We know that our members will not be adding to the carbon footprint because of lumps of coal in your stockings!  For going above and beyond the call, you deserve anything but. 

Our special thanks to those of you who will be working over the holidays, when most Albertans get an opportunity to take some extra time with family and friends.  Whether in the community, on the highways, or in our institutions, your work is appreciated.  Stay safe.

We look forward to the challenges of 2011, as we prepare for provincial bargaining, which will invariably influence and inform every other bargaining table.  I hope to see many of the chairs and group representatives at the January 13 bargaining conference, as you and our amazing staff do the hard work of getting our team ready. 

Best wishes to you and  your families for a fabulous and safe holiday season, and for a great 2011.

In Solidarity,

Elisabeth R. Ballermann

President

On Monday, December 6, an Emergency Services worker from McLennan died in the line of duty.  He and his partner were transporting a mother and her baby when they were involved in a collision on Highway 2.  We understand that his partner suffered serious, but not life threatening injuris, and that the patients also suffered unspecified injuries, and were transported to hospital.

This terrible tragedy brings home the dangers that those whose work requires them to travel are exposed to daily.  For our EMS members, these dangers can be exacerbated when they are working against time.  Our thoughts are with with all the families at this difficult time, and with the second member as they recover from their injuries.

Our HSAA family is also grieving. Our McLennan EMS members in particular, but all health care workers who worked with them in their various capacities are grieving this loss.

HSAA stands ready to assist the family of the deceased member, the surviving colleague and any other members as needed.  I also convey the condolences of the entire Executive Council of the Alberta Federation of Labour and James Clancy, the president and Larry Brown, secretary treasurer of our national union, NUPGE. Our hearts and thougths are with you all.

Elisabeth

Over 65% (and that includes some HSAA members) have no workplace pension beyond the Canada Plan [CPP]))

Of those, the proportion in defined benefit (DB) plans (pension based on years of service and average salary) has been declining, to be replaced by defined contribution (DC) plans.  The benefits of the latter depend on market performance, and the financial crash of 2008 has demonstrated clearly the inherent risks.  If you are lucky enough to retire at the peak of a market run-up, good for you.  If you were planning to retire in 2009, you have likely delayed your plans. 

Private workplace pensions (DB) were designed for workers who would spend their entire career with a single employer; hardly the case any more.  Even if you moved from one employer with a plan to another, the pension itself was not likely to be transferable.  Depending on how long you were in the job, you may have had the option of having your contributions returned with a small amount of interest, or to stay in the plan to draw a small pension on retirement, but based on those early earnings.  Small pensions cobbled together will inevitably be a fraction of the benefits accrued in a single plan.

Then there are Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs)  Like DC plans, these depend on investment performance, and your employer may, or may not, be making a contribution.  Add to that the fact that individual investors lose a substantial amount of investment return to investment fees, and the RRSP option becomes even less attractive.  Not surprisingly, those at the highest income levels are most likely to contribute. 

The CPP brings together the best of all worlds.  You take it with you from employer to employer.  The employer contributes to your pension plan, and because it is such a large invester, the plan benefits from investment fees that are a fraction of what you will be charged as an individual.  Furthermore, it is a DB plan, and so provides certainty.  You can calculate your benefit based on years of service and average contributions.  The CPP does not have the funding problems of many other workplace plans; it has been calculated to be able to meet its obligations to pensioners for at least the next 75 years. 

The one shortcoming of the plan is the fact that it provides a benefit only to the YMPE, or Year’s Maximum Pensionable Earnings, which currently sits at $47,200, and is designed to pay 25% of the average lifetime earnings to that maximum.  Under this formula, the maximum benefit is only 11,210 per year, and the average annual benefit is only $6023. 

Studies across the country have concluded that the Canadian Pension system needs to be fixed, to ensure that workers can retire with dignity.  To that end, finance ministers across the country, with the exception of Alberta’s Ted Morton, agree that an enhancement of CPP is necessary.  They will be meeting in Kananaskis in December to discuss ‘modest’ improvements.  The labour movement has been advocating for a phased in approach to double CPP benefits.  Ted Morton says seniors should just sell their homes to finance their retirements. 

The board of HSAA fully supports the approach of enhancing the CPP, and we encourage all members to contact their MLA’s to tell our government to get with the program.  The changes won’t be immediate, and for most of our members who are members of the Local Authorities Pension Plan they will not make a difference.  But for those who depend on DC plans, or those who do not qualify because they are casual or part time workers, and for our family members who do not have access to a workplace pension, improving the Canada Pension Plan may make the difference between a retirement in dignity, or one in poverty.  Tell Ted Morton and your MLA that your kids deserve a solid retirement plan.

The issues are as varied as the communities – school closures, safety, libraries, transportation, the environment, property taxes, homelessness, recreational facilities, and the list goes on.  In several communities some of the hottest issues are within the purview of the provincial or federal governments – the not yet hospital in Sherwood Park, negotiations  for Calgary’s ring road in Calgary, access to health care in any number of rural communities. 

The people we elect should work in the interests of the entire community, not just a single pet issue.  They will affect our quality of life and our communities for at least the next three years, and many decisions will have long term impacts. 

On our web site we have listed candidates who have satisfied their district labour councils that they share the interests and values of trade unions.  HSAA has chosen to provide that list to assist members in their decision making.  At HSAA we do not have the resources or contacts to presume to assess the qualities of every candidate in every city, town village, hamlet, county or municapal district, let alone school board. We know that there are many candidates who have not been vetted – they may not know the Labour Councils exist, or didn’t seek their endorsements, or the Labour Council itself may not have had the resources to do the work.  So at best it is an incomplete list, but may be of some assistance to you as you make your final decision.

Running for public office is not for the faint of heart, and any candidate who is serious about their campaign deserves to be congratulated, regardless of whether we agree with any aspect of their platforms.  Whether they deserve our votes – that is a decision we must each make, based on the best information that we have. 

So as always, I ask that you exercise the franchise that your citizenship gives you.  And when you have made your decision, pay attention to what the successful candidates do with the trust we have collectively given them.

On behalf of the members of HSAA, I join the myriad of voices that have condemned this act.  The fact that some terrorists have perverted its teachings to justify their murderous acts does not make the Koran the problem, any more than the criminal act of any Christian who may cite the Bible would make it acceptable to stage a Bible burning. 

Let’s all raise our voices to drown out this ugly splinter group, and to condemn this act of terror against all Muslims.

I had the incredible opportunity to join the ‘Ride for Africa’ on its climb of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, and at the same time raise some funds for two grassroots projects in Africa.  The ‘Ride’ connected with ‘Hands Across Africa’, a charitable group that has its genesis with HSAA members. 

Money is still coming in, so the final total is, as yet, unknown.  My profound thanks to all contributors, individual and organizational, identified and anonymous, who helped me and the other climbers to reach their fundraising goals of $2000 each. 

The climb was tough, but I think acting as Director of the annual Alberta Federation of Labour’s ‘Kids’ Camp’ may have been tougher.  However, the amazing volunteers, including five connected to HSAA, made that five day adventure a lot of fun, and quite gratifying.  Kudos also to the AFL staff who did the yeoman’s work of organizing the myriad of details prior to the camp; Kevin Flaherty of the Alberta Workers’ Health Centre who created fun and interactive curriculum to introduce the youngsters to occupational health and safety, the staff at Goldeye Centre and the Centre for Outdoor Education in Nordegg, and the Greyhound bus drivers who got the 105 kids there and home safely. 

Meanwhile, back at the office, staff have been busy effecting the integration of the EMS and former AADAC workers who have been taken over by Alberta Health Services.  Transition negotiations are under way, and new HSAA members have opportunities to learn about their new union through a number of workshops. 

Other efforts include work with pharmacy technician members who will become regulated professionals in the near future.  While technicians support regulation, the process that has been developed to qualify them for licensure is demanding and quite costly.  HSAA has been advocating on a number of fronts to advocate on behalf of the members, and these efforts continue.

Preparations for our Labour Relations Confernence in October are well under way, and I encourage as many of our members as possible, and particularly local unit representatives, to attend, as the conference will be part of the preparations to lead into the upcoming round of provincial bargaining (and therefore has implications for all agreements).

And finally, for this post, we have once again seen the wrath of nature.  Pakistan is still reeling from historic flooding.  Millions are homeless, and the need for the most basic human necessities is dire.  I’ve heard friends and family express their concerns about foreign aid being misdirected, and the reality that there will be some corruption.  That is a reality, but surely we cannot accept that as a reason not to make an effort.  The HSAA board will have Pakistan on its agenda next week, to determine our organization’s response. Clearly the need will be ongoing for a long time, so we can wait until our regular meeting.  For individuals, however, there is an urgency.  The federal government will match your individual donations until September 12, so I encourage all of us to dig as deep as we can to help ease the misery.

Most members will be going on some hard earned Rest and Relaxation (assuming you can get the time off).  I hope that you will have a great time connecting with family and friends, and just getting away from the incredible demands that the system you work for puts on you.  Recharge the batteries, remind yourselves that there is more to life than work.

I am heading out for the adventure of a lifetime which has been dubbed ‘Ride for Africa’ www.rideforafrica.org, in support of a local group named ‘Hands Across Africa’ .  I will be joining an intrepid group of adventurers to climb Africa’s tallest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, in July, and while we are at it, to raise funds for two grassroots projects. One is a rehabilitation centre in Sierra Leone, which has been helping the victims of the terrible civil war, in which rebels chopped off limbs of civilians – men, women and children. The second is the Amani home for street children in Moshi, Tanzania, which provided a roof, food, and vocational training to children who have no other means of support.

Two adventurers, Axel and Mike, are already underway, having started their trek on motorcycles at the Glenrose Hospital in Edmonton on April 20. Hence the name Ride for Africa.  The rest of the group will connect with them in Moshi, at the foot of the mountain, and on July 17, I hope to make it to the summit.

Hands Across Africa was started by a group of Health Professionals who are also members of HSAA. Some of them worked as volunteers in Africa, and that was the motivation to do more. They work in partnership with Change for Children, a registered charity that looks after the administrative details.  This is the second organized climb of Kilimanjaro, and in total, Hands across Africa has raised over $120,000since 2005.  I am thrilled to be joining this year’s effort, which is made all the more meaningful by the fact that it is initiated by HSAA members. 

Many thanks to our amazing staff and our board of directors.  You are in good hands in my absence.

With luck I will make it to the top, and hope to take a picture with the HSAA flag!

Wishing all of you a fabulous summer! 

Elisabeth

Once again, Mother Nature has packed a wallop, flooding homes, washing out roads and bridges and either drowning crops or preventing farmers from seeding in the first place in southern Alberta.

One of the benefits of belonging to a union is that we support each other, and this is one of those times where membership makes a difference. 

Members who have been affected by the floods in southern Alberta may be eligible to access the HSAA Members’ Assistance Fund.  This fund is available to members affected by emergencies.  While funding is not automatic, members who meet the criteria may be eligible for a grant of  up to $2000.  An application form can be downloaded from the membership services page of the HSAA web site. 

Our thoughts and best wishes to all as you deal with the clean-up. 

Elisabeth

We emphasized to the committee the HSAA position on health care that supports not only the principles of the Canada Health Act(universality, accessibility, comprehensiveness, portability and public administration), but also the public provision of care.  At the same time, we stressed that while we prefer public delivery, we take the position that the people doing the work deserve union representation just like every other worker, and that we will not hesitate to bring them into our union if they currently work for a private provider.  And we will certainly fight to follow them to a private provider if services are contracted out!

A key concern is that a new Act may simply be a broad ‘enabling’ statute, that provides some very broad strokes, and then allows the Minister to fill in the detail with regulations.  Regulations can be changedwithout any debate in the Legislature, and potentially without either notice or consultation.  Given statements by government and AHS CEO Stephen Duckett, it is clear that further privatization has not been ruled out, in spite of the HRG bankruptcy.

A lesson to learn – for-profit companies buy a building at firesale prices, then get contracts to do surgeries for more money than it costs in the private system, and do not have to provide the emergency care when things go wrong.  Their shareholders earn dividends, the leaders earn big salaries, and when the thing goes belly up, we the taxpayer get to pay even more to ensure that patients get their surgeries.  Does this make sense for your tax dollar?

I also raised the ongoing staff shortages, the fact that positions either drop off the face of the earth when they become vacant, or get bottlenecked in the Kafka-esque ‘vacancy management process (which may now be named something else).  Shifting anyone to the private sector does not provide more services in total, in fact it may lead to less access.

Long-term care was raised by several participants.  I reminded the committee that changing a name (continuing Care to ‘Assisted Daily Living”doesn’t make a long term care patient more independent, it just switches costs of care to their pockets.

We also spoke about the desireability to ensure that all professionals work to their full scope of practice, and that we shouldn’t necessarily need to see a physician to get a referral.  In this iday of computers and ‘help lines’, we should surely be able to develop some decision making tools that will take us directly to the most appropriate professional.  At the same time, UNA Vice President Bev Dick urged that in shifting care to other disciplines, we need to look at the whole picture, rather than fragmenting tasks just to download them to less expensive workers.

This consultation follows a similar meeting on Tuesday with Lloyd Snelgrove, President of the Treasury Board,  about the next budget.  Here we again emphasized public helath care, but also urged the Treasury Board to consider the longer term when planning budgets, and to look at the revenue side of the ledger, and to avoid the mantra of tax cuts at any cost.  We get the public services we need by paying our taxes. Interestingly, even a representative of the oil industry made this point, though he wanted the government to consider a sales tax to fund public services.

I know of at least two members who have been confirmed to participate in the “MACH” meetings, and would encourage every one of you to provide your perpsectives.  Simply go to the Governmetn of Alberta’s web site and follow the icon to ‘Your Alberta Health Act’

Wishing you a fine weekend, now that the sun is shining (at least for the moment!).

Elisabeth

The government decision to consolidate health regions into the single entity called Alberta Health Services (AHS) has resulted in the transfer of many Emergency Medical Services (EMS), inlcuding the Inter Facility Transfer Service in Edmonton, and former employees of the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Addiction Commission into the HSAA paramedical professional and technical bargaining unit.

Because of the legal challenges that resulted, the question of union representation has been uncertain for some time.  We have fully respected the right of the former unions to bring those challenges.  A decision of the Court of Queen’s Bench on May 18 confirmed the transfer.  Yesterday we received confirmation that no further appeals would follow. 

Changing unions, especially involuntarily, is not easy.  We develop our own cultures, practices and loyalties, and that must be respected.  Nevertheless, with this decision, it is now important that we achieve the transition into HSAA as promptly as possible.  Our staff have been busy planning meetings for the new members, and notification of these will be sent out early next week.  Many of the affected members have been without a collective agreement for some time, and we must now negotiate (transition) them into a single collective agreement.  It is our intention to do so as quickly as possible. 

Our goal is, first and foremost, to ensure that no one loses pay or benefits that they currently enjoy, and to extend benefits that are part of our provincial agreement to everyone who will now be part of it.  The transition must be negotiated, however, but we will do our utmost to achieve the goal.  Over the next while, incoming groups will set up their local units, and select representatives to participate in the transition bargaining.  The process from here on in will be fairly complex, so I will not go into detail in this blog. 

This afternoon our senior labour relations staff and I met with EMS workers who have been CUPE elected representatives of the incoming groups.  The meeting was very positive – we discussed the process of merging the EMS workers into our union, and the many legitimate questions about how HSAA will deal with the many issues that arise out of the transition, and how current grievances will be dealt with.

On the grievance front, our staff have negotiated a time limit extension for all grievances to the end of June.  Between now and then, our staff and representatives of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) will transfer all files and exchange information to ensure that these grievances can be properly handed off to our staff.  They may be able to deal with some issues before the end of June, but the blanket extension ensures that no grievance is lost because of an expired time limit.

I invite the professionals who are coming into HSAA to visit our web site, where you will be able to download a membership application form.  We will be mailing membership packages to every employee affected (assuming that AHS has provided us contact information). Some of our the benefits that HSAA provides (over and above your collective agreements, are dependent on the date you joined, so going to the web may speed up the membership by eliminating one trip by mail.

I am confident that the members of HSAA will join me in ensuring that you are made to feel welcome in your new union, and look forward to meeting as many of you as possible in the near future. 

Wishing you a fine (if not sunny) weekend. 

Elisabeth