Vancouver - BCFED President Irene Lanzinger and Secretary-Treasurer Aaron Ekman are extending a warm welcome to almost 200 health care workers who’ve recently joined unions to make their workplaces better.
Some 75 staff at Rest Haven Lodge/Broadmead Care Society, a complex care facility in Victoria, became members of the BCGEU.
Also on Vancouver Island, 100 care aides, LPNs, activity aides and unit clerks at the Lodge on 4th multilevel care facility in Ladysmith voted overwhelming to join HEU. They chose the union advantage to want to improve wages, work conditions and greater fairness on the job.
Meanwhile, Lanzinger says the labour movement will continue to push to remove barriers for BC workers to join unions. “We know many workers support unions and want to join to address issues in the workplace,” she says. “But for 16 years the BC Liberals tilted labour laws in favour of employers and created barriers and roadblocks to make it difficult for workers to join.”
“We will continue our efforts to restore fairness and balance to the laws and the Labour Relations Board to level the playing field for working people in BC,” Lanzinger says.