British Columbia Paramedics Need YOUR Help.

[Richard B the EMT]

If going public, mention that the Fire Fighters face the dangers of flame and smoke. The LEOs face being shot at, stabbed, bitten by both animals and humans, or hit by cars who's drivers are not paying attention, while the LEOs are simply directing traffic.

Those in EMS are at risk of catching a big list of diseases from the very persons they are treating and transporting.

Each job has specifics that are part of the risk of what they do.

All are at risk when traveling at higher than posted speed, at Emergency Status, but whoever gets hurt in the ways I have described, or other ways not yet mentioned, in the performance of their jobs, it is members of the EMS system that takes care of them.

[Ambulance Al]

Thank you all for your support.

We are in tough but our 96% strike mandate has our managers nervous. NEVER before has there been such an overwhelming turnout for a vote. 70% of the membership voted! When you consider that there are over 3500 members in our Union that is a huge number. To put in in perspective national elections like the recent US elections only garnered 50 +/- % of the voter population to elect Obama. In Canada even less of a percentage re-elected Harper with a minority government (we do things a bit different up here)

WE all face dangers in our line of work. WE all need to stand together. Consider this, if one EMS pays well others will start to notice. If those others start to demand decent wages WE all win! One wonders what our profession would be like if we had an international Union like the IAFF?

Please visit www.saveourparamedics.com and take the time to send a letter via the links provided. Support from outside of BC carries a lot of weight. We live in a province that depends on tourism for a large bulk of our economy. We are hosting the 2010 Olympic Winter Games here and our government is hoping on economic windfall from tourism then and beyond. If EMT's from around the world wrote letters stating they would stay away from a place that treats their front line emergency medical workers like crap that would have an impact. (but if you do come, look me up, I may buy you a beer! )

Cheers!

[Ambulance Al]

BC Paramedics will be issuing 72hour strike notice tonight at midnight with intention of beginning strike action April 1.

What does that mean? Yet to be determined as the Union doesn't want to tip any hand to the employer. Essential service levels have been tentatively set to ensure there is not disruption to emergency responses, patient airevac/transfers and other high priority service that BCAS provides to the province of BC.

BCAS's last offer to it's paramedics and dispatchers was;

*An across-the-board 3 per cent General Wage Increase (GWI) in 2009/10 for all paramedics and dispatchers, building on the 2 per cent GWI increase received in 2008/09, and

*One-time signing bonus worth up to $4,100 for full-time staff and up to $2,600 for part-time staff

Prior to that they offered:

*a three-year proposal that contained the following increases to wages and benefits for paramedics and dispatchers:

Signing Bonus – effective April 1, 2009

• Signing bonus of a maximum of $4,100 for full-time and $2,600 for part-time staff

Year 1 – effective April 1, 2009

• 2% General Wage Increase for all paramedics and dispatchers effective April 1, 2009

• Labour Market Adjustment (LMA) - Changed eligibility criteria for benefits for part-time staff

from six years to just 2 years or 1,000 hours of service annually

• LMA - Increases to mileage allowance rates (34% increase) and meal allowance rates (47%

increase)

Year 2 – effective April 1, 2010

• LMA - First phase of increases to part-time pay rates to address proven recruitment and retention

challenges – a cost increase of $2.46 million

• LMA - Implementation of a Universal Hourly Rate to reduce the complexity of the current

hourly wage system – a cost increase of $1.2 million

Year 3 – effective April 1, 2011

• LMA - Second phase of increases to part-time pay rates to address proven recruitment and

retention challenges – a cost increase of $2.46 million

• LMA - Pay premium for overnight shifts in urban/metro areas – a cost increase of $1.33 million

The signing bonus is a dangling 'carrot' designed to persuade the membership to ratify a contract offer by midnight April 1. This bonus is taxed before payout which substantially reduces the actual amount each member receives.

Since part-time employees out number the full-time almost 2.5/1 the employer hopes to get them to tilt any ratification vote to an acceptance. Fortunately our part-timers are smarter than that.

Interesting times are upon us as a Union and as a Service.

More details to come.

Please visit www.saveourparamedics.com for more details and ways for you to help out.

BC Paramedics will be issuing 72hour strike notice tonight at midnight with intention of beginning strike action April 1.

What does that mean? Yet to be determined as the Union doesn't want to tip any hand to the employer. Essential service levels have been tentatively set to ensure there is not disruption to emergency responses, patient airevac/transfers and other high priority service that BCAS provides to the province of BC.

BCAS's last offer to it's paramedics and dispatchers was;

*An across-the-board 3 per cent General Wage Increase (GWI) in 2009/10 for all paramedics and dispatchers, building on the 2 per cent GWI increase received in 2008/09, and

*One-time signing bonus worth up to $4,100 for full-time staff and up to $2,600 for part-time staff

Prior to that they offered:

*a three-year proposal that contained the following increases to wages and benefits for paramedics and dispatchers:

Signing Bonus – effective April 1, 2009

• Signing bonus of a maximum of $4,100 for full-time and $2,600 for part-time staff

Year 1 – effective April 1, 2009

• 2% General Wage Increase for all paramedics and dispatchers effective April 1, 2009

• Labour Market Adjustment (LMA) - Changed eligibility criteria for benefits for part-time staff

from six years to just 2 years or 1,000 hours of service annually

• LMA - Increases to mileage allowance rates (34% increase) and meal allowance rates (47%

increase)

Year 2 – effective April 1, 2010

• LMA - First phase of increases to part-time pay rates to address proven recruitment and retention

challenges – a cost increase of $2.46 million

• LMA - Implementation of a Universal Hourly Rate to reduce the complexity of the current

hourly wage system – a cost increase of $1.2 million

Year 3 – effective April 1, 2011

• LMA - Second phase of increases to part-time pay rates to address proven recruitment and

retention challenges – a cost increase of $2.46 million

• LMA - Pay premium for overnight shifts in urban/metro areas – a cost increase of $1.33 million

The signing bonus is a dangling 'carrot' designed to persuade the membership to ratify a contract offer by midnight April 1. This bonus is taxed before payout which substantially reduces the actual amount each member receives.

Since part-time employees out number the full-time almost 2.5/1 the employer hopes to get them to tilt any ratification vote to an acceptance. Fortunately our part-timers are smarter than that.

Interesting times are upon us as a Union and as a Service.

More details to come.

Please visit www.saveourparamedics.com for more details and ways for you to help

[Freaknuggetz_chick]

you have my full support! as well as my family on van isle. i'm a medic in alberta, and not a hope in hell i'd move to be slave labour in BC.

[RatPack]

You have my support.

Who voted no?

[rock_shoes]

Well we are now officially on strike. Of course with the essential service order that has been issued by the BC Labour Relations Board their will be no change in service levels to the public. Our job action will mainly consist of things like picket lines and not scanning our PCR's into the digital record to delay billing. It's shaping up to be a long drawn out battle at this point.