[Mar 12, 2009 12:52 PM]
In the mid 1970's a certification campaign was held at the offices of the Medical Services Association (MSA). The workers were successfully organized and CUPE 1816 was certified as a Local of the Canadian Union of Public Employees on May 6th, 1975.
Dan Stevens became CUPE 1816's first President and held that position for quite a number of years with a brief pause in the early 1980's as Judy Armstrong succeeded him for one term. He then served as President until 1990 when he stepped aside. During his tenure as President, CUPE 1816 voted in March of 1977 to affiliate with CUPE BC.
A notable achievement for the local occurred in 1979, when approximately 100 people lost their jobs to a technological change. The medex system that was in place didn't work out as planned and as a result mass layoffs occurred. The local took the strategy of filing individual grievances against the employer on behalf of each employee who was terminated. This had a greater impact than filing a policy grievance and as a result everyone was given his or her job back. The argument was that in this case, the technological change forced the company back into a more manual process and the layoffs caused major understaffing to complete the work.
The first arbitration that the Local participated in, resulted in a decision that still affects us today. Overtime was once a mandatory requirement for staff. This made it difficult for employees because if you already had made plans, you would have to cancel them in order to work the overtime. As a result of this arbitration, overtime is no longer mandatory, Pacific Blue Cross employees have the option of volunteering to work overtime.
Local 1816 has undergone some dramatic changes. In 1997, MSA and CU&C announced plans to merge. This created a successorship vote between CUPE 1816 and OTEU 15. After a hard fought campaign by both sides, CUPE 1816 earned the right to represent the approximately now over 600 employees of Pacific Blue Cross.
It hasn't always been easy, but for the most part CUPE 1816 has enjoyed good relations with its employer. As a strong, united Local, CUPE 1816 is committed to seeking a fair workplace environment, and a healthy community to live in.