4 - North Shore News — Wednesday, June 7, 2000

Paramedics
seek new
agreement

Katharine Hamer
News Reporter khamer@nsnews.com

NORTH Shore ambulance crews let their sirens
wail and lights flash at 9:11 a.m. yesterday out-
side North Vancouver-Lonsdale MLA Katherine
Whittred’s office.

The noise was part of a province-wide protest by ambulance
crews against government health service.
John Strohmaier, president of CUPE local 872 which repre-
sents ambulance paramedics and emergency dispatchers, said
the protest will continue every morning until a collective ag:
ment is reached:
“We intend to sound the alarm on the state of the health
care system,” he said.
Paramedics have been at the bargaining table since Janu
sone of the most frustt ating things,” Strohmaier said, “is ff : eae ane ; : :
we've been sitting across the table from a lot of well-meaning = © . 7 — :
ocople who just don’t have the means to provide what we need. NEWS photo Glike Wakefield
They agree with the union on all the non-monetary issues, bu SOUNDING the alarm on health service shortages: paramedics Gordon Foster (left) and John Del appeared
when it comes to things like staffing we hit a roadblock.” outside Liberal MLA Katherine Whittred's office at 9:11 a.m. on Tuesday.
Strohmaier said paramedics in the Lower Mainland are .
working well beyond industry standards and many were suffer-
ing from burnout.
Outside Whittred’s office Tuesday morning, 18-year ambu-
lance service veteran Gordon Foster said more ambulances are
needed in pus ’ urban areas — adding that there is always a
shortage of suitable equipment. — °
“We can’t even we 2 proper uniform issucd,” said Foster. Se sett fresh’
“On the North Shore, one of the wettest places in the Lower

Mainland, the rain gear they give us is a plastic jacket and a a ‘ as Be

baseball cap. P've been asking for hiking boots — they want us &

to hike up trails and things, we just can’t do i iS , . of 5:
Foster.said he had.already hurt his knee attending to a = _ . A ; eS

patient on the Grouse Grind. 9 | ; ;
Ministry of Health spokesman Michelle Stewart said the bar-

gaining process was proceeding in a satisfactory manner, and ; ;
there are né immediate concerns about an interruption of emer- ;
: gency'services. Staffing levels had been recognized, she said, as

a key. issue. Stewart. pointed out that 228 new full-time para-
edics have been hired over the last four years.
‘There are 3,300 ambulance paramedics in B.C.

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