Fast Facts

Fast Facts for LPNs

Benefits: your health, dental and other benefits will come with you to the BC Nurses’ Union

All your existing benefits come with you.
As BCNU members you’ll never have to worry about taking benefit or vacation cuts to pay for wage increases. BCNU doesn’t make concessions in our provincial contract.

Dues: your union dues will go down

Isolation: HEU keeps LPNs isolated from other nurses & overshadowed by unlicensed workers

In HEU, LPNs are isolated from other nurses and overshadowed by more than 30,000 unlicensed members.
LPNs are not independent at HEU because their needs for professional salaries and services are dominated by other HEU groups.
At BCNU, LPNs will be united with other nurses.
Nurses will bargain strong compensation, enjoy excellent professional services and advocate for their patients as a unified profession.

Pensions: you will keep your Municipal Pension Plan

Your current pension comes with you and we’ll start planning to improve pension benefits.
Example: BCNU improved benefits for nurses in our Provincial Collective Agreement. We bargained a fund to pay 50% of Medical Services Plan costs not paid by the pension plan. We’ll pursue similar benefits for LPNs.

Scope of practice: is set by the BC government

Scope of practice is set by the Ministry of Health (MOH) through the Health Professions Act – not BCNU or HEU.
HEU finally admitted that BCNU doesn’t control scope of practice. A recent HEU publication says “the MOH is the only body that can establish the broad parameters of LPN practice.” [Making Our Profession Stronger, Page 5]
The College of Licensed Practical Nurses’ of BC (CLPNBC) regulates LPNs. They develop the practice standards that flow from MOH regulations and protect the public through licensing.
BCNU wants all nurses to have quality practice conditions so they can confidently work to full scope and safely deliver care.

Seniority: you will keep what you have

Your existing seniority comes with you to BCNU.
LPNs and RNs will be different classifications in future collective agreements and cannot displace each other.

Skill mix: is controlled by employers, not unions

Skill mix refers to the duties assigned to each nurse.
HEU claims that BCNU “will go to any length*” to control LPNs in the workplace. That’s untrue and impossible. [*Recent HEU memo mailed to nurses, Questions & Answers section.]

Wages: will transfer with you (then get better!)

Your current wages transfer with you to BCNU.
Together we’ll start preparing for a better LPN contract. In BCNU’s provincial contract RNs get higher wages with higher responsibilities (DC1, DC2, etc). LPNs’ should also get better wages when they have more responsibilities.