New group of health care professionals certified in Red Deer

Edmonton (12 August 2007) - The Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA/NUPGE) is acting quickly on a new organizing directive approved by delegates at its last annual general meeting in May.

Delegates at the convention passed a position statement pledging to organize "the remaining non-union groups of public sector paramedical professional and technical employees" in Alberta communities and hospitals.

The Alberta Labour Relations Board (ALRB) has just announced that HSAA has been certified as the bargaining agent for a group of 33 new members at the David Thompson Health Region's Bremner Ave. site in Red Deer.

Classifications at the site include rehabilitation professionals, continuing care counselors, nutritionists, dental hygienists, speech language pathologists, environmental health officers, school health facilitators and others.

The new employees were welcomed to the union by HSAA president Elisabeth Ballermann.

“The unionized employees at Bremner Ave. will come under what we call the ‘provincial agreement’ and will now have full representation by HSAA’s professional labour relations officers,” Ballermann said.

HSAA represents more than 14,000 professional, technical, support and ambulance workers in Alberta’s health care system. NUPGE