BC RMT Workforce Alliance

"...frontline massage therapists, are raising our concerns regarding the alarming rates of sexual violence massage therapists are enduring in their practices across Canada and insisting our associations, regulators and educational institutions prioritize efforts to lower the rates of sexual violence within the industry.
According to the recent surveys that have surfaced among Canadian massage therapists*, 80% of massage therapists experience sexual harassment and 22% experience sexual assault in their practices...."

Please consider signing and sharing this petition to bring awareness to this issue facing Canadian RMTs.

Sign the Petition CALL TO END SEXUAL VIOLENCE AGAINST CANADIAN MASSAGE THERAPISTS

The BC RMT Workforce Iceberg
The Structural Conditions Beneath BC's RMT Workforce Challenges

The infographic asks us to understand the visible problems, working conditions, workforce structure, institutional mandates, and accountability gaps simultaneously. Which is a lot. So, here's a bit of an explainer in 5 chunks.

1. The Tip: What We See
Sexual harassment & sexual violence prominently, alongside safety concerns, burnout, workforce instability, education gaps, reporting barriers, continuity-of-care problems, affordability/stewardship concerns and clinic-practitioner conflict.

2. Below the Waterline: How Structure Shapes Working Conditions
Unclear safety responsibility, reporting pathways, retaliation/economic consequences, ability to refuse unsafe patients, clinic dependence, variable safety procedures and access to employment protections.

3. The Workforce Structure: What's Underneath
Misclassification/classification ambiguity, clinic operational and financial control, integration, restrictions on mobility, risk transfer, limited labour/OHS protections and inadequate workforce representation and advocacy.

4. Who Is Responsible?: Institutional Accountability & Oversight
CCHPBC, RMTBC, WorkSafeBC, Labour, Health, clinics, RMTs and the other relevant stakeholders, with different mandates, not interchangeable responsibilities.

5. The Bottom of the Iceberg: The Accountability Gaps
The synthesis: Responsibility is distributed across multiple systems, yet no single institution has responsibility for the whole workforce system.

Control over work can be (has been) separated from responsibility for working conditions.
Worker status can be (has been) separated from access to worker protections.
Professional regulation is separate from workforce advocacy (and advocacy is fragmented).
RMTs must navigate multiple institutions with partial or overlapping mandates.

Comes join us next Tuesday, September 1st at 12:00pm PST.

We are talking about the resource I’ve created and taking questions!

Recording will be available on YouTube and all podcast platforms.

Be sure to give our UK based colleagues a listen!

I don't know if there's a good way to segue (not to be confused with Segway) into this discussion... but, did you now the trucking industry is having the same issues the RMT industry is having around misclassification of workers?
Misclassification of workers in both Trucking and Allied Healthcare.
Drivers Inc A Surprisingly Similar Story to RMT Inc.
The federal government has described worker misclassification in the trucking industry as exploitation.
So why are we willing to have that conversation about trucking, but not healthcare?
I wrote a blog about it here:
https://www.mapleridgermt.ca/resources/truckers-drivers-inc-share-misclassified-workers-woes-with-bc-rmts

Quote from the CBC Article Crackdown On 'Out of Control' Trucking Loophole Promised In Upcoming Federal Budget.

“I want to be very clear: misclassification is exploitation. It strips workers of their rights, and it creates an uneven playing field for the many honest companies that follow the rules,” Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said at a parliamentary committee meeting on Thursday.
“Too often, it is vulnerable workers who are hit the hardest. Many of them are newcomers to Canada who have trusted that the system will protect them.”
Link to full CBC article in comments.

Workforce structure affects safety, accountability, labour protections, and ultimately patient care.

Benefits Fraud, Healthcare Stewardship, and the RMT Workforce
An Open Letter to Benefits Providers.

https://www.mapleridgermt.ca/resources/benefits-fraud-healthcare-stewardship-amp-the-rmt-workforce


WorkSafeBC Pacific Blue Cross BC Federation of Labour

Benefits Fraud, Healthcare Stewardship, & The RMT Workforce. — RMT Jennifer An Open Letter To Health Benefits Providers I am reaching out because I believe an important aspect of the recent discussions surrounding massage therapy benefits has been largely overlooked. Because benefit providers are responsible for administering and safeguarding employer-funded health benefi

Congratulations to Massage Therapy Association of Manitoba Inc.

🎉 A Historic Day for Massage Therapy in Manitoba 🎉

The Massage Therapy Association of Manitoba (MTAM) is pleased to acknowledge that the Government of Manitoba has formally designated Massage Therapy as a regulated health profession under The Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA).

This milestone has been many years in the making and reflects the dedication, advocacy, leadership, and commitment of massage therapists, volunteers, educators, professional associations, and stakeholders who have worked tirelessly to advance the profession.

Today marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for massage therapy in Manitoba.

While additional details regarding implementation, timelines, and next steps are still forthcoming, MTAM is actively monitoring developments and will continue to keep members informed as more information becomes available.

We know many RMTs will have questions, and we remain committed to supporting the profession throughout this transition.

Today, we celebrate this important achievement and the many individuals who helped make it possible.

More updates to come. https://mtam.mb.ca/about-mtam/road-to-regulation/