Vice President’s Report: “You don’t need a title to do this work.”
BCNU Vice President Tristan Newby began his report on the first day of convention by telling delegates his 12-year-old son Logan recently said he wants to be a nurse. Reflecting on this, Newby stated emphatically that his son and others of the next generation must have workplaces free from violence where they are supported and safe, with minimum nurse-to-patient ratios as a key solution.
“Ratios are the most effective means to improve health care and the profession for nurses,” he said.
As the executive member responsible for leading the union’s regional lobby coordinators, Newby highlighted the important role they hold as leaders and encouraged delegates to join them in engaging elected officials and championing ratios.
“Politicians trust the public,” said Newby. “And they trust nurses. They need to hear about the dangers you face at work and the solutions we’re bringing.”
He said the union is calling on the province to fully implement ratios across all health sectors and to become the first jurisdiction in the world to do it.
Newby also updated delegates on the growing amount of political action work lobby coordinators are doing. He pointed to meetings with 175 elected officials at the federal, provincial and local levels and participation in five local government association conventions.
Newby also represents BCNU as a board member of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions and is secretary of the Canadian Health Coalition. According to Newby, both roles help advance BCNU’s increasingly close ties to other labour unions. He said those alliances are paying off with mutual shows of solidarity becoming increasingly common.
“We’re showing other unions that we’re reliable, authentic, valuable and committed to the labour movement,” he said. “We’re seeing the returns.”
Newby outlined the growing activity and positive impacts of BCNU’s human rights and equity (HRE) work led by its caucuses and networks. He described a steady increase in union support for the HRE chairs through several Council-endorsed commitments to help them lead more effectively and drive change, such as leadership development sessions and expanded access to funding. He reported that the union has prioritized diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in recent years, highlighting how a new DEI survey aims to continue making the union’s work more reflective of the diversity of its membership.
Newby wrapped up his presentation with a call for all union members to engage however they are able, whether connecting with people in their community about minimum nurse-to-patient ratios and filling out the DEI survey.
“You don’t need a title to do this work,” he said. “We can do this together.”