Medicine Hat nurses, among other unions, rally for safe staffing and patient care

“Our nurses demand respect. We demand better,” she said.

Day of Action happens on the anniversary of an important milestone in the union’s history.

1988’s nurses’ strike saw over 14,000 nurses at hospitals across Alberta walk off the job, the last province-wide strike by UNA members.

This time around, the local union held their rally in front of City Hall. Jackson said that the union is likely the closest it’s been since 1988 to taking similar job action.

Joining UNA was the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). Jayk Sterkenburg/CHAT News

She said that they don’t want to take that step — but as much as they care about their patients, they also need to stand up for themselves.

She said that the union feels like they’re in the same place as it was 37 years ago.

“It’s just that lack of respect, the lack of acknowledging that we are well educated professionals. We’re not angels of mercy,” she said.

“We are university educated professionals, who have amazing skills, there’s numerous studies that show that nurses at the bedside decrease all kinds of adverse outcomes for you in the hospital,” she added.

Curtis Jackson, vice president of Alberta Union of Provincial Employees’ south region, said that although the bargaining table is stagnant, workers are standing up for themselves.

“Everybody is progressing to a breakdown in bargaining,” he said.

“What this government and employers don’t realize is that there are 250,000 public sector workers in bargaining in the province this year,” he added.

“I would suggest that employers in this government who have secret mandates at the bargaining table back off and bargain fairly, because it’s not going to look good on them if 250,000 Albertans are out on the street.”

Donna Bitz, president of another local UNA union, said that as well as AUPE, the Canadian Union of Public Employees also joined them.

“It was so nice to see all the other unions here supporting, because we’re all in the same boat,” she said.

Megan Eggins, vice president of the same union, said that having others supporting the nurses is a “morale booster” because they know they have public backing.

“It’s hard to feel hopeful right now, with the government,” she said.

“It’s also clearly membership votes, and the membership wasn’t happy with the informal mediation. So clearly, they voted no,” she added.

“We’ll see what this formal mediation comes to.”

Eggins happened to have been on the picket line in 1988, at eight years old. Her mother, Margot Coleman, nursed for 40 years but has now been retired for 10.

Coleman said that the union has come a long way, but that they’re still not being heard.

She said that there are a lot of angry nurses, which she’s sad to see, but she can understand where they’re coming from.

“We’ve come a long way, but still got a long way to go,” she said.

Jackson said that nurses in the community provide home care services and keep people out of the hospital.

“Why do you not want to make sure those people have the resources they need to do the work that they’re doing?” she said.

Jackson said that the union will return to the mediation table with the province in February.

She said that they’re hoping that the government will be ready to talk and make a bargain for the union.

by Jayk Sterkenburg

Medicine Hat nurses, among other unions, rally for safe staffing and patient care

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