Health Sciences Association

Highlights

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I've been the Assistant Lead Steward for Vancouver General Hospital since 2020.  I work a 1.0FTE and split my time between clinical duties as a Neurophysiology Technologist and steward duties in the HSA office.  

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I chair HSA's Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) Committee and have participated on HSA's Young Workers' Committee, Education Committee, Elections Committee, and Committee for Equality and Social Action
 

I represent HSA on the BC Federation of Labour's OH&S Committee.

 

In the HSA office, I answer calls/emails regarding workplace issues and collective agreement interpretation.  Moreover, I attend meetings with the employer regarding large scale organizational changes or member specific issues (such as a disciplinary meeting, displacement meeting, or job share agreement meeting). 

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I've won many grievances as the steward/spokesperson at the stage 2 level.  This means I helped HSA members get the remedy they deserve faster and saved union dues from being used for additional meetings/arbitrations including a Labour Relations Officer and/or a legal team.  Simply put, I was able to find solutions for many grievances (especially regarding special leave, education leave, selection grievances, bumping/displacement process, and underpayment) by representing members in meetings with HR and their manager quickly and efficiently.

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I successfully negotiated a pay increase for one group of professionals at Vancouver General Hospital (outside of collective bargaining) due to the significant amount of additional duties being performed that are above and beyond entry to practice work.  I know which steps to take to help you navigate this promotion process if your team is being underpaid and should be bumped up a grid level.  This is especially relevant for tertiary hospitals or programs that are highly specialized.

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I've been working on the frontlines throughout the pandemic as a Neurophysiology Technologist and have a lot of experience helping COVID patients on airborne and droplet precautions.  I work on-call 24/7 for a week every 10-12 weeks, so I can relate to call-back experiences and the disruptions that carrying a pager has on work-life balance.  You're most likely to meet me at VGH on Neurosciences wards performing an EEG, in the Seizure Investigation Unit finding the seizure focus for brain surgery candidates, in the operating room providing intra-operative monitoring, in the lab performing pre-operative baseline testing such as somatosensory evoked potentials and auditory brainstem response tests, or in the ICU doing long-term monitoring on patients requiring seizure control.  I also have experience at GF Strong performing nerve conduction studies and electromyography during my clinical practicum.

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I've attended many labour movement events (e.g. NUPGE, CLC, and BCFED Conventions) and HSA events including Convention, Region 4 Conferences, Learn & Grow Networking Nights (with Lead/Assistant Lead Stewards across BC), VGH Chapter meetings, and the Bargaining Proposal Conference.  I was elected to be on the Bargaining Prioritization Committee and volunteered my time to go through hundreds of bargaining proposals, categorize them, and rank them in terms of level of importance when we go to the bargaining table to negotiate our new collective agreement.  

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I've hosted Chapter Meetings at various hospitals throughout B.C. to hear bargaining proposals.  As a member of the Core Member Engagement Team I spoke with HSA members about workplace issues throughout the pandemic and what they want to see change.

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I've supported members through respectful workplace investigations and directed them to relevant resources such as the No-Bully Line and relevant Vancouver Coastal Health policies such as the Whistleblower policy.

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I've helped members transitioning to long-term disability or requiring medical accommodations.  I've connected members with HSA representatives in Enhanced Disability Management Program.  I co-created a workshop on mental health and sick leave. 

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I was awarded the David Bland Memorial Award which recognizes HSA members who've demonstrated leadership related to occupational health and safety issues.  I helped prevent the use of a chemical in the lab setting that was causing allergic reactions and sensitivities to the technologists, advocated for a new portable ventilation system to extract fumes while using chemicals for gluing, encouraged my colleagues to get respirators to protect themselves while using harmful chemicals, and investigated ictal spect protocols including reaching out to Regional Radiation Safety Officers about a radioactive isotope.  I served on a schedule change committee that ensured we'd have two consecutive days off following weekend review in the seizure investigation unit to support mental wellbeing.

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I helped with the negotiation of essential services for all the departments at Vancouver General Hospital.  I fulfilled my obligation to negotiate what essential services would look like if we do in fact have job action (something that happens before going to the bargaining table for a new collective agreement).

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I've received money from the HSP Professional Development Fund to help pay for my Masters degree.  I know how to find you money and get your education leaves approved for your continuous education.

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I'm passionate about increasing the amount of leadership roles available to Health Science Professionals.  There should be more Clinical Educator and Practice Leader positions for HSA members.  There's a significant amount of these positions for Nursing but little to none for our group.

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