Canadian Strike FAIL

[Dustdevil]

ROFL! If you have to remind the public that you've been on strike for two months, your strike is teh FAIL!

http://www.canada.com/sight+paramedics+str...4475/story.html

No end in sight for paramedics strike

BY DAN MACLENNAN, COURIER-ISLANDERJUNE 5, 2009

Frustrated local paramedics took their information pickets to the Campbell River Hospital Tuesday as their strike dragged past the two-month mark with no end in sight.

"We're just keeping the public aware that the paramedics are still on strike and we're frustrated with the fact that we've been on strike for more than two months now and there's been no going back to the negotiating table, no one appointed as an arbitrator to get us back to the negotiating table," said Steve Bremer, Campbell River paramedic and picket captain for CUPE Local 873. "Management is just playing hardball and refusing to treat paramedics with respect.

"As paramedics, we don't want to shut down ambulances. We don't want to impact the public and not respond to calls. We enjoy helping people. We're just at the point where we are frustrated this has been dragging on for two months with no sign at all of it ending in the near future."

The last collective agreement between the BC Ambulance Service (BCAS) and the union representing paramedics and dispatchers expired at midnight, March 31. The paramedics want a return to wage parity with the other emergency services in the province. They say they're the lowest paid emergency service workers in the province. Their strike motto is 'same scene, same pay'.

"We are on the scene all the time with the RCMP, fire departments, and we deserve the same rate of pay that they're getting," Bremer said earlier. The paramedics want a return to wage parity with Vancouver City Police, a link they lost about seven years ago.

"In the last seven years we've had a two per cent raise," Bremer said. "The nurses just signed a three-year deal for 10.5 per cent. The full-time fire fighters signed a three deal for 13.5 per cent. Our management offered us a one-year deal at three per cent. We want long-term stability in our contract and we want our wages brought up to a fair wage."

But because they've been declared an essential service, there's little the paramedics can do to drive home their contract demands, or bring pressure for arbitration. Bremer voiced frustration with the Labor Relations Board.

"They've tied our hands so badly that the only thing we can do with our strike action is not scan our paperwork," he said. "It feels like a pillow fight that we're in right now. We're not able to do anything.

"If we are phoned on our days off, we are required by the Essential Service Act to go to work if a manager phones us. We think it's ridiculous that someone on their days off could be forced to go to work. That's totally unfair. Paramedics, like everyone else, deserve days off.

"You shouldn't, as a part-timer, be forced to go to work and pack a pager for two bucks an hour because of what the Labor Relations Board deemed was essential."

The paramedics had another message for the public as well. "With the good weather here, we want everyone to be safe," Bremer said. "Don't drink and drive. Behave yourself. Be safe."

[WolfmanHarris]

I'm afraid that's the product of the Provincial Labour Relations Board, which in the lead up to the strike at the behest of the province initiated an essential services order to determine what percentage of the staff would be forced to continue to work as normal, regardless of the strike. This is especially strange because prior to this the Province resisted making EMS officially an essential service which would have compelled them to go to arbitration, rather than ignore them. The Labour Relations Board made the strike largely meaningless by declaring more then 90% of the Paramedic staff essential. Their picketing can only be done in their own time and the impact to the service is limited to behind the scenes such as not completing paperwork. In fact the real kicker is that the public and government aren't really affected by this job action, those who are include: the medics who are without contract and forced to use their spare time to fight for a fair contract; the BC Paramedic students who cannot continue their education on the road, as training is a non-essential service; the Paramedics who are missing any scheduled CME for the same reasons; unionized support staff who will not cross the picket lines and must accept decreased pay in order to support their Union brothers and sisters; and management who is caught in the middle trying to run the service and work with their striking Medics.

That being said, CUPE needs to step it up and overcome these problems, not let it cripple their job action and hurt the Paramedics of BCAS.

[rock_shoes]

I'm afraid that's the product of the Provincial Labour Relations Board, which in the lead up to the strike at the behest of the province initiated an essential services order to determine what percentage of the staff would be forced to continue to work as normal, regardless of the strike. This is especially strange because prior to this the Province resisted making EMS officially an essential service which would have compelled them to go to arbitration, rather than ignore them. The Labour Relations Board made the strike largely meaningless by declaring more then 90% of the Paramedic staff essential. Their picketing can only be done in their own time and the impact to the service is limited to behind the scenes such as not completing paperwork. In fact the real kicker is that the public and government aren't really affected by this job action, those who are include: the medics who are without contract and forced to use their spare time to fight for a fair contract; the BC Paramedic students who cannot continue their education on the road, as training is a non-essential service; the Paramedics who are missing any scheduled CME for the same reasons; unionized support staff who will not cross the picket lines and must accept decreased pay in order to support their Union brothers and sisters; and management who is caught in the middle trying to run the service and work with their striking Medics.

That being said, CUPE needs to step it up and overcome these problems, not let it cripple their job action and hurt the Paramedics of BCAS.

Docharris has our situation in BC pretty well summed up. There are a few other bits and pieces going on behind the scenes that have the potential to throw a wrench in the provincial government's plan. The additional staffing that will be required to meet BC Ambulance's Olympic obligations is an excellent example. As part of the ESO (essential service order) "Special Operations" have been deemed non-essential. This will include the additional cars and staff required for the Olympics. In addition to the students' inability to finish their programs staffing shortages will be further exacerbated by a portion in the ESO that deems hiring of replacement workers during the labour dispute illegal. The current situation has been brewing for a long time. We are dealing with both a hostile employer and a hostile provincial government that, thanks in large part to the current economic climate, has just received a new mandate. The way things are currently going it could come to the point that 3500 resignation letters are dumped on the premier's desk. We aren't completely out yet but it's becoming extremely frustrating for all of us. Portions of the current ESO violate both Labour Law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms so much of our fight is going to be in court.

[emtannie]

Thank you docharris and rock_shoes for shedding more light on this situation.

-5 to Dust, who never offered any solution or constructive dialogue to this thread.

It is sad that EMS continues to be the "red-headed stepchild" of emergency services and the medical profession. I would hope that CUPE is attempting to educate the public of the inequalities and lack of respect that EMS gets.

The BC government should be embarassed that they have not appointed an arbitrator in over 2 months.

[Dustdevil]

-5 to Dust, who never offered any solution or constructive dialogue to this thread.

I didn't even claim to have all the info, much less any answers. And being pretty firmly anti-union, I don't anticipate ever caring enough to come up with such answers.

The timing is very definitely bad, with the economy disinclining politicians from giving money to any public employees. It's going to be very difficult to convince them or the general public to do so. In fact, the timing is probably the primary FAIL of your leadership. Seriously, what made them think this was a good time to try this?

For a relevant lesson history, see the results of the PATCO strike in 1981, where essential government employees struck, despite a law prohibiting it. I say this because really, that is the only hope you have of prevailing, and it is extremely risky. Although you're probably more likely to get away with it in the People's Republik of Canadia than PATCO was.

Regardless, I hope you set your demands ridiculously and impossibly high, because you're going to end up settling for something much, much less, if anything at all.

[rock_shoes]

The timing is very definitely bad, with the economy disinclining politicians from giving money to any public employees. It's going to be very difficult to convince them or the general public to do so. In fact, the timing is probably the primary FAIL of your leadership. Seriously, what made them think this was a good time to try this?

We haven't the ability to arbitrarily change when our contract ends on a whim Dust. How exactly would you propose we predict the economic situation and adjust our contract end date accordingly in the future? We didn't even end up with an actual contract the last go around. What we are currently working under is a "Memorandum of Agreement" that extends a previous contract. This isn't about "Union Vs Non-Union" as much as it's about dealing with a hostile employer that has zero respect for its employees. As for pertinent history I think much of it is obvious. BC Ambulance has gone from being a world leader in pre-hospital care to lagging behind on nearly every front. We're stuck in the dark ages due in lare part to mismanagement that borders on both criminal and gross negligence. Believe me this labour dispute is about a great deal more than wages. Wages are at the forefront because of how far behind we currently lag.

[Dustdevil]

How exactly would you propose we predict the economic situation and adjust our contract end date accordingly in the future?

As you pointed out, the world does not suddenly end when your contract expires. Consequently, I still don't see what the urgency was. Now that you've worked all the way through the previous contract extension without taking any decisive action, you've basically shown the government that you are impotent, and that they don't have to take you seriously. And it doesn't seem that the strike has placed the slightest hardship on them, so why should they be motivated to deal?

Unless you have a seriously sympathetic judge on your side, I think you're screwed.

BC Ambulance has gone from being a world leader in pre-hospital care to lagging behind on nearly every front.

I guess I am not aware of that history. When and why was BCAS ever a world leader? Honest question.

[Happiness]

Well I was going to leave this one alone but I will quote Dust "I don't ever anticipate caring enough to come up with such answers" Well you sure care enough to slam the cause and your crappy remarks. It is unfortunate that you choose to make these remarks to an organization that is a rock in a hard place. You really should pull you head out of your butt and maybe think that if you have a good solution to the problem lets hear it you never know you actually might come up with something worth reading.

[emtannie]

I didn't even claim to have all the info, much less any answers. And being pretty firmly anti-union, I don't anticipate ever caring enough to come up with such answers.

The timing is very definitely bad, with the economy disinclining politicians from giving money to any public employees. It's going to be very difficult to convince them or the general public to do so. In fact, the timing is probably the primary FAIL of your leadership. Seriously, what made them think this was a good time to try this?

For a relevant lesson history, see the results of the PATCO strike in 1981, where essential government employees struck, despite a law prohibiting it. I say this because really, that is the only hope you have of prevailing, and it is extremely risky. Although you're probably more likely to get away with it in the People's Republik of Canadia than PATCO was.

Regardless, I hope you set your demands ridiculously and impossibly high, because you're going to end up settling for something much, much less, if anything at all.

Well said, Happi...

Dust, I would also like to point out, that I find it interesting that you don't anticipate caring enough to come up with answers... so why do you care enough to post a thread "Canadian Strike FAIL"? I know you know your geography better than that. It appears that you like to throw stones, but don't want to be involved in quality discussion.

Also... this is a provincial strike, not a Canadian one. Your title assumes it is a national strike, which it is not. That would be no different than me posting a thread that says "USA EMS FAIL" when the article I refer to is only regarding California. You can be assured I would be openly slammed by the American members here if I posted in that fashion.

In your post directed back to me, you stated "the timing is probably the primary FAIL of your leadership" - again, not my province, so not my leadership.

Since I am from another province, I cannot directly work with CUPE and BCAS, so I have sent both letters informing them of my disgust with the way this has been handled, as well as a letter to the editor of the Courier-Islander where the initial article was from. Part of solving this is educating the public, and I hope that my letter gets printed, and I hope that some people take note and contact their provincial representative. Rather than point fingers, maybe EMS members elsewhere need to support their brothers and sisters.

[Dustdevil]

You really should pull you head out of your butt and maybe think that if you have a good solution to the problem lets hear it you never know you actually might come up with something worth reading.

Not my problem. I'll be motivated to solve this crisis the day after I achieve peace in the Middle East.

Also... this is a provincial strike, not a Canadian one. Your title assumes it is a national strike, which it is not. That would be no different than me posting a thread that says "USA EMS FAIL" when the article I refer to is only regarding California. You can be assured I would be openly slammed by the American members here if I posted in that fashion.

Well, the obvious difference is that I was referring to the failure of a strike, not the failure of a nation. But I often make the case here that USA EMS fails, so you're not going to get any argument on the matter from me. Regardless, I was trying to keep it on the comprehension level of the average American, who probably isn't even aware that British Columbia is on the same continent with them. If you really think that I have any agenda to disparage Canadia, you do not know me at all.

In your post directed back to me, you stated "the timing is probably the primary FAIL of your leadership" - again, not my province, so not my leadership.

It wasn't directed back at you. Take note of the paragraph break between my reply to you, and my return to the core discussion.

Rather than point fingers, maybe EMS members elsewhere need to support their brothers and sisters.

Labourers are not my brothers and sisters. I went to the university to be more than a common labourer.