NSGEU Union Matters

The first week of November is Allied Healthcare Professionals Week! Our host, Holly Fraughton, sits down and chats with a Medical Laboratory Technologist, Conor Porter, about the work he does behind the scenes within our health care system.

Union Matters' host Holly Fraughton and President Jason MacLean take a journey through some of the highlights of 2019 and into some of the challenges our members are currently facing and what lies ahead for 2020. The range of topics includes: our new NSGEU Educational Program; Health Care bargaining; OHS issues for our Corrections Officers and members working at the East Coast Forensic Hospital; our fight to win paid domestic violence leave; NSGEU Committees and campaigns, such as Sock it to Poverty, the Lodge that Gives, Cancer Care Fund, and Period Poverty; our current campaign against P3 hospital builds; changes at the WCB; LPN reclassification; Northwood computer virus mayhem; layoffs at Emerald Hall; and more! It's an hour long, but worth every minute - so listen in.

Union Matters host Deedee Slye interviews Deputy Sheriff Kevin Hurst about the Pink Patch Project which brings awareness to and support for Breast Cancer. In the podcast, Kevin discusses why they embarked on this initiative (the first in Canada) and how he created our distinctly Nova Scotia pink patch.. If you are interested in purchasing a patch in support of breast cancer awareness, email Kevin at kevin.hurst@novascotia.ca.

The President of the National Union of Public & General Employees (NUPGE) sits down with host Mary Otto to discuss his personal history with the organization and the labour movement; issues facing unions today, and much more!

Host Mary Otto discusses NSGEU's resolution for a week that recognizes the important work Healthcare Professionals do for Nova Scotians. Mary's guests are fellow health care workers, Peter Perry, an Anaesthesia Assistant in Local 122 and Laura MacMillan, an Orthopaedic Technician in Local 100. Join in to hear why we need an Allied Healthcare Professionals Week!

Host Deedee Slye interviews Patricia Wall - a navigator for the recently created Office of Workplace Mental Health (OWMH), an initiative of the NSGEU and the Public Service Commission (PSC). The Office provides support to NSGEU members who work for the PSC, Tourism Nova Scotia, or Nova Scotia Pension Corporation, all members who belong to the Nova Scotia Public Service LTD plan. Navigators help employees identify and connect with the mental health resources and services they need in a confidential manner. They also help leaders and managers create safe and supportive workplaces. The Office's three mental health navigators are located throughout the province. Patricia supports members who live and/or work in the Western region.

Host Mary Otto, interviews Sébastien Labelle about the history and activities of Mayworks in Halifax. Listen in and find out more about this festival of workers art. Mayworks happens annually, on and around May 1st. Mary Otto is a proud member of Local 43, Canadian Blood Services and on the NSGEU Political Action Committee.

This week, host Mary Otto sit down with the President of the Halifax-Dartmouth and District Labour Council (HDDLC), Suzanne MacNeil about what Labour Councils do, and the role they play in the overall labour movement.

This week, we sit down with Tanya Hersey, member of Local 423 working in administrative support at the IWK; Paul Hagen, Board member and chair of the civil service PR bargaining group; and Donna MacGregor, President of Local 71C, Cignecto Regional Centre for Education, to talk about what it's like to sit on a bargaining committee.

This week, host Mary Otto sits down with fellow members of the NSGEU's Political Action Committee (PAC), to find out what it's like to get involved in politics and the union! Featured on this episode are Hugh Gillis (a Correctional Officer from Local 480); Robert MacDonald (an Operational Support worker at SMU from Local 170); Suzanne MacIntyre (a Registered Nurse and member of Local 101); and Lindsay MacKenzie (a Client Service Assistant with the VON, Local 29). They talk about the highlights of the work they've done over the past three years, and how their work is affected by the resolutions that come out of Convention!

NSGEU's Triennial Convention is right around the corner: it's being held from May 8 to 11 in Halifax. If you are a member and are interested in running for an Executive position, please take a listen and find out how to put your name forward!

This week, we sit down with NSGEU President Jason MacLean and Alec Stratford, Executive Director of the Nova Scotia College of Social Work, to discuss an important new campaign aimed to support child welfare services in Nova Scotia. As a result of recent changes to the Nova Scotia Children and Family Services Act, child protection workers' scope of practice has been increased, but no additional resources have been allocated to support an already overburdened system. We discuss what needs to happen, and what Nova Scotians can do to help!

This week, guest host Mary Otto sits down with Tracey Fisk, a nurse with 29 years of experience in the health care system, to talk about Blue Monday. The third Monday in January marks the most depressing day of the year for many people.

Union Matters host Deedee Slye talks to Lynette Johnson, Employee Relations Officer for Health Care, and Colin Sutton, President of Local 79, St. Mary's University, about storm closure policies, collective agreement rights and employer expectations during a weather event. So if the weather outside is frightful, your workplace is closed and you have not been reassigned, sit back, relax, and listen in.

In this Episode, host Deedee Slye talks to President Jason MacLean, Chair of the Resolutions Committee, Paul Hagan, and Chair of the Constitution and By-Laws Committee, Colin Sutton, about resolutions. They share their favorite resolutions, current deadlines and announce their resolution writing provincial tour. These resolution experts are where it's at! Whereas resolutions set the direction of the union for the next three years; and whereas they are an important part of our democratic process; therefore be it resolved that you listen in. Happy resolution writing!!

This week, we sit down with NSGEU President Jason MacLean to talk about some of the highlights from 2018, and what union members have to look forward to in the New Year!

Union Matters host Deedee Slye spends some time with President Jason MacLean and Convention professionals Diane Briggs and Lisa Bouchard discussing Convention. Includes deadlines, tips and information that will help you understand what Convention is all about.

Union Matters Guest Host Mary Otto (President of Local 43 and member of the NSGEU Political Action Committee) interviews Bill Swan, creator of Faces of Pharmacare, about Pharmacare in Canada. A positive and inspiring conversation ensues about what it takes to keep advocating for public health care. Listen in!

On this week's episode of Union Matters, we talk to NSGEU's First Vice President, Sandra Mullen; Secretary-Treasurer, Darren McPhee; and Board member & Chair of the Human Rights Committee, Melissa Marsman, about the ways the NSGEU gives back. For a transcript of the podcast, please visit http://nsgeu.ca/union-matters-giving-back/

Guest host Mary Otto, President of Local 43, and member of NSGEU's Political Action Committee interviews Erin Casey and Joan Helson about a campaign called Dignity. Period. From a blog written by Erin Casey: "One-third of Canadian women under the age of 25 say they've struggled to afford menstrual products (Plan International Canada, 2018). One in seven girls in Canada have either left school early or missed school entirely because they don't have what they need to manage their periods (Always Confidence and Puberty Study, 2018). Nova Scotia is the province with the highest rate of food insecurity in Canada. When people with periods can't afford food, they can't afford other necessities. They likely have to choose between groceries and period products, often putting their children's needs ahead of their own. Dignity. Period. is a campaign to help people with periods in Nova Scotia access the menstrual hygiene supplies they need to thrive—to live safely and with dignity. We're inviting people across the province to host Pad Parties and collect donations of period products for Feed Nova Scotia to distribute to their 145 member food banks, meal programs, and shelters." https://www.feednovascotia.ca/blog/dignity-period To like Dignity.Period Halifax Facebook page, visit: https://www.facebook.com/DignityPeriodCampaign/ For a transcript of the podcast, please visit our website: http://nsgeu.ca/nsgeu-union-matters-e7-dignity-period/

In this Episode #6, guest host Mary Otto, President of NSGEU Local 43, speaks with NSGEU's 1st VP Sandra Mullen about the NSGEU Women's Conference, empowerment, and the 2019 Convention. Note: for our deaf members, please see http://nsgeu.ca/union-matters-podcast-6-empowering-nsgeu-women/ for a full transcript of this week's podcast.

On this week's episode of Union Matters, we sit down with labour lawyer Jill Houlihan to talk about a hot topic: weed and the workplace. Since the legalization of cannabis four short weeks ago, many employees (and employers) have been left with unanswered questions about how use of the substance - recreationally and medicinally - may affect their employment. We try to answer a few of these questions with Jill this week!

This week, we have a special guest host of Union Matters! Mary Otto is President of NSGEU Local 43, which represents lab workers of Canadian Blood Services in Nova Scotia. Mary also sits on NSGEU's Political Action Committee and traveled to Ottawa at the end of October as part of a lobby effort with Bloodwatch and the Canadian Federation of Nurses Union in support of Senate Bill 252, the Voluntary Blood Donations Act (An Act to amend the Blood Regulations). The Bill has just passed its second reading and will be going to Committee. The legislation would ban the collection of paid plasma in Canada. Currently, for-profit agencies like Canadian Plasma Resources have set up shop in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, where they pay Canadians for their plasma, then sell it to the highest bidder on the global market. On this week's podcast, Mary speaks with Pauline Worsfold, Chair of the Canadian Health Coalition and Secretary-Treasurer of the CFNU.

In NSGEU's third podcast, we discuss the health care crisis and the threat of privatization in Nova Scotia with guests Chris Parsons (NS Health Care Coalition) and Gordon MacDonald (Capers 4 Healthcare).

On this week's podcast, we speak with NSGEU Employee Relations Officer Gina Boyd about the issue of domestic violence leave in Nova Scotia. This spring, the provincial government introduced legislation that includes a provision for up to ten intermittent days of unpaid leave to allow victims of domestic abuse to seek out services and supports. However, in other countries, like New Zealand and the Philippines, and even other parts of Canada, domestic violence survivors are granted paid days off. Those paid days off can make a big difference to people living in abusive situations. So while, Nova Scotia's proposed new legislation is a step in the right direction, it doesn't go far enough for the women and workers of our province: “This is predominantly a women's issue: there are some men that are affected, but the largest portion, 91 per cent, are women,” Boyd says. “As a woman, I'm quite taken back by the government's decision not to pay this intermittent leave, especially when there is paid leave in other provinces. I don't believe that the workers of Nova Scotiad or the women of Nova Scotia should be considered any less important or their safety needs should be any less significant than a woman from any other province in Canada.”

In NSGEU's inaugural podcast, we discuss union education: the opportunities that are available to our members and the value of our educational courses.