The BC Labour Relations Board recently published two decisions on BCNU's application to represent LPNs. The Labour Board's correspondence has important implications for LPNs obtaining a 2010 membership vote to join their union of choice.

1. In a February 10 ruling, the Board did not grant BCNU's request to withdraw our application to represent LPNs. This means BCNU's application to represent LPNs and hold a vote in 2010 is still active.

• The February 10 ruling noted that HEU and health employers asked the Board to entirely dismiss BCNU's application which seeks to prevent an LPN vote for at least 22 months. The Board refused to grant the HEU/employer request.



2. On February 15 the Board published the Industrial Relations Officers' report. The IROs' role is to determine if fifty percent of LPNs signed BCNU memberships. Based on employer-supplied payroll information the IROs said BCNU “does not appear to have the requisite majority membership support for a representational vote.”



• BCNU will now ask the Labour Board to conduct a payroll audit because the number of casual LPNs on employer-supplied employee lists is very high.
  
  Calculating the number of LPNs currently working in BC is difficult. Some nurses work at multiple locations, some are on leaves of absence and others are on casual lists but have not worked in a long time.

If a payroll audit determines that a majority of LPNs across the province or in various health authorities have signed BCNU memberships, the Board will order an LPN representational vote in 2010.

It's up to LPNs to decide if tentative agreements in the Facilities and Community subsectors live up to promises made by HEU and BCGEU during the LPN membership campaign.

On December 8, 2009 HEU also tried to block an LPN vote by telling the Labour Board that LPNs are not an independent professional group and have no right to leave HEU's wider membership. BCNU expects that objections of that nature will continue from HEU and BCGEU.