Nurse strike frust Wednesday, July 13, 1994 - North Shore News - 3 ration builds The B.C. Nurses’ Union is not being dealt with honestly, angered local chief steward claims COMMUNITY HEALTH nurses are more entrenched in their job action than ever, according to Pam Jenkins, the chief steward for the B.C. Nurses’ Union (BCNU) at North Shore Health. By Kate Zimmerman News Reporter Talks between the nurses and the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) broke off at 2 a.m. on Sunday when negotiators for the municipal districts walked out. The chief issue remains wage parity with public-sector nurses. - “LT really figured we'd have a deal this weekend,” said a frustrated Jenkins. The nurses are seeking the same contract that the 22,000 B.C. hospital nurses have with the municipalities that are members of the GVRD (the North Shore nurses are adrainistered by North Shore Health). They want. wages and benefits equal to those of public sector nurses, who are paid $27.22 per hour compared with the community health nurses’ $20.25 hourly rate. (Although the BCNU also represents hospital and provincial community nurscs, those nurses’ “employer representatives” are different and so their contracts are negotiated separately.) The BCNU is also seeking job security for all community health nurses, and il wants the new contract to take effect this November. The GVRD's offer thus far will take effect only when the nurses become employees of the provincial government's new regional health boards or by March 31, 1995. Jenkins said the BCNU is not being dealt with honestly. The GVRD issued a news release Monday claiming talks broke down over “new demands by the B.C. Nurses’ Union, includ- ing a demand for job security guarantees which go far beyond those negotiated by the province with its community health nurses.” “The employers have bent over backwards to negotiate a settlement which provides pari- ty for the community nurses,” said GVRD Labour Relations Manager Mark Leffler, sug- gesting that these “new demands” represent “bargaining in bad faith.” But according to Jenkins, there's nothing new about the nurses’ demands. “These are things we've had on the table since the begin- ning of time,” she said. “I guess Um very naive and | expect people to be fair and tell the truth.” According to Jenkins, the talks have bro- ken off three times since the nurses started their job action May 26. Each time, the impasse has been over the same issuc: bene- fits for 30% of the BCNU membership — temporary and casual workers. Jenkins said the GVRD keeps offering the community health nurses only elements of the contract covering hospital nurses. The BCNU wants the same contract. Last week the dispute escalated when Health Minister Paul Ramsey said the provin- cial government is prepared to give the GVRD funds to bring the municipal nurses to parity with their public service counterparts. In a news release, Ramsey said, “This strike has been going on too long, and there is no reason why it cannot be resolved. | would encourage both parties to return to the bar- gaining table to work this dispute through its proper channels.” Ramsey noted that the government’s plan to move health services and employees closer to home over the next few years means health employees, including nurses, should be at full parity with hospital workers. “In this specific dispute, since money is no longer an issue, there is no reason why this goal can’t be achieved between the GVRD and their nurse employees,” he said. Meanwhile, the North Shore is suffering as a result of the job action. Although the 80 community health nurses employed locally are still providing essential services, there has been an 80%@ reduction in home care client visits; 3,000 seniors — 33% of them in th. high-risk category —- are doing, vidiuut case management services each week; and area residents are missing out on such preventive work as immunizations and communicable disease consultations. Dying patients are unable to go home from the hospital because they need nursing care. The nurses have been without a contract since Dec. 31, 1991. NEWS photo Cindy Goodman THE OFFICIAL send-off for Tim Mercer, who Is cycling 5,000 kilometres to Kingston, Cntatio, in support of sick children, was held Sunday in West Vancouver. The 27-year-old enginzering graduate of GQueen’s University hepes to help Canadians become aware of the needs that are not being mot by sick children and their famities. Lack of sufficient support limits emergency response North Shore is not ready to deal with a major disaster A RECENT status report by North Shore Emergency Social Services (ESS) suggests that their effectiveness to the community will be lim- ited in the event of a major disaster. By Bruce Methven Contributing Writer The status report sent to West Vancouver Mayor Mark Sager cites several factors that have created the current situation. These include: insufficient assistance to coordinators, a declining volunteer base, incomplete reception centre planning and limited response capability. In addition, high coordinator tumover and vacant vol- unteer positions are two of the staffing dilernmas facing ESS on the North Shore, according to the report. Since only 100 active members regularly attend train- ing sessions, the declining volunteer base is of concern. The report states that despite a “very dedicated and enthusiastic” volunteer core, ESS still needs to develop programs aimed at maintaining volunteer interest and CALL US: 983-2208 recruiting additional members. “Unfortunately, the ESS directors have not had the time or resources to undertake this activity,” according to the report. In addition, the current volunteer group is not large enough to provide the continuous relief that a major dis- aster would demand. The report suggests that it is “essential” to have an organized group of trained municipal employees as a backup source of assistance The report brings to light the limited capability of the ESS to respond in the event of a major North Shore dis- aster such as an industrial explosion or a forest fire. More than 5.000 residents could be affected by such an emergency and would require emergency social ser- vices, according to ESS figures. Providing service to this number of people is well beyond the current capability of the ESS, however. The North Shore ESS team is able to respond effec- tively to an emergency of “modest proportions” only, involving the short-term evacuation of 500 to 1,000 peo- ple. The ESS directors have proposed a three-year pro- gram to improve the ESS team’s response. North Shore nurses bring labor dispute to council chambers FRUSTRATED COMMUNI- TY nurses told North Vancouver City councillors that they are frustrated with the lack of progress being made in the stalled labor dispute. NORTH VANCOUVER CITY COUNCIL By Bruce Methven Jean Rousseau, a preventive health community nurse with North Shore Health and a resident of the Capilano area, told council Monday night that she was “outraged, angered and disgusted” at the way the municipality was treating its * nurses. “When I started 14 years ago, local community nurses had one of the best contracts in the province, now we have the worst,” Rousseau said. She described the current three-tiered system of funding that results in both home care and long- term nurses receiving 100% of their benefits funding from the proviice. Rousseau said preventive health nurses, on the other hand, are fund- ed only 70% by the province, mak- ing individual municipalities responsible for the other 30%. Rousseau received no response from Mayor Jack Loucks after demanding he reveal how much money was involved to fund 30% of the benefits for the 2.5 preventive nurses in North Vancouver City. She urged the mayor and council to lobby the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) for a negotiated end to the strike. She said the nurses want parity with the 22,000 public service nurs- es in the province, and they want the strike over. The municipal nurses have been without a contract for 30 months and have been on strike since May 26. “Dam really struggling on strike pay to put groceries on the table for my family,” the mother of two chil- dren told council. Rousseau said municipal nurses also want assurances from the THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: What have you done to prepare for a major natural disaster? GVRD that they will not be dis- placed by the hospital nurses who are expected to begin working in various metropolitan Vancouver communities as early as this autumn. Another member of the nurses’ delegation, Dilys Sostad, com- plained that she was “really angry to have to be here,” pointing out that community nurses were with- out a contract for two years before negotiations even started. Sostad said she has felt like “a political football” ever since last week's revelation by Health Minister Paul Ramsey that there is “sufficient funding” in the budget for the GVRD to give parity to the municipal nurses. She accused politicians of being more concerned about politics and power rather than finding a prompt and equitable settlement in the interests of community healthcare. “Everybody here should be damned ashamed of themselves,” she told the councillors and the mayor, According to Sostad, the strike is dragging on because the GVRD won't agree to a settlement that relinquishes any power to the provincial government. The nurses’ delegation also included a recently discharged hos- pital patient who said the services performed by the nurses were essential. “I beg you to put these nurses back to work now so they can do their jobs,” she said. Following the nurses’ presenta- tion, several councillors spoke in support of the nurse’s job action and expressed their hope for an early settlement to the dispute. Coun. Bill Bell said he was “very concerned” about the commu- nity healthcare situation. Bell said that he had sent letters and made telephone calls on the nurses’ behalf. “We all want the nurses back,” he said. Coun. John Braithwaite said he was getting “a little fed up” at not being able to take a more active role to resolve the labor dispute between the nurses and the GVRD.