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HEU RESPONSE TO LABOUR BOARD SEEKS TO DENY LPNS THE RIGHT TO VOTE ON THEIR UNION OF CHOICE
HEU has told the BC Labour Relations Board that LPNs have
no independent right to leave HEU and join the union of their
choice.
In response to BCNU's applications to represent LPNs,
HEU's submission to the Board says BCNU's applications "must
be dismissed because they inappropriately carve out a single
classification [LPNs] from the HEU health services and support
bargaining staff unit."In other words, HEU says LPNs
have no rights of their own to determine union membership unless
a majority of HEU's total membership also moves with
them.
"HEU's response to the Board is really quite astonishing,"says
BCNU Executive Director Gary Fane. "After months of telling LPNs they
need to remain independent, they're now saying LPNs have no rights to
any independence at all. HEU's submission says LPNs must always stay
affiliated to hospital support staff with whom they have little in common professionally."
HEU's done a complete reversal on the rights of employees
to change unions. On Vaughn Palmer's November 12 television
program The Voice of the Province, HEU's Judy
Darcy categorically told Mr. Palmer that "LPNs have the
right to choose"their union. Now that HEU has lost majority
support, they're telling the Labour Board that LPNs have
no rights to choose. Ms. Darcy's reversal is disappointing.
"HEU's whole submission to the Board is based
on trying to prevent a vote,"says Fane. "Last week they made
confident statements claiming majority support from LPNs. If
they're so confident why are they now trying to deny LPNs their
democratic rights to vote on which union they join?"
On November 30 BCNU submitted
thousands of signed membership cards from BC LPNs to the Labour
Board. Once the Board verifies BCNU has majority support, the
matter should be put to a vote so LPNs can decide their union
affiliation.
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