Hospital Employees' Union

Heu head office at equity workshop with my roommate

This union works for the employer not for the employees. I wondered why people leave this union but now I know why.

I been talking to my union representative over the phone about my job and she is great keep up the great work

Total failure, this union collects union dues only, no support at all, nothing period, just collecting unreasonable dues.

Worst union ever. The reps support the worst employees and punish the innocent. Why is there no 0 star option?

They don't advocate for their member. They dont communicate with its members. I havent received mail.letters or emails in 4 years. My role mental health work is the lowest paid 25.83 flat rate. In the community they start at 26.42 and go up to 28.82.

HEU is an extremely slow and ineffective union which many of the shop stewards subordinates to the employers. According to a HEU shop steward, it takes on average one year to have a grievance to the resolved which is insane especially when there is full proof that the employee filing the grievance should be paid the missing wage and the employer abused the rights of the employee. HEU has gone completely downhill since Chris Allnut was leading the union into total disaster of Bill 29 which BC Liberal government had passed in January 2002. The legislation unilaterally altered existing collective agreements between employers and unions representing approximately 100,000 (in 2004) workers in the health and social service sectors. It removed negotiated employment security protections and contracting-out protections, and substituted language that allowed employers to lay off the existing workforce with minimum notice and avoid union rights to follow the work (known as successorship). The legislation left health care employers free to restructure the workplace with an entirely new workforce paid at much lower rates and with far fewer benefits. Although HEU did fight and reverse some of these issues, HEU did not reverse the wage cut for all HEU hospital workers in 2004. The worst part was the 15 percent wage cut for all HEU hospital staff in 2004. The McIntyre and Mustel polling firm undertook our survey in November 2004. They interviewed a random sample of 505 HEU workers, based on a response rate of 63% (considered to be a high response rate). The single most pervasive impact of the wage cut reported by the majority (61.0%) of respondents was that it forced them to reduce or defer personal expenditures. Other impacts reported by a minority of respondents included: working longer hours (15.8%); higher personal debt (12.5%); and reduced personal savings such as RRSPs and RESPs (11.7%). Other responses (e.g. refinancing/remortgaging, changed transportation choices, changed educational choices for children, taking or looking for a second job) were reported by a smaller fraction of respondents. Although the percentage responses were quite low in some categories, the impact should not be dismissed. For example, three people reported refinancing their mortgage, and six reported moving or selling their house; this translates into about 800 people when extrapolated to the HEU membership as a whole in the report done in 2004. The main concern for HEU is having as many members as possible so they can collect union dues, and not the financial welfare of their members. Maintenance threatened to leave HEU because they did nothing regarding the 15 percent wage cut, and HEU quietly fought for the almost 100% male department of Maintenance. All of the Maintenance HEU members received an increase of a hourly wage of 15%. Sadly, no one else received our 15% wage cut back, except for Maintenance. HEU members should be extremely disappointed that we were never notified regarding 15% wage increase for Maintenance workers which happened over 10 years ago and it was done under the table without consultation with all HEU members.

The most compassionate, informative and supportive Union I have been a Member of. GG you are amazing.