Question for Alberta nurses

[OgopogoLPN, LPN, RN]

I'm an LPN in BC and I'm not sure if you guys have heard of what is going on here with the BCNU (RN's union) offering "associate memberships" to LPNs (Hospital Employees Union). The HEU is accusing the BCNU of raiding the HEU, all kinds or crap going on.

I'm on the HEU and BCNU emailing list as I want to be informed on what both sides have to say. I'm new to nursing and to unions so I don't know much about how the game is played. Another message board I belong to is discussing this issue quite a bit and most LPN's seem to be in favour of joining the BCNU as they feel the HEU has screwed us for so many years.

It was brought up on this message board that Alberta's LPNs were going to join the same union as the RN's but this never went though (or something to that effect, I don't know the facts). Can someone shed some light on the situation there? Are the LPN's happy with their union? Do you want to be in the same union as the RNs?

Also, I understand the LPN's recently got a great pay raise with multiple increment levels. Are you guys happy with it and could someone please post a link to the wage grid?

Thank you so much! It's hard to know what to believe and what will be in the best interest of LPNs for the future. :)

[Fiona59]

I've been an LPN for the last decade. I've always had a multi-step payscale. It used to be nine steps but is now seven steps (roughly 7 years to top out). At step seven, and LPN is supposed to be at the first step of the UNA payscale (I believe this would only be true if compared to the UNA contract that was in place at the time AUPE negotiated and not with the UNA contract in effect when the LPN reached step seven)

I've always been in AUPE. Not the greatest of unions, personally, I'd prefer HSAA (lab techs, ultrasound, etc.) I have been told by several LPNs that back in the '90s LPNs belonged to "the Guild" before being absorbed into AUPE. From what they said it was an improvement.

I've never been approached to join UNA. If anything UNA and CARNA have made it pretty clear over the last five years that the for decent nursing care in AB you have to get it from an RN. There was something floating around Edmonton about nine months ago that UNA was attempting to have some non-union LPNs in a retirement setting join them but it never happened.

The LPNs that I've worked with and/or met going to our conventions have all been AUPE members or non-union (working in GPs offices, medicentres, etc). I've heard that there are a few in CUPE but have never met one. Some Ortho Techs, so the rumour mill goes belong to HSAA (depends on the facility).

Among the LPNs that I work with many are in favour of goint to HSAA due to a mistrust of UNA and what various CARNA leaders have said about us in the media. I've heard a few students saying they would join CARNA but it's very obvious they don't have a clue what they are talking about because LPNs are required to belong to CLPNA (and these students don't appear to know the difference between unions and regulatory bodies).

I also work with several RNs who aren't very happy with UNA.

Sometimes the old saying "the devil you know is better than the devil you don't". There are too many questions that being absorbed into an existing nursing union raises, the main one being what happens to seniority? Last to join the union usually means first one laid off.