[Mark England]

Be nice if they represented us for once!

[Mark England]

I willing be passsing on the comment that my source is "full of BS". Maybe it will come back to visit you!

[ManicMedic]

[disgruntled dick]

Just a question about the Collective and hours off between regulary scheduled shifts, do 24 and 48 hours sites require respectively the same time btween shifts ? This is probably addressed in a previous thread , and I do not have copy of collective in front of me.

Or are these Medics available to be called for O.T in other sites prior to Medics who work in 8 and 12 hour rotations?

If you work 24 then 24 off etc ?

[Mark England]

On Feb. 07, 2010 RAM quoted article 22.08 of the CA which states, " Except by mutual agreement between the employee and the hospital time off between rotating shift changes shall not be less than twelve hours." (THANKS DS)

I am not an expert in interperting the CA but I do know how to read. Does this clause in any way, shape, or form refer to involvement of the Union. If so, I don't see it. And we have been told that the wording of the CA is binding, unless it has to do with the cleaning of uniforms!

Surely, we will be reminded that Saint John is responsible for the importance of time off between shifts. Yes we are, but RAM has never stated why! We were faced with people coming off a previous shift (be it 12 or 24 or whatever hours at another service) coming to work 12 hours in the busiest service in the entire Province. Does the word safety ring a bell, obviously not to the Union!

Does presendence ring a bell to the Union, I am sure it would to a lawyer! Since I have been working either 8 or 12 hour shifts for the last 33+ years, I speak from experience! Under the 8 hr system I was allowed to work 16 consectutive hous and forced to work swing shifts ( ended at 2330 and due back at 0730), the Union never objected! Now I have to have 12 hours minium off, even though it voilates the CA!

Am I missing something here? I thought that the purpoes of the Union was to represent the interests of the membership, not dictate what THEY feel should be the proper procedure.

It should also be noted that the only people this decision impacts are the Paramedics working in the larger areas where the shifts are staggered! To the best of my knowledge the Hospital employees, and most Paramedics (one truck services), change shifts at the same time. They aren't impacted!

Consider this fact. Because I have only had between 10,5 or 11,5 hours off between shifts I lose an OT shift. That's about $360 out of my pocket because I worked less than 12 hours before the offered shift. A few miles down the road a fellow Paramedic works 24-48 hours and that's fine! Something is rotten in Denmark!

Maybe the Membership should take some of the dues we are paying our Union and give then to a lawyer to see if our interests are being properly representated!

Another bone of contention. CUPE represents 8000 members, ony about 800 are Paramedics. How hard would you work for 10% of your membership. We have no say, no power, and no control of our future! That's why we need a Union/local representating Paramedics! What do we have in common with our fellow Union members - annswer that question RAM or Union reps?

What other group represented by CUPE 1252 has gone through the changes that our classification has in the last 33+ years. Before anyone answers, I have job description/ posting dating back to my hiring. Also, look back at CA to the 70's and you will find the classification of RT, where is it now and what have them accomplished?

SINCE WE ARE STUCK WITH CUPE, AGAINST OUR WISHES AND BEST INTERESTS, THE LEAST THEY COULD DO IS LISTEN TO THEIR BARGAIN TOOL! That's all we are to CUPE!

If anyone wishes to contest these comments, they know where to fine me! One disclaimer to Hooch, Duane, and many local reprsentaives - I know you really care and have our interests at heart, my problem it with the higher ups!

[Shelley Brown]

[quote="Medic Bill"]Hey you when are you coming back to work ,,slacker,,he hee


Be careful what you wish for...lol..I am hoping to come back to work soon. I don't get any of the gossip here at home!

[RAM]

Let's get to the point>>>

When the company went live in 2007 there were mega amounts of OT available for all those that wished to work...by March 2008 there were numerious calls and complaints about medics working 36,48,72 straight travelling from station to station...major health and safety risk to both you as a partner and the patient....the union pushed the employer to correct the issue but because the system was 200 medics short the employer drug their heals on the subject because they could not run the system....fall of 2008 more concerns and complaints, union again stated fix this issue...somewhere in the next few months ( SCHED PRO ) was introduced to start tracking OT shifts and amounts of time worked by individual....a NBEMS employee you all know meant with the union and the employer at a LM meeting and asked what the rules should be around OT offers and rest... there was a discussion about what everyone there considered was safe and what was not when needing time off between shifts.
If you looked at the agreement it was very plain to see ( appendix F) clearly stated time off between shift was to be 12 hours....8 hour shifts were to be 16 hours those rules were already there so why would the need be to create something else. It really does not matter to the union if you are in SJ or Campbellton the rule is the same...staggered shifts or not the rule is the same...it is fair and equal across the province.
Fast forward 2010>>>

At least 130 to 150 new medics have come on board and guess what happened....OT is starting to dry up... so that 5000-7500 extra in cash is disappearing... now the complaints of 2008 are not as important therefore the rules need to be changed....

As for missing the opportunity to do extra time you need to understand the OT article23.04 .... shall be offered as equitably as possible...let explain in clear language... the word to understand is "OFFERED" ...everyone should be relatively the same in the system with "offers" it does not mean that you will have worked the same amount of time...it's that you will have been offered as close as possible the same amount of shift opportunities. So if you were to look at the issues that have been identified in SJ on the staggered start time if I was not OFFERED a shift because of the 12 hour rule does not mean employee X receieved something more than I did because that is where Sched pro has every medic listed in a call-in list, all calls are made from that list, as you accept or refuse the call your name moves to the bottom, I did not get an offer so my name does not move. I remain at the top for the next OFFER.

Article 22.08...it does state that the employee and the employer can mutual agree to fore go the 12 /16 hr rule if the employer asks the employee...the understanding here needs to be that it is the EMPLOYER who will ask not the employee as we do not set the working hours or determine the OT that is to be worked. ANB is the EMPLOYER not CUPE .

UNIFORM CLEANING>>>
PLEASE understand a simple paragraph for uniform cleaning>>>
IF YOU FEEL THAT YOU HAVE A UNIFORM THAT HAS BEEN SOILED AT A CALL ( URINE, VOMIT, BLOOD, ETC) YOU CAN TAKE THAT UNIFORM TO THE DRYCLEANERS TO BE CLEANED AND GIVE YOUR INVOICE TO THE OP MANAGER FOR PAYMENT. YOU DECIDE WHAT IS SOILED!!!!
I HAVE ONLY EXPLAINED THIS AT LEAST 200 HUNDRED X TO THE MEMBERS....THE UNIFORM CLEANING IS STILL THERE BUT YOU HAVE TO ACCESS IT AND YOU HAVE TO GET THEM CLEANED AND YOU HAVE TO DROP THEM OFF AND PICK THEM UP.
I can't make it any clearer then that.

Tell next time

[Medic Bill]

My only other wish is that you get well,well maybe another, just that when you gave me that bottle of strawberry preserves a couple of years ago ,well the next batch you make you might want to consider adding sugar ,OK,,,what a shock to my taste buds sheeesh


[quote="Shelley Brown"]