Unprecedented times call on us to strengthen our resolve

Hello everyone,
 

We are seeing unprecedented times as health-care professionals and we are now seeing unprecedented times as a union. The attack on the most basic rights of workers in Ontario is a warning to unions across the country. Our rights to collective bargaining, organizing and taking
job action are at risk.
 

But, as we have also seen in Ontario, when we stand strong and united, we can force governments to change course. Getting the Ford government to reverse course and withdraw legislation aimed at taking away our rights is a victory. But it doesn’t mean the work is over. Now is the time to strengthen our resolve here in Alberta as we are still dealing with the damaging effects of this government’s Bill 32 which limits union activities.
 

We must also continue to offer solutions to the crisis in health care. We have a plan. A plan that would benefit all health-care workers in the province. The first step is to get more front-line health-care professionals so Albertans can get the care when and where they need it. That means improving working conditions, so we keep more of the people we have on the job. Then we boost recruitment through recently negotiated initiatives like the rural capacity committee. The committee and the funding that comes with it will help to overcome the staffing
crisis in rural Alberta. Our ideas to retain the professionals we have and recruit more need to be implemented and we will continue to offer them up as politicians continue their campaigning.
 

We also need to keep alerting Albertans to the state of their health-care system. We need to keep showing them how the public system has been neglected in favour of using public money to pay for more expensive and less efficient private options. We do that by telling more of your stories, starting with this month’s newsletter. We’ll see the real effects of the neglect the public system has been subjected to.
 

Your stories are the most effective way of communicating with Albertans. They know we are the experts in health care that they trust. Sharing our stories with each other strengthens our bond as union members. So, please… share your stories with us at action@hsaa.ca. Let’s show people what’s being done to their health-care system.
 

Unprecedented times call for an unprecedented response. As we are seeing in Ontario… when we work together, we can continue to protect our basic union rights. We can also use the same power to improve working conditions for all health-care workers and fix health care for
everyone.
 

In solidarity,
 

Leanne