Ambulance workers turn the tables on the back-to-work legislation

[StylinRed]

Originally Posted by Great68

Who's going to replace them?

If they did decide to quit en masse, we'd be fucked. You can't exactly hire any Tom, Dick, or Harry to do their job.

they could grab a Doctor, RN, RCMP, FireFighter, bring paramedics in from outside the province/state, military medics, coast guard, rescue workers, certified level ?? first aid workers, and throw them into a Ambulance while they speed train new paramedics to replace those who left

it may be rough for awhile but probably work out better

[Devastator]

So these doctors, firefighters, rcmp are willing give up there 60000 a year position so they can hold a pager and get 2 bucks an hour?

Originally Posted by StylinRed

they could grab a Doctor, RN, RCMP, FireFighter, bring paramedics in from outside the province/state, military medics, coast guard, rescue workers, certified level ?? first aid workers, and throw them into a Ambulance while they speed train new paramedics to replace those who left

it may be rough for awhile but probably work out better

[Nocardia]

Originally Posted by !SG

they arent fighting just for raises, but work hours. there just arent enough ambulance paramedics to go around. but this is a tough one. how can the gov't help out if there arent enough ambulance paramedics? you cant expect them to suddenly clone ppl.

actually there are tons of paramedics, i think it only takes 1 yr to become a emergency medical responder. my understanding is that its quite intense but quite a few people have the training.

The problem is that all the new ones have to go work on call for 48 hours somewhere in the interior every weekend b/c its quite hard to get a full time position in metro vancouver.

[StylinRed]

Originally Posted by Devastator

So these doctors, firefighters, rcmp are willing give up there 60000 a year position so they can hold a pager and get 2 bucks an hour?

thats kind of ridiculous to mention.... in an emergency situation those things should be considered last and dealt with afterwards

ur not telling them to quit their jobs and work as paramedics....

jesus ur remark was retarded.....

[jACEDesignsLtd]

lol. Like it or not, the paramedics now have politicians' attention. I'm curious as to what will happen next.

also note that handyDART service is on strike as well.

[Roach]

When someone dies as a result of this situation, do you think the public's outcry is going to be to immediately give these people a raise?

This has the potential to be severely detrimental to their own cause.

Kev

[taylor192]

Lets stop the whining about $2 pay and actually post up some yearly figures. How much are paramedics on average making? If they get a single call and get paid for the next 3-4 ours, then in an 8 hour shift they only need 2 calls to get paid for the entire shift.

With the pandemic, how likely is it they get 1 call in a 4 hour period?

That sounds awesome to me, I'd love to only work for 2-3 hours and get paid for 8.

[StylinRed]

majin and nsmb u lil twerps.... -_-

i was speaking in hypothetical terms if the paramedics did just say "fuk u" and quit, what would be a possibility to deal with the missing paramedics in the short term

heck we're already bringing paramedics in from the interior to replace these guys taking holidays

[Meowjin]

uh, if they are asking for a 4k signing bonus this isn't a career that people are running to.

[taylor192]

The problem is the union.

Paramedics in remote regions should be paid more and be offered full time work.

I have a friend that does dental assistant work in the NWT and Yukon. She gets paid a small fortune to visit all these remote areas. Yet a typical dental assistant doesn't get paid much in a city.

The union would dictate same pay for everyone, instead of allowing this sliding pay scale for remote jobs to encourage people to take them.

[Graeme S]

Quick thing:

As far as the teachers' strike thing goes that 7even mentioned, that was what teachers asked for after taking a 0/0/0 contract in exchange for new hiring and class size reductions (which the government didn't go through with) resulting in ridiculously low wages (ie: they took pay CUTS with inflation) and class sizes that were the same or bigger than before.

Didn't help that Conrad Black decided that no media he owned would give positive messages about the Teachers, and it's still funny that BC is the only place in the WORLD that has school teachers mandated as an essential service.

[static]

anyone know approx how much they get paid ?

[Meowjin]

^^wow

[Hehe]

IMO, I'm in with a pay raise in a form of a bill raise to offer paramedic a better work environment.

Seriously, I don't make much off my regular job (get earning mostly on my investment, which is powered by daddy to a certain extend) but I'd be glad to pay $1000 bill for ambulance service if I ever need one. $1000 for a chance to survive is pennies IMO.

How many times have you ever needed an ambulance in your life? I have yet needed once (knock on wood) and I'd believe that throughout my life, I would need it less than 5 times.

Gov't should just subsidize those who can't pay (say if the person income is less than x amount) and offers payment plans for those who can. Say the $1000 bills is payable in 12 payments if you ever needed one. This should minimize cost to government and yet providing a decent level of service along with decent pay for paramedics.

[goo3]

Google says this:

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/...on-debate.html

According to the union, B.C. ambulance paramedics are the lowest-paid in the country, with an average wage of $28 per hour, compared with $31.25 in Calgary and $43.27 in Edmonton.

http://www.timescolonist.com/health/...604/story.html
From comments section:

I work as a Paramedic in Vancouver. Last year, I worked in excess of 70 overtime shifts and could have worked more if I wanted to. I did so to pay for an Advanced Life Support course that I plan to take in the future. In March of this year, the admission requirements changed for the course and I now have to complete 1 year of university prior to enrolling. I am presently in contempt of the Supreme Court order because I refuse to work or submit overtime availability as I have done “historically” in the past. I do, and always have worked my regularly scheduled shifts. But now I am expected to work 2 overtime shifts, study, and try to fit in some time for myself and my family before starting the cycle all over again. Many of my colleges are in similar circumstances for different reasons. It is not our fault that we are short paramedics on the street. We have been short “historically” for years.

Paramedics work for the most part 12 hour shifts (2 day shifts followed by 2 night shifts with 4 days off). The overtime we are being asked to do isn’t an hour or so. It is a full shift. My overtime rate is 1&1/2 my base rate ($30.01). If my regular shift runs into overtime because of a late call, I receive $45.02 per hour. If I work an overtime shift on my days off, I receive only $37.51 per hour instead of my overtime rate of $45.02. A difference $7.50 per hour. The BC government realized a long time ago that it is cheaper to have Paramedics work overtime than hire more fulltime staff.

On average, 15 ambulances are staffed with Paramedics on overtime costing the taxpayer approximately 15 million a year. This doesn’t include sickness or injury incurred while working these extra hours. To staff these ambulances normally, would cost approximately 9 million.

Paramedics are for the most part, are very busy. I seldom see my station during my shift, and usually go from call to call without seeing my station, and if I do, it is to restock, organize stock, clean my station, clean my ambulance and try to find time to take care of the necessities of life (eating, washroom, etc.).

There are only 3,471 Paramedics in the province working out of 470 ambulances (including spare vehicles). We did 534,688 calls in 2007/2008 (excluding hospital waits and area stand-bys). If you take these numbers in perspective, Paramedics had contact with 1 in 8 people living in the province BC. If you are to compare the BC Ambulance Service with any other ambulance service. You will see very quickly that we are, by far, the busiest.

So base pay is about $60K yearly (assuming avg 40hr work week) plus OT @ 1.5x.

[Spectre_Cdn]

I would rather have paramedics getting pay raises than the Liberal bureaucrats.

[hotjoint]

wow only 60K a year? I thought they made way more then that

[silk]

They should be paid more because they are constanly working under stress.
I don't mind my tax money goes towards them, same goes the firefighter.

I once had a accident on Lougheed highway, firefighter and ambulance were here within the 5 mins, that was pretty impressive. I thank whoever made the phone call.

[taylor192]

Originally Posted by silk

They should be paid more because they are constanly working under stress.
I don't mind my tax money goes towards them, same goes the firefighter.

Then you should look up what a basic foot soldier makes, or what a youth care worker makes. Both deal with the same kinda stressful crappy people, yet make pennies compared to that.

These are government jobs. What they lack in salary they make up for in job security and pensions.

[marc0lishuz]

My bro is a paramedic. Believe me, he hates cancelling his shifts because cars become unstaffed, and he doesn't get paid.

But ask yourself this - do you think they'd be protesting if they haven't exhausted all other efforts to gain attention?

Firefighters and cops already got huge raises, but paramedics were left out in the cold. Again.

[StylinRed]

so ur brother agrees its a deplorable tactic yet he still takes it? wow...

[Gt-R R34]

i hate to say it but i'm with the paramedics, i wouldn't hold it against them if that was me in an accident, i would only have to blame the govie and the "work order".

If your job is to save lives, they better get paid for such a job. IN no way shape or form should they not.

[iEatClams]

I don't blame this on the government
I don't blame it on the actual paramedics.

I blame it on the Union Management. They fucked up HUGE!!!
First not accepting the deal back at the start of the year when almost everybody else did because the economy was so bad, and then now advising the medics to be absent. FUCK, fire the union management already.

I feel bad for the paramedics cause they really do deserve a pay raise.

[marc0lishuz]

Originally Posted by StylinRed

so ur brother agrees its a deplorable tactic yet he still takes it? wow...

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

[CRS]

Originally Posted by azndude69

I don't blame this on the government
I don't blame it on the actual paramedics.

I blame it on the Union Management. They fucked up HUGE!!!
First not accepting the deal back at the start of the year when almost everybody else did because the economy was so bad, and then now advising the medics to be absent. FUCK, fire the union management already.

I feel bad for the paramedics cause they really do deserve a pay raise.

Pretty much summed up what was posted before but agreed.

Originally Posted by marc0lishuz

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

That is still not a justified cause. PEOPLE WILL FUCKING DIE BECAUSE OF YOUR PIECE OF SHIT "PROTEST".

Tell me, what amount of money will equate to a life? Or maybe 2 lives? How about every single life that is lost in BC for this "desperate times for desperate measures"?

If it were just, why don't the paramedics straight up come out and say "yeah, we all did call in and say we can't work at the very last moment to protest" but instead, they are hiding behind the union (who is BS in itself).

That shows that they know it is fucked up and shouldn't be doing it. If this is the mentality that the paramedics want to take, I am sure as hell not in for giving these people a raise. I mean seriously? Threaten us and harm those who need help and still demand a raise?

You can go and fuck yourselves.