Paramedics ramp up union campaign with TV ads

Alberta's paramedics are launching commercials to win public support in their campaign for a separate union bargaining unit.

Starting April 1, Alberta Health Services is taking over the costs and operations of all ground ambulance services from the municipalities.

At that time, all paramedics will fall under the umbrella of the Health Sciences Association of Alberta. Paramedics are currently split between that group, the Canadian Union of Public Employees or not unionized at all.

Rick Fraser, president of CUPE local 3421 which represents two-thirds of the province's paramedics, said Monday that the quality of health care could be in jeopardy if paramedics are not given their own bargaining unit to represent themselves.

"Being swept into a functional bargaining unit where the representative or people representing paramedics may be a lab technician or an ECG [electrocardiogram] tech or a massage therapist — the question is this: when an ambulance shows up at your door, do you want a massage therapist getting out of the back, or a paramedic?" he said in Calgary.

The two commercials launched on Monday feature paramedics talking about the dangers of their job, and a family recalling how paramedics helped them in a car crash.

"Now paramedics face an emergency of our own," one ad says. "Our future and the quality … of your ambulance service may be at stake."

CUPE has also set up a website, ourparamedics.ca, to encourage people to write to their MLAs in support of the fight.

Fraser said times have changed from 30 years ago when ambulance staff were only expected to put a patient in a vehicle and "drive really fast."

"Today we're performing minor surgery to secure airways, very similar to an emergency physician," he said. "We perform life-saving procedures, quality-of-life procedures every day, and that's because paramedics have been able to represent paramedics."

Fraser said his group has sent a letter outlining its arguments to the province.

But Alberta Health Services said paramedics have nothing to fear, and patients will receive the same, if not better, standard of care after the takeover.

"Our first priority throughout this entire transition is to ensure service delivery with absolutely no degradation to services and no gap in service, "said Shelia Rougeau, spokeswoman for EMS-Alberta Health Services.

David Eggen, executive director for Friends of Medicare, said the current patchwork system could improve if the province plays it right. However, he said the group is watching for transitional hiccups.

"We're concerned about just the April 1st deadline. It's fast approaching and I think there's lots of unanswered questions," Eggen said from Edmonton.

Alberta will not be alone when the takeover occurs; British Columbia, Manitoba and Nova Scotia all run provincial emergency medical services.

Steven Roberts, a spokesman with B.C. Ambulance Service, said the provincial control ensures consistent training standards, policies and costs.

Alberta's ambulance system currently comprises 500 ambulances, 3,000 workers and 80 service providers.