Melissa, thanks for your comment on May 13th, and for continuing this conversation. I fully agree that the support of direct patient care (front line) nurses is a crucial issue in BC, across Canada, and internationally (see, for example, the Mid Staffordshire Report in the UK: http://www.midstaffspublicinquiry.com/)

This is going to be a topic at our ARNBC Leadership Forum on May 28th in Vancouver (see http://www.arnbc.ca/agm/leadership-forum.php)

I hope that as nurses in BC we can tackle just these kinds of questions together....

Best wishes from Paddy

1981 RNABC passes bylaws that support the Labour Relations Division separating from RNABC and forming the British Columbia Nurses Union (BCNU). It is recognized that continuing to house all three functions (advocate, regulator and labour negotiator) is a conflict of interest for the organization. In its formation, BCNU receives the assets of RNABC’s former Labour Relations Division, including its money (approximately $2.7 million in revenues/year) and people. RNABC retains its roles as regulator and advocate for the profession, and BCNU becomes the recognized labour union for nurses. Read more» — see page 13 of the pdf or visit the history of RNABC’s role in labour relations»

Thank you Alan for voicing my thoughts and concerns so eloquently.

I have taken sometime to reflect on the above conversations and to review the materials from all organizations. I believe Susan you are misinformed - when BCNU left the RNABC labour division it was in the middle of the night with boxes and files in hand - who then setup office in a room the next day without any exchange of money. However, I am interested in where this 2.8 million came from that you speak of. To be absolutely clear I have intregrity and values that I hold dear - I say what I mean and I mean what I say. I am wiling to put my name out there because I am not afraid to speak my truth; it is unfortunate that some do not feel the same way. I want to be absolutely clear of my position - I want a choice in who represents my professional practice. At present ARNBC has said they would also like to be the voice of nursing; I will hold you accountable not only to me but accountable to the citizens of BC who deserve the best care that nurses have been taught to give. This week is nurses' week and celebrating us a profession. I would challenge ARNBC to hold its own leadership and active members to really look at what policies and new tools that you have devised in your workplaces as a tool to 'improve' care. Do they really considered the continuity of care and relationship building with families and patients? Fraser health has implemented a tool in community that does not look at continuity of care for nursing but rather looks at a task. Citizens of BC are not tasks and as nurses we have been taught to take a holistic approach. If you want to be my voice then you could have asked me what I thought of that. most importantly, the leaders (educators,nurse managers) would not implement pratice changes that would constrain my colleagues (direct patient care aka front line nurses) ability to meet their standards of practice. I do look forward to hearing how situations like this can be resolved through collaboration.

The BCNU’s attempt to dismantle the current iteration of the association arm (ARNBC) – formed as a direct response of nurses (I was one of hundreds) to the transition from the former RNABC mandate to the substantially narrower CRNBC mandate – is consistent with the union’s ‘unofficial’ vision of being all things to all nurses. This move is akin to a step backward 35 years toward the inherently problematic pre-1981 organizational structure (see http://blog.crnbc.ca/?p=354). The BCNU is a vital organization in their mission of being “...a champion for improved work life, health and economic status ... ” for nurses (see https://www.bcnu.org/about-bcnu/history-mission-vision). Yet, it appears that the union has lost sight of this mission in favour of ‘loftier’ goals.

In the July 2010 issue of BCNU Update, Debra McPherson wrote: “We do not believe another organization is required as BCNU has been carrying out the professional advocacy role for some time, and has involved itself successfully in nursing education, research, policy and administration.” Although, many of the past and present RNABC/CRNBC and ARNBC board members have also been active past BCNU board members and leaders, and are joined by thousands of other BC nurses in staunchly opposing the BCNU view conveyed by Ms. McPherson, the current union leadership shows no wavering in their short-sighted and opportunistic tactics.

Since 2005, the political and policy voice of professional nursing in BC has lost substantial ground. I fully support the structural separation of the CRNBC regulatory mandate – that of protecting the public by ensuring safe nursing practice through the regulation of nurses in the public interest. However, the statutory exclusion of professional advocacy and practice support activities from that mandate has dramatically changed the organizational landscape of nursing, leaving a crippling void in professional practice support. Following the sudden shutdown by government (with no notice or consultation) of the Provincial Chief Nurse Executive Office in 2008, followed by the quiet but not so subtle, unilateral dismantling of the BC Nursing Directorate within the Ministry of Health, the voice of BC nurses slipped away from the position we (including the BCNU) had fought hard to gain as full participants at provincial and federal health policy tables. In July 2009, I read with profound sadness and dread, former CRNBC Executive Director, Registrar and CEO, Laurel Brunke’s final message in the last issue of Nursing BC (July 2009, p. 38) after more than 40 years of publication.

The BCNU believes the solution to this situation is to expand its role of ‘champion for improved work life, health and economic status’ to one that goes drastically further, far beyond the realm of labour relations and collective bargaining. I cannot say loudly enough how much I adamantly disagree! It is a blatant, reckless and opportunistic move to increase its political power at the expense of its nursing partner organizations and their memberships. Moreover, in the most fundamental way, it is a clear conflict of interest. For BCNU to be the only nursing voice in BC regarding labour relation and collective bargaining as well as influencing and steering nursing research and higher education priorities, advocating and advising on professional practice issues, providing nursing practice expertise and advice to employers and the public, supporting nursing and non-nursing managers, directors and educators – while at the same time, managing workplace grievances on behalf of front-line nurses who report to those individuals – and to see no conflict of interest in any of these activities portrays an organization that has lost sight of its purpose and is possibly blinded by its quest for power.

In any such scenario, every nurse in BC would have to be a BCNU member in order to access these benefits, services and supports. Any groups of dissenting nurses who felt their needs for practice support were not being met and/or did not want to be union members, would be punished harshly by an organization with such power over the profession. Furthermore, not only does the BCNU lack the capacity, credibility and trust to be a non-adversarial partner and collaborator with the provincial government, they would be the only conduit into the national professional practice discourse. Such a radical positioning is simply unrealistic and the pursuit of it puts the legitimacy, credibility and trust of the entire profession at great risk.

As a long-time BCNU member and supporter, I am appalled to see the union dues of members being spent on legal actions and infighting with my professional regulatory college and association while at the same time, the CRNBC and the ARNBC have no choice but to spend my registration and association fees to defend the legal actions against them – legitimate or otherwise. This means that BC nurses are in effect, being forced without choice to pay for their own prosecution and their own defence at the same time. So what will the total cost to BC nurses amount to after we finish sifting through the rubble from this battle? This does not sound anything like what I would expect for accountability from my duly elected professional leaders who are supposed to be representing my interests.

We need BCNU in its critical role of doing what it so skillfully does best – focus on labour relations, collective bargaining and working conditions for nurses. To overly dilute that focus with what may be seen by the BCNU as other higher priorities will do a disservice to nurses and the nursing profession. The union has been a prominent leader within the larger labour movement and has immeasurable skills, talents, expertise and experience to use share in that regard.

We equally need the ARNBC to focus on its critical role of being the professional voice for nursing leadership, policy, and practice. Similarly, I would not support ARNBC moving to dilute its focus with matters related to collective bargaining or taking on a role of mentoring union stewards.

The CRNBC’s regulatory mandate is as clear cut as ever, leaving little question as to where its jurisdictional boundaries lay. In that regard, I believe the BCNU legal action to be frivolous, misguided and irresponsible.

This pattern of behaviour by the BCNU begs the questions, “who will be next?” Will the BCNU use the same tactics when the CLPNBC and the CRPNBC find themselves in the same statutory predicament? Is this a ‘shot across the bow’ to deter those organizations from resisting compliance with BCNU demands? What about the role of the LPNABC? Will that organization also be swallowed up? This is indeed a dangerous path to drag the profession down.

I fervently join you in this call for the BCNU to immediately cease hostilities.

Alan Wood

I am so ashamed.

Honestly, why won't BCNU leadership stop this?
Why can't we show the world we can get along?

When BCNU happily took the 2.8 million in start up fees in 1981, NO ONE sued. People supported each other.

I am ashamed. Shame on us. Shame.

BCNU is giving it’s members and the nursing profession as a whole “no choice”, which is ironically what it is fighting against. BCNU, drop the lawsuit, drop the threats.

And would all our professional organizations including CRNBC, ARNBC and BCNU please model and encourage mature and productive communication and come to a consensus!

I am not a lawyer, nor do I know anything about the Law. However, I have received a grant in my academic life and I know that there are certain criteria I had to meet in order to get the grant and spend it. It is rather unfortunate that the benefactor did not ensure the ARNBC followed the conditions of the grant, and it is unfortunate that the ARNBC unknowingly erred in keeping the conditions. 1.5 million dollars is a lot of money, but the costs of pursuing a refund seem much greater and will bear down hard on the membership from all angles. We will all lose in the end. I feel this law suit is wasteful, unfair and a big waste of time. Cut the losses and move on.