nee
Seed

LG

B.C. NURSES*

Union (BCNU) members at Lions Gate

Hospital voted 67 per cent Wednesday to reject the tentative

three-year agreement reached
union's negotiators and
Association.

Province-wide the BONU
membership voted 65 per cent to
reject the deal that would have
given nurses a2 29.5 per cent wage
increase over three years and un
additional eight per cent increase
in separate monetary improve-
ments.

Seventy-seven per cent of
BCONE's 17,500 members
ballots in Wednesday's vote.

BCNU president Pat Savage said
Thursday the union will not initi-

the
cast

the

at the end of June between the
Health Labour Relations

ate any additional job action at
this time.

The bargaining committer, she
said, will not resign but instead
will seek input from BON
membership on the improvements
they want and will then approach
the government for whatever estra
money is demanded before meeting

made easy

July 14, 1989 News 985-2131

again with the HLRA.

Savage added that she did not
think the 68 per cent no vole could
be applied to the entire contract
package, which she said included
some good elements.

HLRA representatives have said
the association has no more money
to offer the nurses.

Spokesman Robert Weston said
Thursday the HERA was disap-
pointed with the contract's reiec-
tion.

“But there is no more money."
he said. “Uf the union were to in-
vite us back to the bargaining table
that's what we would have to tell
them.”

Weston declined to expand on

options
had

what the
would be until the nurses
decided their next move.

tn a) Tuesday press release,
HLRA president Gordon Austin
said: ‘‘Under no circumstances is
HLRA_ prepared to increase the
value of the package offered to
BCNU, which has been accepted in
principle by the BCNU bargaining
committee. Plain and simple, there
is just ne more money,”’

BOCNU spokesman Aaron
Bushkowsky said the union will
make a direct appeal to Premier
Hill Vander Zalm to draw the extra
money from the province’s $1
billion budget stabilization fund.

Had it been ratified, the contract

Classified 986-6222 Distribution 986-1337 83 pages 25¢

s reje
tentative agree

association's

would immediately have increased
the hourly wage for a starting gen-
eral duty nurse from $18.07 to
$16.07. By the March 31, 1992 ex-
Piration of the contryct, that hour-
ly wage would have been $19.52.

The top end of the six-step gen-
eral duty nurse hourly wage seale
would have immediately gone from
$17.43 to $18.53 and up to $22.58
by the end of the contract.

The deal would have cost the
employer just under $149 million
over three years.

But nurses around the province,
dissatisfied with the deal, have
waged an enthusiastic ‘Vote No"

See HEU
Page 3