may be the first step to an “attendance management” meeting. It’s important to know that while managers may appear to show concern for a worker’s health, they are often there to send a message that employees will be disciplined if their sick time is above average.

BCNU has vigorously challenged health employers’ recent attempts to micromonitor workers attendance since various attendance management programs began springing up in 2011, and the union’s policy grievance on behalf of all members who may be subject to attendance management is ongoing.

“Attendance management puts attendance

REQUEST DENIED Paul Smith’s doctor’s note didn’t stop Northern Health from denying him sick time.

at work – at all costs and in every circumstance – above the obligation to consider our own health and our patients’ wellbeing,” explains BCNU President Debra McPherson, who says she’s concerned by stories about how these programs seek to compel attendance by using intimidation, continuing harassment, and discipline.

“It turns sick leave into an issue if it’s above the arbitrary threshold of ‘average’ sick leave taken by all employees,” she says.

“That’s totally unacceptable.”

Davoren is sharp in her criticism of attendance management. “You know what?

We’re not in kindergarten any more. We’re professionals. If we’re not there, it’s for a really, really important reason.” She admits that she now feels compelled to come in to work when she is feeling sick.

V

ancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA) calls its attendance management program the Attendance and Wellness Program, or AWP for short. BCNU filed a policy grievance over AWP that was scheduled to begin arbitration hearings in April 2012 but these didn’t get underway until August of that year after management cancelled, claiming it wanted to deal with only a few of the issues.

BCNU is asking to have the AWP thrown out on the grounds that it is unreasonable and dangerous to the public and to nurses.

“These attendance programs are insulting to nurses, damaging to morale and creating toxic workplaces because they assume wrongdoing and threaten harsh penalties,” says McPherson. “ I want to remind members that under our professional standards, we have a clear responsibility not to report to work when sick, in order to protect patients.”

McPherson also says the union will be reminding health employers that the Nurses’ Bargaining Association collective agreement allows up to 18 days a year for

UPDATE MAGAZINE May/June 2014

“

I COULD BARELY TALK AND THEY COULD DEFINITELY HEAR THAT I WAS SICK OVER THE PHONE BUT I WAS TOLD I WOULD NOT GET MY SICK TIME UNLESS I FOLLOWED THROUGH WITH THE PROGRAM.

PAUL SMITH

”

legitimate illness – an entitlement that was fairly bargained that BCNU intends to see respected.

BCNU lawyer James Gould told Arbitrator Vince Ready that AWP “coerces and intimidates nurses to work when sick under the threat of termination.” He accused the AWP of hiding its real mandate – compulsory attendance – in the shell of a wellness plan. In practice, there’s little or no focus on wellness, he argued, and suggested that AWP is about compelling people to work when sick.

Most egregious from the union’s perspective was AWP’s use of escalating punishments – from a ban on overtime, to reduction of regular paid hours, and finally termination – to force people above the average sick leave to reduce sick time.

More arbitration hearings are scheduled for this summer.

In the meantime, Ready has issued a ruling regarding AWP in response to similar policy grievances filed by other health sector unions representing workers in the Facilities Bargaining Association.

In January 2013, Ready ruled that VCHA must stop punishing its workers for calling in sick and end the practice of denying overtime, reducing hours or threatening to fire workers for illness or injury.

The ruling was no small victory, and while it addresses a grievance that was separate from BCNU’s, it speaks to many

of the disciplinary issues raised by the nurses’ union.

BCNU’s grievance covers members who work under the Nurses’ Bargaining Association contact. The NBA contains the recently negotiated Enhanced Disabilities Management Program to assist members who are dealing with both occupational and non-occupational illness and injury.

The union’s grievance argues that the EDMP, which is designed to facilitate proactive, appropriate and customized disability management programs for employees, is the appropriate venue to begin addressing concerns that an employer may have with an employee’s attendance record.

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he 2012 Ready ruling required that overtime bans must be lifted and any workers who have had their hours reduced under attendance management should have them reinstated.

And while the ruling was in response to grievances filed against VCHA, other health employers who were following the arbitration dispute did so to inform their own policies and decide whether or not to implement punitive measures that would also be struck down if challenged. Unfortunately, it appears that the Northern Health Authority didn’t get Ready’s message.

Paul Smith works in intensive care at Fort St. John Hospital. Late last February

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he felt ill and was diagnosed with viral bronchitis. Concerned that his employer would take issue with the fact he would be taking sick time just before travelling to the BCNU convention in Vancouver, the steward made sure to get a sick note from his doctor, which he gave to his manager.

“And sure enough not even about an hour later I had an email from Human Resources saying I had to contact the attendance management program with Northern Health, which is based out in Prince George,” he said.

Smith phoned as instructed. “I could barely talk and they could definitely hear that I was sick over the phone but I was told I would not get my sick time unless I followed through with the program.”

Smith ended the call after informing Northern Health that he believed he’d met his contractual obligation by providing a doctor’s note, and would be contacting his steward.

“I’ve talked to my Labour Relations Officer and my regional chair and I’m in the process of getting my step two grievances in place which pretty much says that I’ve been disciplined without a disciplinary meeting – to me that’s what this is.”

Smith’s message to others? “If it happens to you make sure you contact a BCNU rep – be it your steward, your chair, anyone – because it’s just blatantly not right. They say they can’t recruit nurses up here and yet they’re harassing us about this. It’s stupid.”

Like Smith, Davoren also believes employers’ efforts are wasteful and counterproductive.

“How many administrators are running these programs? The money they’re spending watchdogging us could be a handful of nurses’ wages,” she says. “These directives from on high are meant to streamline and better the system, but it is totally having the opposite effect. And they’re the ones paying for it – and ultimately our patients are paying for it, our nursing staff is paying for it.” update

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FEATURE

FULL CIRCLE

This year’s convention brought together two members who first met long ago and under very different circumstances Burn Unit where nurses there comforted them, dressed their painful burns, and provided care around the clock.

“As a young girl who was in so much pain, and in a strange place, it was a very scary experience,” recalls Tasneem.

“But I remember how caring and supportive the nurses were. It was the little things they did. For instance, once my mother and I were stable, they ensured our beds were placed TOGETHER AGAIN Tasneem Buksh (r) credits the care she received foot-to-foot. When in her childhood from Kathleen Wright (l) as one of the reasons she embarked on a career in nursing. my mom would go for her burn bath, the HEN SURREY nurses would comfort me so that I wasn’t Memorial Hospital alone.” perinatal nurse, TasHer experience as a young girl in hospital neem Buksh attended would come full circle during her time the BCNU convention at Convention when she bumped into in early March, she didn’t think she’d be Kathleen Wright, one of the nurses who reunited with a woman who, 19 years ago, cared for her all those years ago. Today, helped her through the toughest fight of Wright works at Royal Columbian Hospital her life. in the perinatal program and describes seeIt was a summer day back in 1995 when ing Tasneem, now healthy and happy, as an Buksh, a 12-year-old girl at the time, incredibly rewarding experience. and her mother were horribly burned in “When I saw her again, I said ‘Oh my a house fire. She remembers her sister Gosh!’ and she said, ‘Oh My Gosh!’ and it wrapping her in a nightgown to smother was just amazing,” says Wright. “When I the flames, and seeing firefighters cut off looked after Tasneem years ago, it was very melted silk clothing from her mother’s legs. personal. In the burn unit, we aren’t just Tasneem and her mother spent two taking people’s temperatures. We are doing months in Vancouver General Hospital’s some pretty abrasive things,” she says. “But

W

Tasneem knew she had to go through it, and she did it.”

Tasneem spent years recovering from her experience. After two months in the hospital and multiple skin grafts, she went through the difficult process of adjusting to live as a burn survivor. She had to re-learn how to walk, use her hands and train her mouth to pronounce words clearly. To help reduce the effects of scarring, she had to wear face masks and pressure garments for nearly four years.

She underwent dozens of surgeries including one that reconstructed the right

“

WHEN I SAW HER AGAIN, I SAID ‘OH MY GOSH!’ AND SHE SAID, ‘OH MY GOSH!’ KATHLEEN WRIGHT

”

side of her face after thick burn scars had begun to pull down her face. But she says it was the time she spent as a patient that sparked her interest in healthcare.

“My first interaction was as a patient, and that helped me with my career choice,” she explains. “It’s fascinating to see Kathleen 19 years later, and to know that we are now working in the same specialty area, in the same union, standing up for the same rights.”

For Kathleen, she feels lucky to have been able to reconnect with a patient years later and see that despite what they’ve gone through, they are leading full lives.

“Being in the burn unit, we see people that aren’t just physically scarred, but mentally scarred too,” she says. “We saw quite quickly that both Tasneem and her mom were going to be okay mentally and that our mission was to heal their bodies. To be able to see her again, and know so much later that I made a difference in her life has got to be one of the biggest thank-you’s ever.” update

UPDATE MAGAZINE May/June 2014

SPEAKING OUT

TIME TO TELL HER STORY

Ongoing violence prompts nurse to share her story with the media

NO REGRETS Burnaby RN Jewels Bainbridge is glad she decided to speak out on behalf of nurses who are suffering violent attacks at psychiatric facilities in the province.

L

AST DECEMBER, JEWELS BAINBRIDGE DECIDED IT WAS FINALLY time to speak out. The Burnaby RN had just read about a violent attack on a young nurse by a mentally ill patient at the Hillside Psychiatric Facility at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops. CBC News reported that the attack happened while the nurse was working short and alone on her ward. Her attacker had been just been transferred back to the hospital from jail because authorities there were unable to manage his aggressive behaviour.

CBC TV reporter Natalie Clancy had begun an investigation and was looking for other nurses who might talk about violence on the job.

Bainbridge suffered a similar violent incident in 2011 at the Maples Adolescent Treatment Centre in Burnaby, but she had never gone public with her story. Since her attack, she had heard of countless stories of other nurses also being hurt at the Maples.

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Now, she was ready to share her own story and tell the media about the ongoing problems at the facility.

The Maples has a long history of patients attacking nurses. Bainbridge was seriously hurt while on the job when she was attacked by a youth who was told he had to wait to take a shower.

“He just tossed the towels towards one of the other staff and came into the office forcefully and punched me with closed fists in the face a number of times,” Bainbridge recalls. Two other healthcare workers were injured trying to intervene. “Furniture was thrown. Everyone was thrown,” she says.

“I got thrown up against a wall quite violently and came to and saw one of the nurses who was really tiny having her head smacked against the side of the door by him.

I managed to get up. I took an office chair on wheels and charged him and kind of pushed him out of the room.”

Before being transferred to the Maples more than a decade ago, Bainbridge worked for nine years in an adult forensic hospital and two years treating jail inmates. She says she never felt more unsafe than she did when caring for minors at the Maples. Since the incident she has never returned.

Initially, Bainbridge wanted to press charges, but Maples management discouraged her from doing so. She was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and has since had three surgeries to repair a previous hernia that ruptured in the attack.

Talking to CBC Vancouver, Bainbridge detailed how the Maples had never provided nurses with proper personal alerts and instead were issued only walkie-talkie style radios with clips that quickly broke.

Bainbridge said management had refused to buy holsters to secure alarms to their clothing and, unlike other psychiatric facilities in BC, there were no panic buttons or wired alarm systems, and security guards didn’t work 24-7. During the investigation, CBC also uncovered the fact that the Maples had ignored WorkSafeBC orders to give nurses more protection.

Since the CBC series aired, the minister responsible for the facility, Stephanie

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Cadieux, has promised better security for nurses, including guards who are trained to deal with youth violence. This announcement has brought hope to nurses in other facilities, such as Kamloops’ Hillside Centre where staff have long suffered at the hands of patients.

By telling her story, Bainbridge succeeded in bringing change to a facility where management had turned a blind eye to the violence against nurses, and ignored BCNU’s countless complaints and concerns. BCNU has since filed a grievance related to violence prevention and the provision of

“

SPEAKING OUT

SCARS REMAIN: THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF VIOLENCE ON THE JOB

Williams Lake nurse still recovering from the trauma of a violent February attack

I got thrown up against a wall quite violently, came to, and saw one of the nurses who was really tiny having her head smacked against the side of the door.

”

JEWELS BAINBRIDGE

a safe workplace. Its remedies require that Maples management ensure adequate staffing is in place, and that comprehensive risk assessment and violence prevention training are in place.

“I have absolutely no regrets about speaking up.

Not at all,” Bainbridge says. “It was stressful to go through, but I am glad I did it. Because now I know I can stand up for myself again … in a big way.”

Bainbridge’s story has inspired many other nurses who are dealing with similar problems in their workplaces. At BCNU’s annual convention she was recognized for her bravery in speaking up and a received standing ovation from the more than 500 in attendance.

Bainbridge has been retrained through WorkSafeBC and is finishing her course in infection control this summer. She’s hoping to land a job in her new field and with a renewed confidence in her abilities, and is looking forward to a bright future. update

M

Williams Lake Seniors Village LPN Delorra Wall

OST NURSES IN LONG-TERM CARE KNOW A RISK of violent attack lurks in their workplace, but few are trained to deal with it when it happens, and essential supports are not in place.

That’s the reality Williams Lake Seniors Village LPN Delorra Wall recently discovered after walking an agitated resident towards the kitchen in search of a snack she hoped would calm him down. Things suddenly turned ugly as she moved to stop him from bursting into another potentially violent resident’s room. Caught between the angry man and a closed door, Wall found herself under attack.

It’s easy to believe an 87-year-old is harmless, but the bruises left on Wall’s arm and face say otherwise. A senior agitated to the point of fury can be a formidable threat. She’s still feeling the psychological effects two months later: “I’m now scared of being hit. I cry lots. I wish I could walk back on site and it

UPDATE MAGAZINE May/June 2014

The bruises from Delorra Wall’s February beating may be gone, but the emotional scars remain. Wall was never given a debriefing to evaluate the incident’s impacts, the degree of her trauma or need for medical care.

I couldn’t imagine going through this without the union.

They are really supportive. If I had to go through it alone, I think I’d be quitting and looking for a new career.

DELORRA WALL

would just be okay. But it’s not – not yet.”

There was no easy way to signal distress when the attack began. Fortunately, Wall shouted for help while desperately trying to activate her cellphone. Luckily a nearby care aide heard her, but in the time it took to reach her and restrain the attacker, she was pummeled hard.

After the beating Wall felt obliged to

carry on and work through her shift, which included being responsible for calming down her aggressor. “There was no choice but to stay,” she said, “you can’t just walk away. In long-term care there are no extra nurses to call in.”

But the incident didn’t stop there. After being settled in his room with food and meds, the still-angry patient escaped to the dining room where he began kicking a glass door and yelling menacingly. By this point staff were too intimidated to try to control him, so Wall contacted the patient’s son for a second time that evening and pleaded with him to come and calm his father down.

(This patient’s care plan included the option of calling family for help rather than 9-1-1 – a protocol that puts staff at higher risk).

Wall has gone over the incident many times since that night, analyzing what went wrong, or what was missing from the equation. She blames the lack of any training in self-defence or defusing of threatening situations, as well as not having a hands-free mobile communications system – such as Vocera – to signal for help.

She says she was never given a debriefing to evaluate the incident’s impacts, the degree of her trauma or need for medical care (as

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required under the collective agreement).

Wall notes that no one on her unit is trained to debrief, and that she wasn’t relieved of her duty despite being in shock.

Nor was she examined for injury. She did go to see a nurse on another unit, who recommended she see a doctor, but it wasn’t until the next day that she went.

Wall also completed an incident report that evening. However she says that management is not required to send this to Interior Health’s residential care facility licensing department for review when it involves a patient-on-caregiver assault.

When Wall attempted to return to work, management didn’t bring up the beating.

“Maybe management feels it’s such a normal part of work here that I was just okay to continue,” she wonders. Anything but okay to continue, she was diagnosed with posttraumatic stress and is still unable to face a return to a workplace where no changes have been made to date.

Working through the emotional impacts has led Wall to draw some conclusions about needed changes. “We need fewer aggressive people on the unit. We need more special long-term care homes that deal with aggressive or demented people.

They need to have special facilities and staff need to get more training.”

Wall also points to the fact that there’s no security whatsoever at Williams Lake Seniors Village, where 11 of the 34 patients on her unit have been identified as potentially violent.

She has, however, felt well supported by her union throughout her ordeal, and says BCNU staff and elected officers have been contacting her regularly and encouraging her return to health. “I couldn’t imagine going through this without the union. They are really supportive. If I had to go through it alone, I think I’d be quitting and looking for a new career.”

A grievance will be filed over the failure to provide Wall a debriefing, but this incident clearly shows systemic change is needed to make long-term care much safer for staff. update

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THE BIG CHILL

NEW BCNU POLICY PROTECTS MEMBERS

ARE EMPLOYER’S SCARE TACTICS PREVENTING UNION MEMBERS FROM SPEAKING OUT? Know your rights: When and how to speak publicly about workplace concerns

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AIL CONLIN, A FULL-TIME steward and RN at Surrey Memorial Hospital, is not what you’d call a shrinking violet. A former police officer, she has no fear about speaking up, especially when it comes to nurses’ working conditions and safe patient care.

Last fall, Conlin spoke to reporters at a BCNU press conference about the staffing crisis in emergency rooms in Fraser Health. In February, she was interviewed on Global TV’s “Unfiltered with Jill Krop” about the overcapacity problems at Surrey Memorial, how this is prompting nurses to resign, and how it affects safe patient care.

BCNU has filed countless grievances and PRF’s about overcapacity, but no one at Fraser Health seemed to be listening – until Conlin’s interview on “Unfiltered.” She mentioned that a patient died in the waiting room. Krop asked her if that was a result of overcapacity and Conlin replied, “possibly.”

Suddenly, hospital management took notice – but for all the wrong reasons.

Conlin was called into a meeting with management (the second she’s had since the

MAKING NEWS BCNU full-time stewards Janette DownesSpringer and Elvira Martens speak out about Fraser Health’s overcapacity crisis with Global TV’s Jill Krop. It’s not uncommon for employers to intimidate union members from speaking to the media. But in reality members are rarely, if ever, disciplined for speaking out.

November press conference) and asked how she knew about the tragedy. She told the employer that a manager had sent out an email detailing the circumstances of the death.

The meeting was non-disciplinary. But Conlin is all too aware that these meetings can be a first step on the path to being formally disciplined.

And there’s no question this kind of scare tactic by the employer can have a chilling effect. It is an intimidation method frequently used by health authorities to stop nurses from going public.

It’s no wonder many workers second guess themselves when thinking of speaking out about their work and practice conditions. What rules are employers allowed to impose? Can employees be gagged?

“They are full of bluster,” says BCNU Director of Legal Services Jessica Bowering, when asked about these kinds of meetings. “Sometimes they will threaten. They will tell nurses not to speak out – and so they don’t.”

Bowering says that in reality union members are rarely, if ever, disciplined for speaking out. If an employer tries to impose discipline and the member has been speaking out while involved in union activities (such as BCNU’s Safe Staffing campaign) the union will vigorously defend them.

IN JANUARY, THE BCNU approved a policy which will support members who may lose income as a result of being involved in BCNU-approved activities. Examples include speaking out about the CDMR campaign that started on Vancouver Island in 2013, or the union’s safe staffing campaign efforts to have the employers implement the new replacement provisions in the 2012-2014 Nurses’ Bargaining Association collective agreement.

The new policy states: “BCNU will defend any member who is disciplined by their Employer for engaging in BCNU approved activities, through the grievance and arbitration process.

BCNU will compensate members for any employment income lost (including premiums, benefits and assistance with pension recovery) as a result of discipline for BCNU approved activities until their grievance is concluded on the following conditions: a) The member must agree to reimburse BCNU for losses (or any portion of losses) that are ultimately recovered from the Employer or mitigated through alternate employment as a nurse. b) The member must cooperate with BCNU representatives in the handling of their grievance.

Compensation for any member will not exceed 1.00 FTE. Each case will be heard and determined by the Executive Committee (in the interest of timely decision-making).”

UPDATE MAGAZINE May/June 2014

It’s a common misconception that there is a policy that ‘gags’ or prevents nurses from talking to the media. There isn’t.

JESSICA BOWERING, BCNU DIRECTOR OF LEGAL SERVICES

“It’s a common misconception that there is a policy that ‘gags’ or prevents nurses from talking to the media. There isn’t,” says Bowering. “Employees are bound by what’s called a ‘duty of loyalty’, which means, for example, if you are working for a company, you can’t tell the media their widgets don’t work or make sweeping allegations about management being incompetent.”

Bowering stresses that expressing an opinion is a basic right and speaking out about short staffing, unsafe patient care or violence in the workplace is something BCNU will strongly defend provided nurses are involved in union-sanctioned activities.

When and how to speak out has become the subject of much discussion among nurses on Vancouver Island, who are currently waging a campaign against Island Health’s care delivery restructuring (CDMR), which replaces nurses with care aides and is now spreading to other BC health authorities.

The fight against CDMR should serve as a reminder to all members that speaking up about their concerns is legally protected as a bona fide union activity.

Both the Nurses’ Bargaining Association and Facilities Bargaining Association collective agreements provide for protection against discrimination, interference, restriction or coercion of any employee for activity in the union.

BCNU members are also protected by British Columbia’s Labour Code, which has provisions preventing employers from disciplining or discriminating against employees who participate in the promotion, formation or administration of a trade union.

It’s important to note that the above legal protection is conferred when members are seen to be participating in union activities, and they are speaking out about an issue the union has identified as a problem. There is less protection if a member “goes it alone” on an issue that might not be seen as a union concern. In fact, one of the best protections against employer harassment is for a member to stand up for her or his rights by assisting the union and not remaining “behind the scenes.” Participating in union activity triggers the protection provided by the collective agreements.

Even with protection of their contract

SPEAKING TO THE MEDIA

It’s important to remember the following if you find yourself in front of a camera or microphone: • Keep it personal and speak from your own experience.

• Be specific. For example: “The unit was short-staffed between 9:00 pm and 6:00 am on April 31.”

• Be factual: Don’t guess or “make something up” in order to answer a question on the spot. If you don’t know the answer just say so.

• Avoid disclosing patient information.

• Avoid personal attacks.

• Nothing is “off the record”. Anything you say could be used, regardless of any assurances a reporter gives you.

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language, employees can nevertheless find themselves facing employer claims of insubordination – and that’s where things can get murky.

For example, a nurse who works at the Hillside Psychiatric Centre in Kamloops is currently facing disciplinary action after speaking out about unsafe working conditions to management – not the media. Her employer has accused her of insubordination.

BCNU members have filed many grievances against Hillside over the years – and this dispute is just the most recent. It came after a young nurse at the facility was viciously attacked by a patient last December. The incident drew a lot of media attention, and the CBC launched an investigative series, in which Hillside was profiled. Coincidentally, on the day the story aired, the member was informed of the insubordination allegation, which landed her a three day suspension, although she was never interviewed by the CBC. BCNU is disputing the claim and providing the member with support under its new policy to protect members who speak out (see page 18).

Bowering reminds members that BCNU stewards, in particular, are protected when speaking out to represent members and conduct the business of the union. If something potentially controversial needs to be said, a steward is often in a safer position to do so.

Bowering also stresses that before going public, it is always important to communicate the problem to management through the grievance or the professional responsibility form (PRF) process. There are protocols in place at BCNU regarding who speaks to media on behalf of the union, and a member’s decision to “go to the media” should be done in consultation with the union and be seen as an option of last resort. update

FEATURE

READY TO TAKE ACTION From left: North East region’s Susan Braine, RIVA region’s Liz Goba and Vancouver Metro region’s Linh Nguyen.

“WE ARE ALL

CONVENTION 2014

LEADERS”

NURSES TAKE ACTION FOR SAFE STAFFING

The pouring rain and wind blowing through Downtown Vancouver couldn’t stop BC Nurses’ Union Convention 2014 delegates from taking their safe patient care message to the streets and rallying for safe staffing on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery March 6.

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ITH LIVELY CHANTS OF “HEY HEY, HO HO, HALLWAY nursing’s got to go!” and “What do we want? Safe Staffing! When do we want it? Now!” BCNU members from across the province were determined to make sure health employers heard their voice.

“We are here to send a strong message to the government: the healthcare system needs more nurses, not fewer,” said BCNU President Debra McPherson.

“Patients need safe staffing levels – without it, safe patient care is at risk!”

McPherson spoke to members about the crisis conditions facing patients and nurses in BC’s healthcare system. From Island Health’s care delivery restructuring that’s replacing nurses with unlicensed care aides, to Fraser Health’s refusal to address chronic ER overcapacity, to the growing crisis in mental health, she said there’s no question that health

“WE ARE ALL LEADERS” BCNU President Debra McPherson kicked-off Convention 2014 with a retrospective that took stock of the gains nurses have made since BCNU began in 1981. “Here we are today: one province, one profession, one union – having grown from 10,000 to 43,000 members in over 800 workplaces province-wide.”

authorities are hell-bent on cutting costs to make their budgets, and that their callous disregard for anything but the bottom line has impacted the health of British Columbians.

“Nurses right across this province are working short staffed and scrambling to keep up and maintain their professional standards,” she said. “Well, I’m here to tell you, we will not be silenced! The BC Nurses’ Union will not be gagged. And we are not afraid to speak the truth about unsafe patient care!”

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

The rally marked the final day of BCNU’s thirty-third annual convention, which ran from March 4 to 6. The theme of this year’s convention was “Take Action”, and McPherson kicked off the three-day event with a recap of the milestones that have marked the union’s growth since its inception in 1981. The retrospective was an important reminder about what can be accomplished through solidarity and collective action.

“We’ve taken a lot of action over many years to get to where we are,” said McPherson, who noted how far nurses in BC have come in protecting their jobs

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FEATURE

“

The BC Nurses’ Union will not be gagged. And we are not afraid to speak the truth about unsafe patient care!

DEBRA MCPHERSON

”

FIRST-TIME DELEGATE Bev Briggs from Pacific Rim region speaks in favour of a resolution calling for an end to age discrimination in LTD plans.

KEEPING THE PROMISE BCNU’s Executive Director of Negotiations and Strategic Development Gary Fane took to the stage on the first day of Convention 2014 to highlight the union’s history of successful bargaining and culture of generosity.

PROVINCIAL LOBBY COORDINATOR BCNU Vice President Christine Sorensen addresses delegates on day three of Convention. Sorensen said she was proud of the work of BCNU’s 16 Regional Lobby Coordinators who worked to secure support from elected government representatives in the fight for safe staffing and safe patient care.

and advancing their profession.

“Here we are today: one province, one profession, one union – having grown from 10,000 to 43,000 members in over 800 workplaces province-wide,” she said, while talking about the union programs developed to greatly improve the services that members now receive.

McPherson recalled the unsafe working conditions that existed when the union began, and told delegates about the huge gains the union has made in safe guarding members’ health and safety.

She spoke about how BCNU’s education department has grown into an important union resource for delivering programs and developing future leaders.

McPherson reminded members that the union developed its LEAP (Licensing, Education, Advocacy and Practice) program because nurses’ could not rely on their employers to help defend their licenses when required.

She remarked on how BCNU’s organizing department has worked

over the years to bring nurses together under a provincial contract and under one union, as it undertook one of the largest and most successful organizing drives in the province’s history with the successful unification of LPNs and RNs. McPherson also noted how the union successfully developed a campaigns and communications department to engage with the public and politicians in order to pressure the employer and secure important gains at the bargaining table.

None of this existed when the union began, she said.

“We serve our members in a myriad of ways – each and every day – from the front lines and the people who do the work, to our stewPROUD LEADERS Presidential candidates, pictured (l-r), Petra St.Pierre, Michelle Martinson, Gayle Duteil and Debra McPherson shared the stage for an allcandidates’ debate on the first day of Convention. After a 21-day online and televote, members elected Duteil to a three-year term.

UPDATE MAGAZINE May/June 2014

ards and leaders and activists,” she said.

“These programs are growing every day with the imagination of your combined membership, and with the inspiration of our members who bring us new ideas every day.”

McPherson didn’t hesitate to speak of the difficult times that lie ahead in the face of government austerity, and reminded members of their collective strength. “We are all leaders,” she said.

“I am so proud of this organization and every member in it.”

McPherson concluded by calling on members to remain united in their resolve for safe staffing and safe patient care.

“We are strong. We should be proud.

We should be united. We should be facing the employer and the government and the naysayers head-on as cheerleaders for BCNU. There is no union better out there. There is no union that works harder or longer than the BCNU – this is your union be proud of it!”

RETIRING ACTIVISTS THANKED

McPherson also recognized the work of the dedicated activists who were retiring from nursing after serving and contributing to so much of the work she had mentioned in her opening address. Outgoing activists thanked included West Kootenay region’s Gwen Nowe, Pacific Rim region’s Brenda Hill and Willa Cannon, and Simon Fraser region’s Brenda Flynn, Robin McGregor, Janet Sawatsky and Linda Shong. McPherson extended them

best wishes on behalf of all BCNU members for their happy retirement.

ALL-CANDIDATES’ DEBATE

The first day of Convention 2014 wrapped up with a spirited all-candidates’ debate between 11 contestants vying for four positions on BCNU’s provincial executive council. Hosted by the BCNU Nominations Committee, the event allowed delegates to hear candidates firsthand while giving them an opportunity to address delegates’ questions directly.

This year was the first time that all of the positions on the union’s provincial executive council were up for election simultaneously. The successful candidates were elected for three year terms that expire in 2017 (see page 7 for full election results).

KEYNOTE SPEAKER DR. SAMANTHA NUTT

This year’s keynote speaker, Dr. Samantha Nutt delivered an impassioned speech about the vital importance of nurses to patients’ healthcare experience.

Dr. Nutt is founder of War Child, a Canadian agency devoted to rights and justice for child war victims. She characterized doctors as the mechanics of the industry, while nurses were the wise counsel and kind ears. She expressed concerns about the current economic and political environment that requires healthcare professionals to “do more with less” while experiencing greater stress and exhaustion. Nevertheless, as frontline

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DELEGATES’ VIEWS WHAT DOES BCNU MEAN TO YOU?

TRACY JONKER North East As an LPN, BCNU to me is amazing.

Nurses are nurses. It doesn’t matter if you’re an RN or an LPN, we’re all in the fight together and I am so proud to be a member of this union!

CARMENCHITA (MENCHIE) ROSALES Coastal Mountain It’s a sense of security, it gives me a feeling I belong, and I can always run to them if I’m in trouble. So, it’s like protection - and also my source of education.

NANCY SILZER East Kootenay It means I’m not alone, I have the support of my colleagues. We work collectively, we have common goals which have always been about patient care. We’re a very strong voice and I believe in BCNU.

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FEATURE

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Nurses may be nonpartisan but it’s time we got our heads out of the sand with our federal government.

It’s dangerous.

LINDA SILAS

”

“IF IT’S HARD, IT’S BECAUSE WHAT YOU’RE DOING IS IMPORTANT” This year’s keynote speaker, Dr. Samantha Nutt of War Child Canada delivered an impassioned speech about the vital importance of nurses to patients’ healthcare experience.

NOT READY TO MAKE NICE CFNU President Linda Silas told BCNU members that now is the time to start preparing to take on the federal government in next year’s election.

humanitarian workers, Nutt called on nurses to draw support from one another.

“Be unapologetic about following your ideals,” said Dr. Nutt, who declared that “all of us as activists, advocates and frontline humanitarian workers need to ensure our voices are heard. Our silence is our surrender.”

An MD by training before becoming an advocate for the child victims of war, Dr. Nutt shared many leadership lessons drawn from the challenges of making War Child an effective agency of change.

Recounting the story of Nadine, a child victim of a hideously brutal gang assault in East Congo, she noted “we strengthen our capacity for empathy when we allow ourselves to confront uncomfortable truths.”

While we may find it “hard to stare down the obstacles to change ... if it’s hard, it’s because what you’re doing is important.”

Dr. Nutt was outspoken about the challenges nurses face in an era of austerity: “Some of the changes we’re being asked to make today will not see us through tomorrow.” She encouraged BCNU members to pursue their own vision of positive change through leadership and urged them to “ignore the blowhards” who say that new ideas are unworkable.

War Child’s success in funding literacy and justice programs for young people

scarred by war has led to widespread interest in her ideas about leadership based on vision, empathy and hope. Persistence is key, said Nutt, because “success is generally born of failure.”

Dr. Nutt called on members to be defiant in the face of injustice and said, “there’s never a failure of opportunity for healthcare workers to affect change.”

MESSAGE OF SOLIDARITY FROM CANADIAN NURSES

The last day of Convention 2014 was kicked off by Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions President Linda Silas, who delivered a simple message to BCNU delegates: start preparing to take on the federal government in the next election right now.

Pointing to declining federal transfer payments that squeeze healthcare budgets and prompt cuts, she said, “nurses may be nonpartisan but it’s time we got our heads out of the sand with our federal government.

It’s dangerous.”

“Nurses need to speak out. You can’t work any harder than you are right now. We need to educate politicians to see healthcare as the number one priority.”

Noting the trend across Canada to substitute care aides for nurses to save money, she said, “we know nurses save lives – research across the world tells you ‘do not cut nurses’.”

WORKERS OF COLOUR Members of BCNU’s Workers of Colour caucus met to strategize during this year’s Convention.

UPDATE MAGAZINE May/June 2014

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HUMAN RIGHTS AND EQUITY CAUCUS CHAIRS (picture on left) Back row (l-r): Hanif Karim (staff), Walter Lumamba, Kath-Ann Terrett, Howard Searle, Jessica Celeste, Lisa Walker, Mabel Tung, Kelly Woywitka. Front row (l-r): Jackie Nault, Cynthia Reid, and Michelle Martinson. ABORIGINAL LEADERSHIP CIRCLE Back row (l-r): Pacific Rim region’s Michelle Martinson, South Island region’s Louise Laroche, West Kootenay region’s Erin Roulette, Thompson North Okanagan region’s Jessica Minnabarriet, South Fraser Valley region co-chair Lisa Walker. Front row (l-r): North East region’s Wanda Veer, Nurse Practitioner Tania Dick, Vancouver Coastal region’s Rhonda Bennett and student nurse Jessica Reid.

Commenting on employers’ willingness to replace nurses “with anything that’s a warm body,” she pointed to sectors like aviation where the need to staff safely is paramount: “if the pilot is sick, the pilot will not be replaced by the baggage handler,” she said.

Silas closed her address on a defiant note: “You know that song by the Dixie Chicks, Not Ready To Make Nice? We have been too polite, too nice. It’s time nurses were not ready to make nice.”

Convention delegates also heard from Ontario Nurses’ Association President Linda Haslam-Stroud and Heather Smith of the United Nurses of Alberta. Both shared messages of solidarity and stories about healthcare restructuring in their provinces similar to that being experienced by their counterparts in BC.

BYLAWS AND RESOLUTIONS

Delegates to Convention 2014 spent significant time debating proposed bylaw amendments and resolutions that members brought to the floor.

Delegates defeated a motion that proposed removing Bylaw articles passed in 2009 which give BCNU Council the

“

All of us as activists, advocates and frontline humanitarian workers need to ensure our voices are heard.Our silence is our surrender.

DR. SAMANTHA NUTT

”

authority to declare a member to be not in good standing if it is determined they have breached their duties under the BCNU Constitution. Delegates also voted against approving a bylaw amendment that proposed increasing the minimum number of regional meetings from three to four per year.

Delegates turned down a resolution that proposed capping BCNU Council members’ salaries at the rates they were earning prior to being elected.

Members voted in favour of a resolution

calling for the creation of a BCNU working group to consider constructive approaches that may be promoted to end age discrimination in the long-term disability plans available to BCNU members.

Convention delegates discussed the collective agreement ratification procedure and voted in favour of a resolution requiring that BCNU make every effort to create the material conditions necessary for the membership to fully discuss the proposed terms of settlement of a collective agreement prior to a ratification vote. Delegates also voted to direct BCNU to attempt to hold well-advertised mass membership meetings or electronic town halls where terms of a tentative agreement can be presented, questions can be answered, and members can express their opinions.

Delegates also voted in favour of an emergency resolution brought forward

by BCNU’s Aboriginal Leadership Circle calling on BCNU to lobby the Canadian Nurses Association and other licensing boards to ensure that Aboriginal culture, history and context is alive and incorporated into the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) and licensing programs. update

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CONVENTION POSTCARDS

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1. Ontario Nurses’ Association President Linda HaslamStroud, Canadian Federation of Nurses Union President Linda Silas and BC Nurses’ Union President Debra McPherson lead the rally in downtown Vancouver. 2. North East region’s Judith Dindayal and Lynda Anderson with Vancouver Island LPN rep Barry Phillips at the LGBT caucus booth. 3. Retiring activists Brenda Hill (left) and Gwen Nowe (right) were recognized for their years of commitment and leadership.

4. North West region’s Marianne Kolnberger pays a visit to BCNU OH&S officer Georgina Hackett at the Enhanced Disability Management Program display. 5. Simon Fraser region’s Maria Huertas, Nicole Dinning and Loree Sutherland.

6. Thompson North Okanagan region’s Kathy Moore and South Islands region’s Jayne Yearwood encourage other regions to meet or beat the coins they have collected as a donation for War Child Canada. 7. Coastal Mountain members dressed in black and red to show their support for nurses working under CDMR on the Island. 8. Coastal Mountian region’s Amy Orodio, Daisy Arcilla and Jill Diano. 9. North East region’s Bal Badial (l) and Hanna Embree (centre) take a “pop quiz” with Simon Fraser region’s Christine Nombrado (r) at the LGBT caucus booth. 10. The Workers’ of Colour caucus meet for lunch. Back row (l-r): Coastal Mountain region’s Yolanda Cutanda-Dela Cruz and Amy Oridio. Front row (l-r): Vancouver Metro region’s Eleen Leung, Ivy Velasco and Catherine Ivy. 11. BCNU delegates give a warm welcome to Ontario Nurses’ Association President Linda Haslam-Stroud (l) and Heather Smith (r) of the United Nurses of Alberta.

12. North East region’s Sue Braine and RIVA region’s Liz Goba participate in the member photo shoot. 13. Pacific Rim region’s Cindy Webster and Kelly Woywitka at the Workers’ with Disabilities’ caucus booth. 14. Coastal Mountain region’s Rosita Nadela and Shirley Oandasan receive fresh copies of Update magazine from BCNU Communications Assistant Evans Li. 15. North West region’s (l-r) Ellen Christison, Emma Christison, Michael Prevost and region chair Sharon Sponton rally for safe staffing at the Vancouver Art Gallery. 16. BCNU Vice President Christine Sorensen pays a visit to the Men in Nursing booth hosted by RIVA region’s Romy De Leon (l) and Simon Fraser region’s Huy Nguyen (r).

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Health & Safety IN THE WORKPLACE

THE PSYCHOLOGICALLY HEALTHY WORKPLACE FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND NATIONAL STANDARDS ARE BEING DEVELOPED TO IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH ON THE JOB THERE IS A GROWING body of research that clearly shows how psychologically healthy workplaces support safe, sustainable quality patient care. The scientific literature also points to a clear linkage between poor nursing work environments and poor patient outcomes.

Studies have shown that patient satisfaction is much lower in institutions where nurses feel burned out and dissatisfied with their work conditions. Nurses’ reports about their job satisfaction and perceptions of working conditions are an organizational barometer of how well patients are faring.

It’s now a well-established fact that mental health problems and illnesses are the leading cause of short‐ and long‐term disability in Canada. The toll on Canadian workers and workplaces is substantial. Yet, up to this point, there has been no comprehensive national standard to help guide organizations that want

to take action. This situation has prompted occupational health and safety leaders to develop the kinds of standards for psychological health that are already in place for the protection of physical health.

The Canadian National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (the Standard) is the first of its kind in the world.

DID YOU KNOW?

• On any given week, more than 500,000 Canadians will not go to work because of mental illness.

• More than 30% of disability claims and 70% of disability costs are attributed to mental illness.

• Approximately $51 billion each year are lost to the Canadian economy because of mental illness.

Championed by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), and developed by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA Group) and the Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ), the Standard is a voluntary set of guidelines focused on the development of a system comprised of 13 core components (see sidebar) supporting psychologically healthy and safe workplaces.

Launched in January 2013, the voluntary standard was developed by a panel of experts that represented employers, labour unions, academic researchers and government agencies. Mary Ann Baynton is Program Director of the GreatWest Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace.

She served as co-chair of the technical committee which oversaw the development of the Standard.

“The Standard is important because we need to help employers realize that a psycho-

logically healthy and safe workplace is not a workplace with no demands or pressures, it’s one where people are supported to do their best work,” she says. “The Standard provides a framework with specific and tangible steps for organizations to get there.”

One year later organizations across the country are beginning to implement the Standard and over 30 will participate in a three-year research project focused on identifying best practices and developing tools to support the adoption of the Standard nationally.

Dr. Merv Gilbert works at Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction (CARMHA). He is the co-lead of the cross-Canada team of experts heading the project.

“The goal is to tell the stories of these companies that are implementing the Standard, and to find where there are opportunities or road blocks to further inform the refinement of the Standard and drive the creation of tools and resources to assist future implementations,” explains Gilbert.

Some of the organizations involved in the research project include the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, Cape Breton Health District Authority, Capital District Health Authority (Nova Scotia), Great‐West Life Assurance Company, Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union, the BC Provincial Health Services Authority , the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group, and Toronto East General Hospital.

“We’re pleased with the diversity of the organizations

UPDATE MAGAZINE May/June 2014

that are participating which includes a broad mix of large and small employers, public, private and not-for-profit from across the country,” says Gilbert.

The BC Nurses’ Union is also committed to supporting and sustaining psychologically healthy workplaces for

“

We need to help employers realize that a psychologically healthy and safe workplace is not a workplace with no demands or pressures, it’s one where people are supported to do their best work.

”

MARY ANN BAYNTON

its members and this is an important focus of the union’s new Mental Health Strategy.

BCNU’s participation in the Provincial Joint Health and Safety Committee is just one way it advocates for adoption of the Standard in nursing workplaces throughout British Columbia.

Marg Dhillon, BCNU’s Executive Director of Health and Safety, welcomes the new psychological occupational health standard initiative. “We are seeing too many nurses having their careers cut short because of issues in the workplace,” she says. “Employers need to engage our members in meaningful consultation over issues such as workload and violence – and anything that will help create environments where nurses feel respected and valued is welcome.”

For more information visit the Mental Health Strategy web page under Health and Safety at bcnu.org. update

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WHAT DOES A PSYCHOLOGICALLY SAFE AND HEALTHY WORKPLACE LOOK LIKE? There are key psychosocial factors that impact employees’ psychological responses to work and work conditions. These include the way work is carried out (deadlines, workload, work methods) and the context in which work occurs (including relationships and interactions with managers and supervisors, colleagues and coworkers, and clients or customers).

Psychologically healthy workplaces should contain psychosocial factors that reduce the potential for causing psychological health problems. Positive factors include: 1 Psychological Support: A work environment where coworkers and supervisors are supportive of employees’ psychological and mental health concerns, and respond appropriately as needed.

2 Healthy Organizational Culture: A work environment characterized by trust, honesty and fairness.

3 Clear Leadership & Expectations: A work environment where there is effective leadership and support that helps employees know what they need to do, how their work contributes to the organization, and whether there are impending changes.

4 Civility & Respect: A work environment where employees are respectful and considerate in their interactions with one another, as well as with customers, clients and the public.

5 Psychological Competencies & Requirements: A work environment where there is a good fit between employees’ interpersonal and emotional competencies and the requirements of the position they hold.

6 Growth & Development: A work environment where employees receive encouragement and support in the development of their interpersonal, emotional and job skills.

7 Recognition & Reward: A work environment where there is appropriate acknowledgement and appreciation of employees’ efforts in a fair and timely manner.

8 Involvement & Influence: A work environment where employees are included in discussions about how their work is done and how important decisions are made.

9 Workload Management: A work environment where tasks and responsibilities can be accomplished successfully within the time available.

Engagement: A work environment where employ10 ees feel connected to their work and are motivated to do their job well.

Balance: A work environment where there is recognition 11 of the need for balance between the demands of work, family and personal life.

12 Psychological Protection: A work environment where employees’ psychological safety is ensured.

13 Protection of Physical Safety: A work environment where management takes appropriate action to protect the physical safety of employees.

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Your Pension SECURING YOUR FUTURE

RETURNING TO WORK AFTER RETIREMENT? YOU’VE GOT SOME OPTIONS RETIREMENT. FOR MOST of us it’s a long-awaited destination after many years of employment. But some of us find that our retirement wasn’t as permanent as we may have expected, and find ourselves returning to the workforce once again.

What happens to your pension in this situation? If you are currently receiving Municipal Pension Plan (MPP) or Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP) benefits and you return to work with an employer under the MPP or PSPP and are under the age of 71, you have three options: 1) You can simply continue receiving your original pension while working and receiving income from your new employer.

2) You can stop receiving your original pension and begin contributing to your plan again while working for your new employer.

3) You can stop receiving your original pension, re-pay all benefits you received, with interest, and begin contributing to your plan again while working for your new employer.

Option one is fairly straightforward. You will simply receive two sources of income: your

original pension benefits and new employment income.

However it’s important to note that choosing this option means you will never be able to re-contribute into the pension plan you retired from. The decision not to contribute into the plan cannot be changed and applies to all future employment with any employer from which you are receiving the pension payment.

Option two means that you will begin contributing to the MPP or PSPP again. You become an active plan member and your pension benefits stop – this includes benefits received as part of a post-retirement group benefits plan (e.g. extended health or dental benefits). Note certain conditions need to be met before you can contribute again. Regular nurses must pass

the three-month probation period, casual nurses must complete two years of continuous employment and earn at least 35 percent of the year’s maximum pensionable earnings.

Option three has the same two-year eligibility requirement as option two. However in this scenario your repayment of previous pension benefits with interest allows you to restart your pension as though you had never retired in the first place.

If you choose this option, Pension Services will determine the amount you must repay.

Once you receive word that you are eligible to enroll, you will have 60 days to make the payment in full. If you do not pay on time you will once again start to receive your original pension benefits as in option one. The advantage of option three

PENSION STATEMENT ERROR? Employers provide the MPP and PSPP with their information. Remember to check with you employer if you think your pension statement is in error.

is that it will result in a higher pension benefit when you retire again, as the period of time you received pension payments after your first retirement will not be a factor when Pension Services calculates your entitlement.

Starting a new pension (option two) means that when you retire again, your new pension will be based on the combined salary and service from your original pension, and salary and service you earned while employed. Your age for pension calculation purposes will be reduced by the length of time you received a pension, which may cause a reduction in your pension, even if you are age 60 or over.

In any case, when you return to work, you must complete the Re-employment of a Retired Member Declaration to indicate your decision about your pension options and submit it to Pension Services within 60 days of your start date. Not submitting the form within 60 days, regardless of whether you are eligible to contribute at re-employment, means that you automatically revert to the default option one, that is, you will not be eligible to contribute to the MPP or PSPP and you will continue receiving your pension.

Talk to your employer’s human resources department for more information, or visit mpp.pensionsbc.ca or pspp. pensionsbc.ca. update REMEMBER: Pension Statements come out in the months of May and June. Contact your Human Resources Department if you have questions and don’t forget to check to see if you have reached your maximum contribution limit.

UPDATE MAGAZINE May/June 2014

Staff Profile

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HERES WHO’S SUPPORTING BCNU MEMBERS AND LEADERS

ORGANIZING DEPARTMENT TEAM LEADER DONNA FORSCUTT IS A VOICE OF UNITY AND OPTIMISM DONNA FORSCUTT IS the team leader of BCNU’s Organizing Department. To say it’s been a busy job would be an understatement. Forscutt was at the fore of BCNU’s historic drive to unify RNs and LPNs in one professional nurses’ union – a task that began in 2003 and which culminated with a successful representation vote in 2012 that saw some 70 percent of BC health authority-employed LPNs vote to join BCNU. “It was a very long campaign,” says Forscutt. “We sold hope and change. The vision was to unite nurses in this province, and I wholeheartedly believe in that initiative. The team and I worked tirelessly to bring it about.”

She recalls the pivotal moment in the campaign like it was yesterday: “It was Oct 5, 2012 when BCNU organizers

BRINGING NURSES TOGETHER “When a group of individuals want change, they have the ability to climb mountains,” says BCNU Organizing Department Team Leader Donna Forscutt.

were at the Labour Board and we were counting the ballots for each of the health authorities. One-by-one we won all of them, and that moment of knowing that nurses in this province will be united and it’s not only a forward step for nurses, but a forward step for patient care in this province, that was a great experience.

Even though there are growing pains and it requires a change in culture, I believe in my heart that nurses are stronger together than we are divided.”

Forscutt has a varied nursing background, with much time spent working in critical care at various facilities in BC. She attended the University

of Alberta and completed her nursing studies at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton.

Forscutt says she was politically active in her youth and served as the student president of her nursing school. “I have always had a leaning for fairness, social justice, women’s rights, basically taking care of each other,” she says. “I was always a strong unionist, always got involved, I’ve walked the line. I really believe – especially with a female-dominated profession – that without a union we would not be where we are today, so it’s an absolute privilege to do the work that I do for the members, and to be a nurse.”

Forscutt has also stayed close to her nursing roots despite the demands of her staff role.

In 2007 she returned to the bedside and worked in remote rural aboriginal communities for almost three years before returning to BCNU to work as Occupational Health and Safety Officer.

Forscutt is clearly proud of her accomplishments in her current role. “I think we’ve made a significant change for the LPNs with our ability to provide them with quality servicing,” she says. “LPNs were previously in unions that had a lot of different classifications, and even though BCNU represents more than nurses, we are predominantly a nursing family, so our education is nursingrelated, and in our outreach we understand the culture.”

Forscutt is happy to report that an impressively large number of LPNs have become BCNU stewards, and have now completed their first BCNU courses. “Some were active in their previous unions and we want to continue that legacy of activism,” she says. “We have encouraged them to participate to the fullest in their new union of representation. LPNs are now fully integrated members.”

Forscutt’s experience has given her an undeniable optimism for the future. “I’ve been really inspired by working with people who have given hours of their time and effort for a vision. It’s restored my belief in the power of people, and when a group of individuals want change, they have the ability to climb mountains.” update

WORTH A 32 THOUSAND WORDS Want to let other members know what’s happening in your region?

Don’t forget to send us your photos.

Q&A

HUMAN RIGHTS AND EQUITY

LUMAMBA It’s a rewarding career. Being

AN INTERVIEW WITH MEN IN NURSING CHAIR WALTER LUMAMBA

Email your pictures to photos@bcnu.org

THE MEN IN NURSING GROUP was created to provide a safe space for male BCNU members who by virtue of choosing a “non-traditional” and highly gendered profession encounter unique challenges. The group works towards creating a more inclusive union by challenging the gendered nature of nursing and encouraging more men to enter the profession.

BCNU’s commitment to creating a union where gender is understood as a socially constructed phenomenon that can and should be transcended often requires members to challenge restrictive social norms and outdated stereotypes.

The current chair of the Men in Nursing group is Walter Lumamba.

Walter is a registered nurse at Surrey Memorial Hospital who works in Orthopaedics. He has been a nurse since 1991. He recently shared his thoughts on the MiN group with Update magazine.

UPDATE What does it mean to you to be a man in nursing?

a man in a mostly female-dominated profession can be a challenge. Many men encounter stereotypes in the workplace.

We get asked questions like “why did you choose this career, isn’t it mostly for women?” Some patients don’t think you “look like a nurse”, and when they see us wearing scrubs they assume we are doctors.

The rewarding part is being able to make a difference every day, especially for patients who are afraid of what’s going on in the moment. When you are in the hospital, it’s a frightening and new environment. Then you see a nurse, we assure them they are safe, and it makes a difference. It feels great to be able to help and I feel satisfied when I get home.

UPDATE Why did BCNU need a MiN group?

LUMAMBA Members can express what they experience safely within the caucus, which can sometimes be hard to do with women colleagues. We are not concerned about our masculinity when there are no women around. For example, nine guys all work on the same shift at the Peace Arch Hospital ER, and the group wanted to hear about their unique experiences.

UPDATE How did you come to be involved with the MiN group?

LUMAMBA I started to get involved with my South Fraser Valley region in 2009 and my regional chairs encouraged me to attend the MiN group meeting at BCNU’s annual convention. The MiN group welcomed me and I felt like we needed this group. I can express my concerns openly. We create a safe space for sharing information and knowledge, and for the social interaction for our members.

UPDATE Why do you feel it is important

UPDATE MAGAZINE May/June 2014

for BCNU for support the MiN group?

LUMAMBA Without BCNU’s support, we would not exist as a group since it would be almost impossible to gather male nurses together like we do. Along with resources, having an organizational structure and administrative and communications support allows us to go on. I feel BCNU is like a parent, encouraging us to reach out to other men in nursing. BCNU also practices what it preaches in regards to members’ concerns, as gender is understood equally.

UPDATE Have you faced any professional challenges because of your gender?

LUMAMBA Once a male patient didn’t

want me to be his nurse, he wanted a woman. I felt so sad, but I took that feeling and saw it as a challenge to break through gender biases.

UPDATE How has the MiN group helped members?

LUMAMBA One of the issues we have been working on is paternity leave language changes to our contract. We have also developed an outreach program that encourages local high school boys to consider nursing as a career by going to local schools and giving talks to young men who are about to graduate.

UPDATE What kinds of issues are MiN group members most concerned with today?

LUMAMBA We are working to move the paternity leave issue forward. We want changes to the Nurses’ Bargaining Association parental leave language for non-birth parent RNs. It is only one day right now, as opposed to the 10 weeks for our LPN counterparts in the Facilities Bargaining Association.

The Men in Nursing group meets twice a year in addition to attending BCNU and community events.

If you would like to contact the chair of this group, email: meninnursing@bcnu. org or join the Men in Nursing Facebook group (search for “BCNU Men in Nursing”). update

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HOW TO CONTACT YOUR HUMAN RIGHTS AND EQUITY REPS BCNU Human Rights and Diversity Caucus Mabel Tung, Chair C 604-328-9346 E mtung@bcnu.org Aboriginal Leadership Circle Michelle Martinson, Chair E aboriginal@bcnu.org Lisa Walker, Council Liaison C 604-880-9105 E lisawalker@bcnu.org Workers with Disability Caucus Kelly Woywitka, Chair E disabilities@bcnu.org Jacquie Nault, Council Liaison C 250-960-8621 E jacquelinenault@bcnu.org LGBT Caucus Cynthia Reid, Chair E lgbt@bcnu.org Kath-Ann Terrett, Council Liaison C 604-828-0155 E kterrett@bcnu.org Men in Nursing Group Walter Lumamba, Chair E meninnursing@bcnu.org Deb Ducharme, Council Liaison C 250-804-9964 E dducharme@bcnu.org Workers of Colour Caucus Jessica Celeste, Co-Chair E woc@bcnu.org Mabel Tung, Council Liaison C 604-328-9346 E mtung@bcnu.org

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PRFs

IN THE WORKPLACE

A GOOD WORKING RELATIONSHIP PEACE ARCH HOSPITAL PRF PROCESS IS A MODEL OF SUCCESS REGULAR UPDATE READers are accustomed to reading stories about the Professional Responsibility Form (PRF) process that often involve an uphill battle with management before any success is achieved.

But it doesn’t always have to be this way. Some worksites enjoy a good working relationship between employees and management that allows for the PRF process to serve its intended purpose: to maintain professional practice standards, protect nurses’ licenses and ensure patient safety.

Recent changes at Peace Arch Hospital’s psychiatric ward serve as just one example of what can be achieved when all sides work together to solve problems.

It was just over two years ago that a patient who was admitted to the ward gave birth to a baby, unwitnessed by staff. The mother was in the late stage of pregnancy and unaware of her contractions. It wasn’t until a nurse was alerted by the baby’s crying that staff realized what was happening and a called a Code Pink.

Prior to admission, nurses had been told by a doctor that the patient did not require one-toone supervision. The nurses on duty disagreed but the rules at

PRF ADVOCATE Peace Arch Hospital’s Cathy Robinson says a change of attitude on the administration’s side has been key to unlocking the full potential of the PRF process at her worksite.

the time did not allow them to go against the order.

When a nurse did call for assistance it became clear that the unit was understaffed and unable to respond to this kind of crisis. To make matters worse, assistance was delayed because staff was unable to get into the unit without someone at the nursing station pushing a but-

ton under the desk to open the door. There were also no gloves outside the doors.

After the incident, nurses quickly identified several key issues that needed to be addressed in order to prevent a crisis like this from becoming a tragedy.

It was immediately apparent that the employer – Fraser

Health – lacked a policy for dealing with an imminent childbirth on a psychiatric unit. Nurses also felt that they lacked the decision-making autonomy that would have allowed them to call for increased staffing despite any doctors’ prior orders that may indicate a patient does require additional care. Staff’s inability to access the unit during the Code Pink also served to highlight problems with an outdated and unsafe security system.

Nurses on the unit did not hesitate to discuss their concerns with management and use the PRF process as a tool that would help implement the changes they felt were required.

What was the final outcome?

Today, there is now a policy in place to address caring for psychiatric patients in the late stage of pregnancy, there is an updated key-card entry system that allows all staff access to the ward, RNs and RPNs can now call for increased staffing if they deem it necessary, the nursing station has been upgraded, extra cameras and mirrors have been installed and gloves are now outside the doors of all rooms.

Cathy Robinson has worked at Peace Arch Hospital for over 20 years. She’s the steward coordinator at the hospital, as well as the BCNU South Fraser Valley region steward liaison and member educator.

“If it were to happen again we’d be much better prepared to handle it. Now we have the card swipe system in place so that any employee can get in to assist the psychiatric department it they are having a code – that was huge.”

UPDATE MAGAZINE May/June 2014

Robinson says a change of attitude on the hospital administration’s side, and a respectful relationship between staff and management, have been key to unlocking the full potential of the PRF process.

“It’s been a gradual change of climate at the hospital that’s made the difference,” says Robinson. “When I started working at Peace Arch there was a different atmosphere.

There was a lot of confrontation and conflict – we got bogged down and a lot of things didn’t happen.”

“Now, when the nurses are

willing to step forward, we take it to [the senior review] committee and most of our managers work with us and we get whatever we can – within budget restraints – to make it a better, safer workplace,” she explains. “So it’s who’s on the other side of the table that makes a difference.”

Robinson specifically credits Peace Arch Hospital Director of Site Operations Mary Rhode’s willingness to work with nurses and bring in other managers who have more access to the budget as having made a huge difference.

“The PRF process provides

us a really good opportunity to work together in a collaborative forum to resolve clinical practice issues and systems issues,” explains Rhode. “It creates space to have that dialogue to see what we can do make improvements.”

Rhode is also the co-chair of the PRF committee at the site, and takes full advantage of the role in order to achieve her own goals as a manager.

“Having a formalized process allows me to bring managers and staff together to facilitate discussion and work collaboratively with the union steward reps to have a real drilled-down

HOW TO CONTACT YOUR REGIONAL PRF ADVOCATES Please check the website for current updates.

Pacific Rim Brenda Hill brendahill@bcnu.org

Central Vancouver Judith McGrath jmcgrath@bcnu.org

South Islands Adriane Gear adrianegear@bcnu.org

Diane LaBarre dlabarre@bcnu.org

Vancouver Metro Andrea Rauh andrearauh@bcnu.org Coastal Mountain Pauline Barlow paulinebarlow@bcnu.org RIVA Annelise Henderson annelisehenderson@bcnu.org Shaughnessy Heights Claudette Jut claudettejut@bcnu.org

Fraser Valley Corinna Kachkowski corinnakachkowski@bcnu.org South Fraser Valley Barbara Daviduk barbaradaviduk@bcnu.org Simon Fraser Cameron Ward camward@bcnu.org Okanagan Similkameen Deborah Duperreault deborahduperreault@bcnu.org

Thompson North Okanagan Tracy Musey tracymusey@bcnu.org East Kootenay Heather Picklyk heatherpicklyk@bcnu.org West Kootenay Glenna Lynch glennalynch@bcnu.org North East Jacqueline Nault jacquelinenault@bcnu.org North West Ryan Thomas ryanthomas@bcnu.org

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look at what the issues are and what some potential ideas are” she says. “Because often it’s more complicated that just clinical practice – there are systems issues that we need to work together to resolve.”

Robinson is pleased to report on more recent efforts to improve conditions in the hospital’s busy ER using the PRF process. “During the winter surge, a number of members brought forward PRFs and Mary brought in the hospital’s ER Director.

We are now working together to establish a winter surge policy for next year.”

Robinson says there is an area in the MTU that could be opened up as a possible space for the overflow from ER when primary care clinics are closed during the seasonal break. “We are looking at the budget right and working to get an RN or and LPN to assess people on a constant basis in our ER wait room.”

“We are overcrowded all the time, working at overcapacity and trying to make the best of a very bad situation,” says Robinson. “We can’t do that unless we work together for the sake of patient safety and our working environment.”

Robinson encourages all members to use the PRF process. “It gets people talking, the frontline workers who are actually being affected by these working conditions and policies – it gets them together with the people who may be able to pull some purse strings,” she says. “Otherwise we are just talking to ourselves and venting and that doesn’t get us anywhere. update

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Council Profile HERE’S WHO’S WORKING FOR YOU

MAKING A DIFFERENCE SOUTH ISLANDS CO-CHAIR ADRIANE GEAR

EMPOWERING MEMBERS

“Nurses need to value their own work and promote it because the general public doesn’t always understand what we do,” says South Islands region co-chair Adriane Gear

QUICK FACTS NAME Adriane Gear.

GRADUATED Camosun College in 1993.

UNION POSITION South Islands region co-chair.

WHY I SUPPORT BCNU As nurses we are standing up for ourselves and speaking out.

ADRIANE GEAR’S BELIEF in the value of her union was bred in the bone. Growing up, the South Islands region co-chair, recalls how her father, a teachers’ union activist, and her grandfather, who was a coal miner, wanted her to understand the importance of unions, especially around health and safety measures.

“I can remember my grandfather telling me to get my industrial first aid ticket – but I became a nurse instead!” says Gear. “I believe that when he died he certainly showed signs of industrial exposure to toxins in the mines, so I’ve always had a keen interest in health and safety issues.”

Gear’s mother was a nurse, and she also saw the profession as an opportunity for a job with security, options for career mobility and the flexibility to travel. However she trained and worked as a care aide for three years before embarking on her nursing career. It was this experience that taught her first-hand about the violent

reality of working in healthcare and the importance of occupational health and safety.

“I was attacked by a resident my first day on my unit,” remembers Gear. “We were handing out breakfast trays.

I put it down as he was sleeping and tried to gently wake him up. He awoke, rubbed his eyes, looked at me and rammed the bedside table against me. Then he started punching me with closed fists.” She was off work for about six months while she recovered from her injuries. “I was only 18 years old, and the accident investigation manager asked what I had done to provoke the attack.”

Gear graduated from Camosun College’s School of Nursing in 1993 and has since worked as a general surgery nurse at Victoria General, Royal Jubilee and Saanich Peninsula hospitals. It was while working at Victoria General Hospital that she noticed the presence of BCNU stewards. “These were people who knew about the contract and helped the members – I wanted to be a part of that.”

Gear became a union steward in 2004, and was soon elected as the OH&S representative on the BCNU South Islands regional executive. “I like the OH&S portfolio,” she says.

“Things are black and white, with clear regulations that sup-

port a safe workplace. I feel it is a noble effort.”

Gear feels proud to have made a difference after serving four years in the position. “Violence prevention is very important to me. I found it rewarding to get nurses back to work, to support them when they’re vulnerable, to not be treated the way I was treated at the start of my career.”

When the South Islands region co-chair position became available in 2011, Gear decided to throw her hat in the ring. “If I wanted to continue advocating for nurses, running for chair was the next step.” Gear was elected, and re-elected in the 2014 election held this spring.

Gear’s priorities are now focused on leading the fight to halt the province-wide implementation of CDMR and pushing health employers to implement the workload and safe staffing language negotiated in the last Nurses’ Bargaining Association collective agreement, which includes a commitment to hire more than 2000 nurses by 2016. “People need nurses, and nurses need to talk to the public about what we do so that people can understand our importance,” she says. “We have to get out there, get petitions signed, talk to our MLAs and continue to apply pressure.”

Gear says that the one good thing to come out of CDMR is the solidarity among BCNU members. “RNs and LPNs are completely in this together as we are both under attack,” she says. “As nurses we are standing up for ourselves and speaking out.” update

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Who Can Help?

BCNU IS HERE TO SERVE MEMBERS

REGIONAL REPS VANCOUVER METRO Colette Wickstrom Chair C 604-789-9240 cwickstrom@bcnu.org

BCNU CAN. Here’s how you can get in touch with the right person to help you.

COASTAL MOUNTAIN Kath-Ann Terrett Chair C 604-828-0155 kterrett@bcnu.org

CONTACT YOUR STEWARDS For all workplace concerns contact your steward. REGIONAL REPS If your steward can’t help, or for all regional matters, contact your regional rep. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE For all provincial, national or union policy issues, contact your executive committee.

CENTRAL VANCOUVER Judy McGrath Co-Chair C 604-970-4339 jmcgrath@bcnu.org

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

TREASURER Mabel Tung C 604-328-9346 mtung@bcnu.org

PRESIDENT Debra McPherson C 604-209-4253 dmcpherson@bcnu.org

EXECUTIVE COUNCILLOR Marg Dhillon C 604-839-9158 mdhillon@bcnu.org

VICE PRESIDENT Christine Sorensen C 250-819-6293 christinesorensen@bcnu.org

EXECUTIVE COUNCILLOR Deb Ducharme C 250-804-9964 dducharme@bcnu.org

LPN REPS

Diane LaBarre Co-Chair C 604-341-5231 dlabarre@bcnu.org SHAUGHNESSY HEIGHTS Claudette Jut Chair C 604-786-8422 claudettejut@bcnu.org RIVA Lauren Vandergronden Chair C 604-785-8148 laurenvandergronden@bcnu.org SIMON FRASER Liz Ilczaszyn Co-Chair C 604-785-8157 lilczaszyn@bcnu.org Debbie Picco Co-Chair C 604-209-4260 dpicco@bcnu.org

FRASER HEALTH Jonathan Karmazinuk C 604-312-0826 jonathankarmazinuk@bcnu.org

PROVIDENCE TBA

INTERIOR HEALTH Janet Elizabeth Van Doorn C 778-214-4798 janetvandoorn@bcnu.org

VANCOUVER COASTAL Marlene Goertzen C 778-874-9330 marlenegoertzen@bcnu.org

SOUTH FRASER VALLEY Cheryl Appleton Co-Chair C 604-839-8965 cappleton@bcnu.org

NORTHERN HEALTH Louise Weightman C 250-639-6436 louiseweightman@bcnu.org

VANCOUVER ISLAND Barry Phillips C 778-679-9737 barryphillips@bcnu.org

Lisa Walker Co-Chair C 604-880-9105 lisawalker@bcnu.org

FRASER VALLEY Linda Pipe Chair C 604-793-6444 lpipe@bcnu.org WEST KOOTENAY Lorne Burkart Chair C 250-354-5311 lorneburkart@bcnu.org EAST KOOTENAY Patt Shuttleworth Chair C 250-919-4890 pshuttleworth@bcnu.org NORTH WEST Sharon Sponton Chair C 250-877-2547 sharonsponton@bcnu.org NORTH EAST Jackie Nault Chair C 250-960-8621 jacquelinenault@bcnu.org OKANAGAN-SIMILKAMEEN Laurie Munday Chair C 250-212-0530 lmunday@bcnu.org THOMPSON NORTH OKANAGAN Tracy Quewezance Chair C 250-320-8064 tquewezance@bcnu.org SOUTH ISLANDS Adriane Gear Co-Chair C 778-679-1213 adrianegear@bcnu.org Margo Wilton Co-Chair C 250-361-8479 mwilton@bcnu.org PACIFIC RIM Jo Salken Chair C 250-713-7066 jsalken@bcnu.org

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UPDATE MAGAZINE May/June 2014

Off Duty MEMBERS AFTER HOURS

HEALTH ADVOCATE LINDA BUCHANAN APPLIES NURSING SKILLS TO HER ROLE AS A CITY COUNCILLOR LISTEN TO LINDA Buchanan talk about the importance of city planning and it is becomes evident fairly quickly that the City of North Vancouver councillor is a nurse.

“We need to be designing and planning communities that encourage healthy lifestyle choices,” she says. “My role in shaping the built environment and contributing to the community planning process is a means to promote health.”

Buchanan works for Vancouver Coastal Health as a public health nurse for children and youth. She says her profession has given her a social-determinants-of-health viewpoint that informs her policy making role on the Board of this city of 50,000.

“Encouraging smart growth and planning complete communities so that walking becomes easy, and connecting people to transit – those are all the things that contribute to good health,” she explains. “How do you create that environment so that people can be healthy?”

Buchanan graduated from Vancouver General Hospital in 1990 and holds a degree in Nursing from the University of British Columbia.

Born and raised in the City of

North Vancouver, Buchanan’s public health career has included providing preventative nursing services to the Squamish First Nation, working as a program coordinator for children, youth and their families and leading a physicians’ immunization project for Vancouver Coastal Health.

Buchanan served as a school trustee with the North Vancouver Board of Education from 2008 to 2011 before being elected to the City of North Vancouver Council. She is currently kept busy serving on several committees.

For Buchanan, leadership

involves bringing people together to address an issue and effect change. “It’s not about doing it all yourself. It’s about pulling in other people with different strengths from you in order to move something forward.”

“I think nurses are welleducated to be incredible leaders,” she says. “We are often put in stressful positions where we have to think critically and make quick decisions, and we have to collaborate and communicate with people.”

Buchanan’s own ability to bring people together was evident when she headed up the creation of the North Shore Child and Family Friendly Community Charter.

The Charter is a set of principles to guide child- and family- friendly policy making that was signed by the North Shore Congress in 2011. The Congress is made up of the elected officials of the five municipalities on Metro Vancouver’s North Shore, and includes school districts, the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, the RCMP and First Nations communities. The

HEALTHY LEADERSHIP Public health nurse and City of North Vancouver councillor Linda Buchanan brings a socialdeterminantsof-health perspective to her role as a municipal politician.

group comes together to work on cross-jurisdictional issues of concern.

“The Charter was designed to address social inequality,” she says. “And when we look at childhood vulnerability we have some issues in the province.”

She says that there was agreement on the need to address childhood vulnerabilities at the local level, particularly getting children off on the right foot and paying attention to early childhood development.

“On the North Shore we have an aging population, so we can get lost in looking at one particular demographic within our communities,” explains Buchanan. “So the Charter is just one way of focusing and making sure that when we are looking at policy we are addressing the needs of our youngest citizens in our community and supporting their families.”

The lack of affordable housing is a major issue in all of Metro Vancouver. Buchanan says the Charter ensures that housing issues are kept to the fore at City Hall. “We need to be able to ensure we can support and retain our young families and keep them in our community – otherwise we are not going to be a complete community.”

Buchanan believes nurses are positioned for success in the political arena and encourages her professional colleagues to consider getting involved.

“We know our communities, we know our patients and our clients and we are very good at advocating because that’s part of our professional role,” she notes. “Nurses’ skill sets are very transferrable to political life and nurses should be involved in the political process.” update

NURSING A leading force for CHANGE

National Nursing Week MAY 12 – 18,2014

+ International Nurses

Day May 12

+ LPN Day May 13

SAFETY & HEALTH 20 WEEK MAY 4 — 10 14

Delivering quality care means working in a safe and healthy environment. www.BCNU.org PM 40834030