9th Flooc,

EW
Pa~0~98

VOLUME 17 NUMBER 4

••::.e ./
Avenue, Edmonton, A lberta T5K 2P7

UNITED NURSES OF ALBERTA

.&.
AUGUST 1993

Layoff
and Recall
A Member's Guide

"Be a nurse. There will always
be jobs for nurses." "Nursing is
a career you can always fall back
on after doing something else."
" Being a nurse means you can
travel anywhere and get a job
easily." Parents, teachers, guidance counselors told us that
being a nurse meant permanent
job security. Of course, the supply of nurses went through a
cycle- we'd have too few nurses, then too many and then too
few again. But we could always
count on the surplus of nurses
lasting for only a year or two
before employers would be
searching for nurses once more.
No one dreamed of the magnitude of the health care cuts and
layoffs that would face nurses in
the 1990s. Today nurses are
becoming all too familiar with different phrases about their job
security: " I am writing to advise
you that you are being laid off
from your position ..." " The hospital is experiencing budget deficiencies and has found it necessary to eliminate positions ...''
UNA has developed Layoff
and Recall - A Member's Guide
to answer the most common
questions about position elimination layoff and recall. Contact
your Local Executive or
Provincial Office for your copy of
this document.

VON Settles Contract
by Lesley Haag, LRO
The Negotiating Committee for Local #61 has reached a tentative agreement with the Victorian Order of Nurses, Edmonton Branch. Several significant improvements were made to the Collective Agreement including a
recognition of temporary employees, a requirement to post temporary positions, and the provision of benefits for temporary employees. Another
improvement to the contract is the reduction of hours from 1950 to 1725
required for a part-time or casual employee to advance to the next salary
increment. Part-time employees working at least 1/2 time will be eligible for
long term disability benefits, group insurance, Blue Cross and Alberta Blue
Cross. Part-time employees are now entitled to participate in the pension
plan. The uniform allowance has been increased for all employees. The
agreement provides for a two year salary freeze. The previous contract
expired March 31 , 1992.
The 14-member Local will hold its ratification vote within the next few
weeks. Many thanks to the Negotiating Committee (Tessa Merry and Joyce
Rebus) for their work on behalf of the Local.

Negotiations '94 Update
Hospital Negotiating Committee members met in July to review the Local
Proposals and to prepare recommendations for the Demand Setting Meeting.
Locals are now in the process of reviewing the Negotiating Committee's recommendations and determining local support for each proposal. Watch the
UNA bulletin board at your facility to find out when your Local meeting will
be held. The Hospital Demand Setting Meeting will take place on September
21 and 22 at the Mayfield Inn in Edmonton.

Hospital Negotiating Committee members: Front Row (L to R) David
Harrigan - Chief Negotiator, Marilyn Goody - Chairperson, Heather Smith UNA President. Back Row (L to R) Terry Robertson, Sheila Bailey, Gail
Tymens, ]anet Hudson.
Health Unit Negotiating Committee members will be meeting on
September 8 and 9 to review and make recommendations on the Health Unit
Local proposals. The Health Unit Demand Setting Meeting will be held in
Calgary on November 16 and 17.

UNA NewsBulletin - 15

S There Reall_y a
· g Crisis?
by Heather Smith, UNA President

But is there really
a funding crisis?

Is There a Funding Crisis?

In 1970-71 health care costs in
Canada were 13.4% of government
expenditures. Twenty years later, in
1990-9 1, they were exactly the
same-13.4% of government expenditures. In real per capita amounts,
all consolidated health care costs in
Canada (federal and provincial) have
increased by only 4.4% during the
past 25 years.
It is only 21 years since Alberta
entered
into
the
national medicare
scheme. Although it
took almost four decades to build a national health system, it
is on the precipice of
being dismantled.
The Canadian system "costs" 9.5% of
the gross national
product, while the
United States spends
12.2% of their gross
national product on
health care. Close to
1/3 of the American
population has either
no coverage or inadequate coverage. Despite this cost difference, the Canadian
system is under extreme pressure to cut
our costs. Both federal
and provincial governments want to shift the
burden of responsibility and accountability
from government to
individual Canadians,
individual Albertans.

Much has been said of late about a
crisis in our health care system.
Politicians and bureaucrats have
spread the message that we can no
longer afford the kind of health care
system that has become a trademark
of Canadian citizenship. A common
assumption is that health care costs
are soaring uncontrollably.
Heather Smith, UNA President

Politicians alarmingly proclaim
that Alberta spends 30 % of the
Provincial budget on health care. No
one asks whether this is too much or
too little. The subliminal message is

that it is a horrendous and inappropriate amount. But is it too much?
Are our health and well-being not
worth 30% of our provincial income?
There are a number of reasons that
health accounts for 30% of the
provincial budget. When Alberta had
financial resources in abundance,
there was little concern that Alberta
expended vast amounts on hospital
construction, expansion and renovation. The toys of technology were
purchased with little regard for cost
or need.
But the days of abundance have
passed. The value of oil has dropped.
We are no longer rich. Alberta must
decide on whether it wants to fund
toys like Nova te! or invest in the
health of Albertans.
Unfortunately some of the cost
control is beyond Alberta's influence

UNA Newsbulletin - 3

- it rests with the federal government.
Whereas the federal government
once shared equally the cost of
health care, the sharing has been
eroded to the point that by the year
2000 Alberta will receive virtually no
federal dollars for health care or
advanced education. Ottawa politicians seem to have chosen to fund
helicopters over health care.
Other political decisions have
increased stress on the system.
Although hospitals and other
facilities receive a refund for a portion of GST costs, they are not totally
exempt. Just to receive the exemption, resources (people and computers) must be dedicated to ensure
exact accounting.
In 1987 and again in February of
1993, federal legislation extended
and enhanced patent drug protection. As a result drug costs have
climbed at a rate far in excess of the
cost of living. Many questions surround the utilization of drugs in
Canada. Consider that 20% of hospi4- UNA Newsbulletin

tal admissions of the elderly are
drug-related.
Information is a powerful tool in
our "high tech" society. There is an
increasing demand for immediate
and accurate accounting and information. This has resulted in substantial investments in computer equipment and people.
There is a pressure to compete in a

global economy - many consider that
someone, somewhere else has the
magic solution to increase productivity and trim costs. So a variety of
guru's - "specialists" and "consultants" have been enlisted at considerable cost in an attempt to find that
elusive perfect answer.
We have increased costs because
we refuse to move from an institutional and illness-based health care
system to a more holistic and community-based model.
There are several reasons that
health care costs have continued to
rise in Alberta. The escalating cost of
drugs and supplies; the purchase of
new technology; the privatization of
laboratory services; and physician
utilization have significantly impacted on overall costs.
But we want to dispel a myth. The
myth is that health care costs are out
of control because certain workersnurses and their unions-have forced
labour costs to escalate.
While there is no dispute th at
labour is a major part of the health
care costs, labour encompasses a lot
of categories. Labour includes nurses, instructors, salaried physicians,
physiotherapists, pharmacists, radiology technicians, porters, housekeepers, laundry workers, chief executive officers, directors, payroll
clerks, word processors, consultants
and a host of others. Nurses are only
one group of employees.
In Alberta, nursing costs have not
continued to climb as a percentage of
operating costs. In the face of rising
salaries and benefits, nursing costs
have remained flat in the last decade.
There is n o crisis in h ealth care.
The crisis lies in the hearts of governments who allocate money on the
basis of lobbying and political influence. We condemn the skewed priorities of politicians who cut deficits
by reducing our access to health care.
We are not calling for uncontrollable increases in health care dollars.
As advocates for our patients, our
families and ourselves, we are calling
for the wise investment of Alberta
tax dollars in a health care system
which promotes the well being of
Alberta citizens and is firmly built
on the principles of the Canada
Health Act.

PRESIDENT•s MEETING
Local Presidents and Executive Board Members met on June 15 to address the
specific concerns facing each Local Executive and UNA members. Sub-groups met to discuss
resolutions to the problems. Participants left with a renewed sense of solidarity and
up-to-date information on dealing with issues common to the Locals.

UNA NewsBulletin - 5

UNA,
AARN
and

SNAA
For111
Co111111on
Front
By the time this NewsBulletin
reaches you , the ad series
"Nurses Aren't Part of the
Problem. We're Part of the
Solution." will have completed its run in Alberta's
daily and weekly newspapers.
These advertisements
mark the first time that
United Nurses of Alberta,
Staff Nurses Associations
of Alberta and the Alberta
Association of Registered
Nurses have formed a common front to fight government cuts to health care
and to raise public awareness of the role of nurses
as patient and health care
advocates.
We would like to thank
Gail Tymens, North Central District representative,
for her participation in the
ad campaign.
If you have any comments about the ads,
please
contact
your
District Representative or
leave a message on UNA's
new Medicare Hot Line at
1-800-667-1379.

has worked as a long

"Our seniors have worked
hard togive us the lifestyle
we enjoy today. They
deserve to be treated with
dignity and respect."

term care nurse for
seven years. She believes
that the special needs of
seniors deserve more
attention.

NURSE CAll TYM£NS. EDMONTON

ALBERTANS DESERVE A HEALTH CARE SYSTEM THAT
PUTS THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE FIRST. As Canadians, we
have the right to expect an affordable, comprehensive
level of care, easy access to services and equal treatment
regardless of our age, gender, income or race.
ALBERTA nurses believe there are ways of reforming the

health care system without jeopardizing its quality.
Random cuts are not the answer. We need a plan. Given
the chance, nurses could save taxpayers' dollars by
providing more community-based health services
that focus on care and keeping people well.
NURSES want to help provide a superior health care
system to Albertans. But government cuts that close
hospital beds, reduce funding to community health
services, and lay off staff are hurting a health
care system that is the envy of the world.

IN government roundtable talks, nurses will be representing
the needs of Albertans in health care reform. ALBERTA
NURSES INVITE YOU TO CONSIDER THE
DIFFERENCE NURSES CAN MAKE.

"Thf Pfoplt wt look afttr
art physically and mfntally
f rail. Tbty sufffr from tht
imvmiblf ffffcts of old agt.
Thfy'rf unablt to stay in
thtir homtS and rfquir<
constant cart. Wf providf
nursing cart, rfbabilitation
and thfrapy all in a saff
and caring atmosphm. Thf
rfsidfnts count on us for
rvtrything.•
"Govfrnmfnt cuts to long
ttrm cart art forcing us to
providt cart with ffwtr and
ffwtr nursts. My frar is that
our patitnts will bf dtprivtd
of thf hfalth carf Sfrvicts
thatthfy havf workfd long
and hard for. I am afraid
that tbty will btcomf tbf
forgollfn Pfoplf."

•

NURSES AREN'T PART OF THE PROBLEM.

W E'RE PART OF THE SOLUTION.
\I 1:11-: I \ \~~~ l( I \I I< 1'-. I >I 1-: 1 ( ,I'> 11 1-:1 1l '-.l l-:'>1 ~ 1-1100-lil-'1 I'll
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6 - UNA NewsBulletin

hat's
important in
this election?
HAT'S IMPORTANT in this
federal election is you, and
your family . What's important is to elect people who will represent your interests and fight for
what matters to you. For too long
decision makers in Canada - both
Tories and Liberals - have told us
that there i s only one future for
Canadians - a future where high
unemployment is normal, a future
that says essential services like health
care have to be cut because governments can't afford them, and a future
where poor and middle
income families pay
high taxes to support
tax breaks for wealthy
individuals and corporations.
Most politicians are
out of touch with what
ordinary Canadians
need and want. The
proof: the Free Trade
Agreement, the North
American Free Trade
Agreement, cuts to
unemployment insurance, a tax system that
burdens families at the
lower end of the income
scale , and tragically
high levels of unemployment. We have a
federal government that
fights its debt by spending billions on things
we don't need, like helicopters, and forcing its

W

debt onto the provinces by drastically
cutting payments for health and other
services we do need.
We need to put people back to
work, protect important services like
health care, and make sure everyone
pays a fair share of taxes. Canadians
want to work. More Canadians working means less spent on UIC and welfare. More people working and a fairer
tax sys t em will make important
health services like medicare more
affordable.

Creating jobs
For years the Conservative government has listened only to
the wealthy and powerful.
The result - bad trade deals
and other misguided policies that are killing jobs.
One in four Canadians can't
find work, can find only
part-time work, or has given
up looking.

What's
important
is to elect
people who
Fighting for a fair
will repre- tax
system
Federal Conservative tax
sent your policies have been guided
"trickle-down" theointerests byry oftheeconomics.
The capital gains exemption, the
and fight GST, lower tax rates for the
rich, and cuts in corporate
taxes are all guided by the
for what
belief that if the rich and
the big corporations get a
matters to break,
they'll create jobs for
the rest of us.
you
isn't working.

The average Canadian family is
paying $3,600 (after inflation) more in
tax than they were eight years ago.
Over 90,000 companies with profits of
over $27 billion avoid paying taxes .
Conservative government policies
have shifted the tax burden away
from corporations and onto people.
Canadians deserve a fair tax system
that will stimulate the economy. We
must scrap the GST and replace it
with a fair system that would get rid
of tax breaks for the very rich, bring in
a minimum corporate tax, a wealth
tax, more progressive income taxes,
and a tax on private trusts.

Defending and
improving medicare
Today's health care crisis grew out
of Liberal and Conservative government policies.
In the 1960s, the federal government agreed to pay half of health care
costs. But the Liberals began to backtrack. By the early 1980s, they had
pushed federal funding down to about
43 per cent.
The Conservatives continued the
cuts. In 1990, they froze transfers to
the provinces for two years. After
that, increases were minimal.
The Conservatives complained
about the health care cuts the Liberals
made , and the Liberals complained
about the cuts the Conservatives
made. But, they both cut, forcing the
provinces to find ways, like higher
taxes or user fees, to pay for the extra
costs.
Our health care system does need
reform, both to control costs and to
provide new and better services. But,
the solution is not ending medicare.
We must elect politicians who will
defend the principles of medicare,
universality, corn prehensi veness,
portability, accessibility and nonprofit operation. We must elect people who will represent our interests
and who are willing to fight for what
matters to us. (CALM/USWA News At 6)

It

UNA Newsbulletin -7

Myth
•lty
Real

We can no longer afford the kind of health care system
that has become a trade mark of Canadian citizenship.
There is no financial crisis in health care. The crisis lies
in the hearts of governments who allocate money on the
basis of privilege, patronage & political influence.

Fact

Fact

Canada spends 9 .5 % of its Gross
Nati ona l Product on h ealth care,
compared to 12.2% in the U.S.

Cuts in federal cash transfers to
the provinces under EPF and the
Canada Assistance Plan (CAP) have
totaled $41 billion since 1982-1983.
In the 1992-1993 fiscal year alone,
federal transfers were 21% less- $9.4

Fact
An estimated 37 million Americans have no health care coverage,
and 30-50 million more have inadequate coverage. In Canada everyone
has coverage.

billion - th a n originally planned.
Although Canada's gross domestic
product (GDP) rose 17.5 % from 1984
(the year the Tories were elected) to
1990, social spending increased only
2 % during the same period.

Federal Cash Transfers to the Provinces for Health and Higher Educations

Fact
Our governments are sabotaging a
health care system regarded by Canadians as a national sacred trust.
Health care is being fatally underfunded by the current federal and
Alberta governments.

$8

Jl
~

S6

Fact

8 - UNA Newsbulletin

-5.!1

..g

$4

Cuts in federal health care funding
began when Trud eau's Lib erals
applied the restrictive "six and five"
anti-inflation program to EPF funding.

...91

e
i
8

S2

]

<::

·~

so

l

Fact
Although total dollars spent on
health have increased, the percentage
of all federal government spending
on health care has not increased. In
1970-71, health care costs in Canada
amounted to 13.4% of government
expenditures. Twenty years later, in
1990-1991, the y were exactly the
same, 13.4% of federal government
expenditures. Whereas in 1986, 1.4%
of our Gross Domestic Product was
spent on health care, in 1992 it was
down to 1.0% of GDP. This difference amounted to $2.8 billion. In
1993, with the reduced federal transfer payments to the provinces, the
federal government spent even less
on health care.
In real p er-capita amounts, all
consolidated h ealth care costs in
Canada (federal, provincial and
municipal) have increased by only
4.4% during the past 25 years.
Fact
In the 1970s, 50% of health care
costs were paid by the federal government. Today, only 24% of costs
are shared by Ottawa. By the year
2000, no dollars will come from out
national government to pay for
health care.
Fact
In the 1985 Tory budget, the EPF
funding formula was slashed to a

level defined as GNP growth minus
2%. In the 1990 budget, per capita
entitlements to the provinces were
frozen and the formula was reduced
to GNP growth minus 3%. In 1991,
the per capita freeze was extended to
1995 and fixed thereafter at GNP

minus 3 percentage points. By 2000
it is forecast that no province will
receive any cash transfers from
Ottawa.

Fact
Rather than challenge the federal
government, Klein's plan has ben to
chop health care dollars - $200 million in 1993, $200 million again in
1994, the same , again, in 1995 and
1996. From the $4 billion currently
spent on health care, Alberta will
trim nearly $1 billion. Contrast that
with the $566 million they squandered on Novate!.
Fact
Alberta spends
less of its total
wealth on h ealth
care than any other
province. In 1992,
Alberta
spent
5.99% of total provincial wealth (production of goods
and services) on
health care compared to Newfoundland which spent

Reality

9.44% and the Canadian average of
6.97%.

Fact
Our health car e system is also
being rapidly privatized. Examples
include commercial ambulance companies, private laboratories and nursing homes, contracting out of food ,
laundry and house-keeping services,
and the use of private management
companies.
Fact
After passage of th e first Drug
Patent Act, spending on prescription
and non-prescription drugs rose from
8.9% to 13.3% of Canadian h ealth
care spending. This was the largest
increase in any of the major categories included in the overall measure of national health care costs.
The passage of Bill C-91 has caused
Canada's health care system to pay
billions of dollars more for prescription drugs.
Fact
Total Quality Management programs are being introduced into
Canada's health care facilities. These
programs are aimed at weakening
unions, introducing rollbacks into
Collective Agreements and reducing
the workforce.
Fact
Bed closures, longer waiting lines
and staff layoffs have dramatically
increased in Alberta hospitals. And
still the government slashes funds.

Canadians must act now to ensure the
survival of our health care system.
UNA Newsbulletin - 9

ALLOT /
BOX ·
On Election Day in Canada

YOUR VOTE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
The first s.tep towards liberation for any group is to use the
power m hand ... And the power in hand is the vote.
-Helen Gahagan Douglas, 1973

SOCIAL PROGRAMS
Given the erosion of social programs, how does your party propose to save Medicare and ensure
a decent standard of living to all
residents of Canada? Would your
party remove the cap on CAP and
reinstate the federal share of costshared programs?

PROGRESSIVE
CONSERVATIVE PARTY: The

government claims that they are
committed to the national standards of the Canada Health Act.
They are involved in federalprovincial partnerships to preserve Medicare. They did not
answer the question on CAP
which can be taken as a "No."
They talk of the n ecessity to
reduce the national deficit.
LIBERAL PARTY: The party
10 - UNA NewsBulletin

maintains that Medicare is "a
right of Canadian citizenship."
They oppose user fe es, extra
billing and inequality of access
everywhere. They do, however,
support administrative changes
to make the system more efficient. They oppose the government's "unilateral" decision to
cap CAP, but did not answer the
qu es tion dire ctly. In other
words , they did not say they
would remove the cap on CAP.
NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY:

They would restore adequate
funding to Medicare. The party
proposed tha t " full employment" was the answer to a
decent standard of living. The
NDP would remove the cap on
CAP.

QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES
1. Do you and your party support

notiona l social programs, in
particular restoring federal
funding to social programs and
instituting federal standards?
2. Do yo u and your party favour
the full restoration of universality of pensions and family
allowance? Do you support universal social programs?
3. Will you and your party repeal
Bills C-21 and Bill C-113 c utba cks to Unemployment Insurance?
4. What do you think is the most
critical health care issue today?
5 . Do you support the five principles of the Canada Health Care
A ct - public administration, universality , accessiblity, comprehensiveness and portability? If
so, what are you prepared to do
as an MP to protect these principles?
6. Will you r party immediately
restore fe deral payments {1~81

percentages of GNP) to health,
education and social services.
7. Do you oppose all forms of user
fees? double billing?
B. Do you support the extension of
the Canada Health Care Act to
long term care, ambulance services, medications and dental
care?
9. Will you immediately act to
repeal the Drug Patent Acts?

FREE TRADE
Is your party willing to commit
itself to the immediate abrogation
of the Free Trade Agreement and
to oppose thesigning of the North
American Free Trade Agreement?

PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE PARTY: The answer is
obvious in the sense that th ey
laud Free Trade and the ensuing
NAFTA.
LIBERAL PARTY: The Liberals would "renegotiate" not
"abrogate" the FTA. They
would oppose NAFTA if certain
provisions are not included.
NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY:
This party would abrogate FTA
and NAFTA. They hold the FTA
is responsible for job losses particularly those of immigr ant
women.

QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES
1.

If elected will your party oppose
NAFTA and abrogate the Free
Trade Agreement with the U.S.?

What Can You Do?
1.

As an individual the most obvious involvement you can
have is to determine which candidate best represents
your interests.

To Determine this:
• write/phone/meet the candidates running in your constituency. Ask their positions on health care issues, universal social programs, free trade, the environment and
the economy.
• attend all-candidate forums and question the candidates.
2.

Once you decide on the candidate of your choice:
• talk to friends, colleagues and relatives. Raise the
issues and gain support for your candidate.
• join your candidate's campaign by phoning her/his
office and volunteering your time.
• write letters to the editor promoting your candidate and
your issues.

3.

VOTE.

WATCH YOUR MAILBOX!
As soon as the election is
called, UNA will be sending you a copy of "A
Nurse's Guide to the
Federal Election." The
pamphlet will contain the
questions and answers of
where the major political
parties stand on the issues
of concern to UNA members.

UNA NewsBulletin - 11

- the manner in which the criticism
was made public
- the extent to which the employer's
reputation and ability to conduct
its business was compromised
- the interest of the public in the
information
By Kris Farkas, L.R.O. (Temp}

Over the past number of years, the
United Nurses of Alberta has encouraged its members to become politically active - within the hospital,
within the union and within the
community at large. Members are
encouraged to write letters to boards
of healthcare facilities , governments
of all levels and the media. In this
time of cutback, it is particularly crucial that our message gets communicated to the public.
However, members must exercise
some caution when exercising their
right to become politically active.
There are some situations when publicizing what could be characterized
as confidential employer information
could be cause for discipline. This
area of law is not crystal clear, but
t h P.rP. FtrP. somP. gP.nP.rFtl prinr.ip l P.s

that you should consider before
"blowing the whistle" on your

There are some
general principles
that you should
consider before
ublowing the whistle" on your
employer to your
local newspaper.
employer to your local newspaper.
Arbitrators consider the following
factors when deciding whether the
employee has crossed the line and
deserves discipline for publicly criticizing her employer:
the accuracy or truthfulness of the
criticism or information
- the confidentiality of information

Credits Improve
Future Benefits
by Keith Malkin, SCD Rep

The Canada Pension Plan (CPP)
has a provision which enables 'credit
splitting' of pension benefits. CPP
credits are based on the contribution
that each worker makes to the plan.
These credits, which build up over
the years, are used to figure out the
amount of future CPP benefits.
When a level or common-law
marriage ends, either spouse can
request that CPP split the CPP credits earned by them during the period
that they cohabited. The Plan recog12- UNA Newsbulletin

nizes that both spouses earn CPP
credits equally during the time they
live together, even if one of the
spouses was not in the paid labour
force. As a result, the Plan allows for
the equal splitting of these credits in
the event of divorce or separation of
legal spouses or separation of parties
of a common-law relationship.
To qualify for credit splitting you
must meet the following conditions.
1) relationship ended after January
1' 1987.
2) spouses must have lived together
for at least 12 consecutive

months, and the marriage must

Disciplines have been upheld
where an employee attacks the
employer's administration in a concerted effort to provoke the employer
and disrupt operations, when the
employee has grossly misrepresented
the truth, and where the complaints
were not first channeled through
internal mechanisms.
Some guidelines for going public:
exhaust internal complaint mechanisms, for example, fill out PRC
forms to address any issues which
have the potential of ending up in
the political or public arena
- tell the truth
- do not sensationalize the story
- do not release confidential information
- contact your Labour Relations
Officer prior to releasing the information. Your LRO can help you
ensure that your right to express
yourself will not lead to discipline.
have ended in divorce or annulment.
3) Spouses must have lived together for at least 12 consecutive
months. The period of separation
must be at least 12 consecutive
months.
There is no time limit for applying following a separation or
divorce, except in the event of the
death of one of the separated spouses, in which case a request must be
made within three years of the death.
Income Security Programs has set
up a Credit Splitting Public Awareness Team. If you want more information about credit splitting, contact
the following team members: Olivia
Sadownik, District Manager Edmonton - 495-6465 or Line desRosiers,
Health & Welfare Canada, Communications Officer- 495-2651.

LABOUR SCHOOL

Another Yea~; Another Success
UNA's second annual Labour
School proved to be even more successful than the first. On the first
day, participants listened to a variety
of speakers. Maude Barlow from the
Council of Canadians spoke for one
hour (and then answered questions
for two hours!) about the destruction
of Canada's social programs. Jane
Slaughter from the U.S. magazine
Labour Notes reviewed the topic of
shared governance and provided new
anecdotes about how the system is
not working in the United States. In
her speech about health care 'reform'
in Alberta, UNA President Heather
Smith said UNA refused to surrender
in its battle to preserve nursing and
health care. David Harrigan, UNA's
Director of Labour Relations, was the
final speaker of the day and had the
unenviable task of addressing the
topic of employer mergers and transfers in Alberta. Bob Bossin and the
Raging Grannies provided entertainment for the evening. On the second
day, a number of workshops were
held. Everyone went home with
folders stuffed with the latest information about free trade, shared governance, layoffs , mergers and
Canada's health care system.

UNA NewsBulletin - 13

Letters to the Editor

Nursing
Perspective on
Future Health Care
by Carmelita A. Soliman, NCD Rep
There are certain short-term realities
that will have to be accepted:
1. The first, and most obvious, is that the

health care system is on a course of
change that is forever irreversible.
The institutional environment, as we
know it, has changed. Hospitals are
downsizing and decreasing the level
of expertise being offered to patients
at the bedside. The inevitable result
of this is that far fewer beds will be
available (maybe a cut of up to 4050%), and far more treatments will be
on an outpatient basis.
2. The AARN has predicted that we will
eventually see only 40% of our professional nurses employed in hospitals and 60% within a variety of community-based programs. I believe that
in the next ten years that figure is
going to be closer to 30-70. Which
ever figure turns out to be correct,
this also has implications for the
methods of nursing care delivery.
Again, the AARN, in their "Direct Access" paper, would have us believe
that a network of community-based
nursing entrepeneurs is the answer,
and this is their door-opener making
nurses eligible for third-party payment through the Alberta Health Care
Insurance Plan.
3. The third reality, perhaps, is good
news, not bad. That is, the government is grasping for delivery models,
has no firm plan de vise d, and is
therefore open to constructive suggestions. For nursing, and more specifically for the union, this may be the
only good news available for quite a
while. But we have to work quickly to
define the role before the nursing
elites do it for us.
4. Another reality, I have already alluded

14 - UNA NewsBulletin

to: namely, that we have to become
part of the solution, rather than continuing to be a confrontational part of
the problem. For example, the public
is already scared to death about what
is happening to the health care system, and doesn't need to constantly
be reminded by us, the physicians,
and hospital administrations that
"quality of care" will suffer if severe
compromises in the present system
are required. I am here to tell you that
this prophesy has already become a
reality, and that "quality of care" as
most of us have experienced it, is
gone. We have to adopt a new model,
a new strategy, perhaps less sensational for the news media, but a strategy that will serve our own best interests, and that strategy is to help find
and promote new, community-based
models of care, and that doesn't
require that we have to dream up new
models, but to find models that
already exist, re-define them in our
own terms, and offer them to government before they have the opportunity to define the models for us.
5. The last reality that we may have to
accept is one that we have continued
to oppose the possibility that in
another ten years the baccalaureate
degree should be the entry level for
nurses providing that nurses assume a
larger, more responsible role in community-based programs.
The good news for us today is that the
role of nurses in a future health care system can be as expansive and diverse as
we choose to make it. We can either
accept a reality that suggest fewer nurses
will be needed in the future, or plan our
own reality that makes nursing a costefficient and effective alternative within
a completely re-structured delivery system.

The bottom line for us today is that
there is hope for maybe the first time that
a new and expanded role for nursing
may be in our future, a role that will
truly foster independent decision-making for each of us. The future of nursing
today is as bright as we want to make it,
because we are one of the new health
care professional groups that have constantly been underutilized.
Both John and Robert Kennedy borrowed a very famous quote from the late
playwright George Bernard Shaw when
they declared, "Some men see things as
they are and ask 'Why?'; I dream things
tha t never were and ask 'Why not?'".
Let's forget about trying to maintain a
status quo that is already gone. Let's get
out there and find the models and define
our own role before the other people do
it for us. Let's put our energies and
money into serving our own best interests!

CASAW

THANK YOU UNITED
NURSES OF ALBERTA
Dear Sister Smith:
Your Union is a life saver to us up
here in Yellowknife. I could not believe
Ross Slezak, our National President
when he informed me of your generous
donation.
The NWT Courts dismissed charges
against seven of our members in May of
this year. About 6 weeks later they had
these charges brought against them again
in the form of direct indictments from
the Attorney General's Office in Ottawa.
Because of this move against us from
Ottawa, we've had to retain an additional
lawyer from Edmonton. Your gift of
$20,000 gives us a real breather in our
financial strain. It couldn't have come at
a better time.
Royal Oak's plan (more specifically
Peggy Witte's) is and has been to break
us financially.
It must be awfully frustrating to her
when the Canadian labour community
will not stop supporting us in our fight.
From the bottom of our hearts, we
thank each and everyone of you for giving when it was most needed.
Yours in solidarity
Harry Seeton
President, CASAW Local 4

Layoff
and
Recall
A Member's Guide
" Be a nurse. There will always
be jobs for nurses." " Nursing is
a career you can always fall back
on after doing something else."
" Being a nurse means you can
travel anywhere and get a job
easily." Parents, teachers, guidance counselors told us that
being a nurse meant permanent
job security. Of course, the supply of nurses went through a
cycle - we'd have too few nurses, then too many and then too
few again . But we could always
count on the surplus of nurses
lasting for only a year or two
before employers would be
searching for nurses once more.
No one dreamed of the magnitude of the health care cuts and
layoffs that would face nurses in
the 1990s. Today nurses are
becoming all too familiar with different phrases about their job
security: " I am writing to advise
you that you are being laid off
from your position ... " " The hospital is experiencing budget deficiencies and has found it necessary to eliminate positions...''
UNA has developed Layoff
and Recall - A Member's Guide
to answer the most common
questions about position elimination layoff and recall. Contact
your Local Ex ecutive or
Provincial Office for your copy of
this document.

VON Settles Contract
by Lesley Haag, LRO
The Negotiating Committee for Local #61 has reached a tentative agreement with the Victorian Order of Nurses, Edmonton Branch. Several significant improvements were made to the Collective Agreement including a
recognition of temporary employees, a requirement to post temporary positions , and the provision of benefits for temporary employees. Another
improvement to the contract is the reduction of hours from 1950 to 1725
required for a part-time or casual employee to advance to the next salary
increment. Part-time employees working at least 1/2 time will be eligible for
long term disability benefits, group insurance, Blue Cross and Alberta Blue
Cross. Part-time employees are now entitled to participate in the pension
plan. The uniform allowance has b een increased for all employees. The
agreement provides for a two year salary fre eze. The previous contract
expired March 31, 1992.
The 14-member Local will hold its ratification vote within the next few
weeks. Many thanks to the Negotiating Committee (Tessa Merry and Joyce
Rebus) for their work on behalf of the Local .

Negotiations '94 Update
Hospital Negotiating Committee members met in July to review the Local
Proposals and to prepare recommendations for the Demand Setting Meeting.
Locals are now in the process of reviewing the Negotiating Committee's recommendations and determining local support for each proposal. Watch the
UNA bulletin board at your facility to find out when your Local meeting will
be held. The Hospital Demand Setting Meeting will take place on September
21 and 22 at the Mayfield Inn in Edmonton.

Hospital Negotiating Committee members: Front Row (L to R) David
Harrigan - Chief Negotiator, Marilyn Coady - Chairperson, Heather Smith UNA President. Back Row (L to R) Terry Robertson, Sheila Bailey, Gail
Tymens, fanet Hudson.
Health Unit Negotiating Committee members will be meeting on
September 8 and 9 to review and make recommendations on the Health Unit
Local proposals. The Health Unit Demand Setting Meeting will be held in
Calgary on November 16 and 17.

UNA NewsBulletin - 15

United Nurses
of Alberta
What Your Union Does For You
UNITED NURSES OF ALBERTA IS A TRADE UNION REPRESENTING 13,000 WORKING NURSES IN:

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hospitals
nursing homes
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other Alberta health care agencies

health units
blood banks

UNA MEMBERS AND DUESPAYERS PAY 1.1% OF GROSS MONTHLY INCOME (A MINIMUM OF
$10.00) TO UNA. IN RETURN THE UNION REPRESENTS THESE NURSES:

•
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•
•
•
•
•
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•
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at bargaining tables to negotiate collective agreements which determine the wages
and working conditions of nurses
in grievance/arbitration proceedings
at Workers ' Compensation Board hearings
at licensing body hearings (AARN, RPNAA)
in courts of law (employment matters)
in pension h earings
at Employment Standards
at the Labour Relations Board and the Public Service Employee Relations Board
before the Human Rights Commission
with insurance companies
at fatality inquiries
before government taskforces & commissions

UNA provides skilled staff to assist members and
duespayers in matters of contract interpretation, contract
enforcement and patient care concerns. Members are
kept informed about the union's activities in a regular
UNA Newsbulletin. A grievance newsletter is sent to
those members actively involved in processing grievances. Occupational health and safety issues are reported in an OH&S newsletter.
Local UNA executives represent nurses at every UNA
worksite and provide support and information on workplace issues . UNA works collaboratively with other
unions and maintains strong links with other nurses'
unions in Canada.
UNA members provide direct nursing services to
patients and clients. In addition, they monitor the quality/ client care and provide in-put into decisions affecting
patient care through Professi ona l Re sponsibli t y
Committees. Nurses act as patient advocates through all
stages of illness or accident. UNA promotes a community-based wellness model of health care and works actively to enhance the well-being of Alberta citizens.
UNA is presently working to organize public opposition to health care cuts by both the federal and provincial governments.

For more information please call 425-1025, and direct
your call to:
Heather Smith, UNA President
Sandy Rentz, UNA Vice-President
Dale Fior, UNA Secretary-Treasurer
David Harrigan, Director of Labour Relations

EDUCATION
UNA has scheduled five workshops on
September 20 in Edmonton
Grievance
Professional Responsibility
Occupational Health & Safety
Local A dministration
Media/Political Action
If you would like to learn about these subjects,
contact Trudy Richardson, UNA's Education Officer
at Provincial Office. Please note that there will be
no provincial funding for any participants.

16 - UNA NewsBulletin

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