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BCNU APPLIES TO REPRESENT
LPNs CURRENTLY IN HEU
Yesterday BCNU applied to the BC Labour Relations Board to
be certified as your union. We anticipate the Labour Board
will hold a hearing early in December and order a representational
vote after that date. With that vote LPNs can take the final
step to full membership and collective bargaining rights in
the BC Nurses' Union.
We're confident that a majority of LPNs currently represented
by HEU have signed BCNU memberships. In the days ahead you'll
continue to hear from HEU. They may continue to repeat untrue
statements about BCNU or say our filing is somehow designed
to trick LPNs. It will largely be a message of fear.
BCNU's
APPLICATION IS STRUCTURED TO MAXIMIZE DEMOCRATIC CHOICE
Our application to the Labour Board is complex. We've
structured it in ways that will maximize LPNs' democratic
rights to join a professional nurses' union – to
join the union of your choice.
Nurses will have better salaries, benefits and practice conditions
when they negotiate together. We don't want LPNs to face
a situation similar to 2004 bargaining when HEU agreed to lower
LPN salaries. BCNU will never accept rollbacks for nurses in
our provincial agreements.
FOLLOWING THROUGH ON OUR PLEDGE TO YOU
After
the vote is counted and BCNU is your new union, we'll
start to action the commitments in our Pledge. We will:
- lower
your union dues and establish an LPN education fund
- elect an
LPN bargaining committee and prepare for negotiations
- hold an
election for six LPN representatives to BCNU Council
- invite
you to our caucuses and educationals; and welcome you into
the life of our professional community.
Contact us if you have any questions or concerns. We're
here to support you. As soon as the Labour Board makes a decision
on our application we'll send you an update on the representational
vote.
That vote is the final step in your journey to the
BC Nurses' Union – let's
take it confidently and together.
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