HEU members voted NO to ratification.

Please support the legal challenge

Until we see an audited report from Simply Voting showing 108 locals, the ratification does not pass.
Here is the real evidence they don’t want to provide. In court, they will be required to explain how the number of 107 changed—never mind the multiple voting, how many duplicate votes were counted, and the many other irregularities and manipulations in the process.

Formal Demand for Transparency and Verification of Ratification Vote — Legally Required Upon Request
The email sent to members on Friday December 19th stated only that 54.2% voted in favour, which is not the sole criterion required for ratification. Why did it not include the other required component—the number of locals that voted in favour?
Another concerning fact is that even the emails sent to local chairs did not include the number of locals voting yes to ratify.

The only conclusion a reasonable person can draw is that there is information being withheld, transparency is lacking, and the intent appears questionable.Attached is the information that was provided to the bargaining committee and PE on Friday.
This has been confirmed by both PE and bargaining committee members.If someone could please confirm the total number of members who voted yes and no, along with the totals provided on Monday, so we can determine whether the actual member counts match, that would be appreciated.
Several members have already sent this request and have not received any response.

I would encourage others to do the same so you have peace of mind and accountability—which is your right as a member.To HEU Leadership,I am writing as a member of HEU to issue a formal demand for full disclosure of all voting data, audit materials, and integrity records related to the recent ratification vote conducted using Simply Voting.

The HEU Constitution and Bylaws clearly state that the union is a democratic organization accountable to its membership, and that decisions of this magnitude must be conducted in accordance with the principles of fairness, transparency, and one member, one vote.
These are not discretionary ideals; they are binding constitutional obligations.At present, HEU has failed to provide members with sufficient information to independently assess whether the ratification vote complied with these constitutional requirements.
This lack of disclosure undermines member confidence and raises serious concerns about the integrity of the process.
Accordingly, I formally demand that HEU immediately disclose—or immediately obtain from Simply Voting and disclose to members—the following:

The total number of eligible voters
The total number of ballots cast
A detailed breakdown of votes by local
Confirmation of whether Simply Voting detected, flagged, or recorded any instances of duplicate or multiple voting by a single member
Any audit, integrity, validation, or verification reports generated for this vote
All communications between HEU and Simply Voting regarding vote validation, irregularities, duplicate ballots, access controls, or system integrity
Confirmation of whether HEU requested an independent audit of the vote, and if not, a written explanation for why no audit was requested

If HEU does not currently possess some or all of this information, it is constitutionally obligated to immediately request it from Simply Voting and disclose it without delay.
Simply Voting is a service provider retained by HEU, and all records generated in connection with this ratification vote constitute union records, not proprietary information beyond the reach of the membership.
Failure to disclose this information—or failure to take reasonable and timely steps to obtain it—will only intensify concerns regarding the integrity of the ratification process and may constitute a breach of HEU’s constitutional obligations. Continued non-disclosure will leave members with no choice but to pursue external remedies to compel transparency and accountability.

I require written confirmation within seven (7) days of the date of this letter that HEU will comply with this demand, along with a clear timeline for disclosure.This demand is made in good faith, grounded in the HEU Constitution and Bylaws, and in defense of members’ fundamental democratic rights. Silence or delay will be interpreted accordingly.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
HEU Member

HEU Member Feedback Survey

Several HEU members have raised concerns and questions about representation, transparency, and priorities within our union.
To better understand where members actually stand, an independent, anonymous survey has been created for HEU members.Key points:

The survey is fully anonymized and self hosted by me
No identifying information is collected
Results will be shared only in aggregate form
Individual responses will never be published or attributed
The goal is to gather a large enough sample to identify broad trends and common concerns among members

This is not about targeting individuals or promoting any specific agenda. It is about giving members a safe, respectful way to express their views and ensuring that discussion is informed by data rather than assumptions.
If you are an HEU member, please consider taking a few minutes to complete the survey and sharing it with other members so the results reflect as wide a cross-section of the membership as possible.
A strong response rate will help ensure the findings are meaningful and representative. Feel free to share with other members.In a few weeks I'll share the aggregate results.
Thank you to everyone who participates.
https://heusurvey.dsotm.ca/index.php/278227?lang=enheusurvey.dsotm.caheusurvey.dsotm.ca

Mystery Solved: Barb Nederpel and Lynn Bueckert Salaries

VOTE NO -REJECT RATIFICATION

A current HEU Provincial Executive member provided this information, even though that member was elected on Team Barb. As the saying goes, keep your friends close and your enemies even closer.

Lynn Bueckert, while serving as Assistant Secretary–Business Manager, assumed the Secretary–Business Manager role on March 22, 2024, following the departure of Meena Brisard. Meena was set to receive a 28% raise, which by all accounts she deserved — not only because she did the job well, but because she stood up and fought for members. Meena was in her position for almost three years, was a great person, and if she were still here, I firmly believe the chance of this tentative agreement being put to a vote would have been zero.

Lynn Bueckert is no Meena Brisard — nowhere close, in my first-hand experience. In 2024, over a four-month period, I sent Lynn 16 emails, not demanding but begging for a meeting regarding my termination grievance. Lynn did not respond, nor did she even acknowledge a single one of them. As head of servicing, this wasn’t just poor representation — it was no representation at all.

Because of that, I filed a Section 12 complaint. In my view, I didn’t even need to make a complex case: Lynn wasn’t providing bad representation — she provided none.

You may now understand why I believe Barb needed help from Labour Minister Whiteside to replace my adjudicator at the Labour Board with an NDP HACK named Andres Barker, an Eby appointment from 2018.

So Lynn was automatically given a 28% raise, without a Provincial Executive vote and without a new contract being presented to or approved by the PE. That alone raises serious questions about process and accountability.

Then Barb, relying on the HEU staff contract, received a $1.00 per hour increase plus 5.5% and 4.5%, all at once. After that, Barb hired a professional consultant — and HEU paid for it — to produce a report making the case for why Barb should receive the same 28% raise as Lynn Bueckert.

In other words, members’ money was used to justify executive compensation increases that were neither transparent nor clearly approved through normal governance channels.

What Barb Nederpel has truly mastered is the art of hiring HEU-paid consultants to generate reports that conveniently justify her behaviour — whether it aligns with the Constitution or not. The only body meant to hold her accountable is the Provincial Executive, yet they appear carefully nurtured and periodically thrown a bone (a perk) just often enough to keep them obedient and silent instead of barking.

I can’t confirm specific salary figures for Betty Valenzuela, but when someone is writing the cheques and knows exactly where the bodies are buried, it’s easy to see how “equal pay” and “equal rights” end up reserved for those in positions of privilege.

This is what Barb and Betty should be making under existing HEU policy:

President & Financial Secretary:
• $85.16 per hour (5% above Coordinators)
• Housing allowance: $1,850 per month, tax-free ($22,200 per year)

The reason Barb refuses to release the actual numbers and instead tells members to “look it up in the STAFF CBA” is, in my view/source, because the three highest-paid positions are operating outside HEU policy, not within it.

Conclusion:
The only way to confirm what they are actually earning is simple and straightforward:
they should release their HEU T4s for the last three years.

Full stop.

Just an FYI: if you’re going to send me anything sensitive, please send it to my European based Proton email: jessiebains@proton.me.

Proton Mail offers end-to-end encryption, and I prefer it over Gmail or Microsoft email for sensitive communications. Google and Microsoft are quick to disclose personal account data if they receive valid legal orders, so if you want to protect your privacy, avoid sending sensitive details through those platforms.

If you need to keep something private, don’t leave it sitting in cloud email. Save it offline (print it or store it on a USB/external drive you control) and limit where it’s copied or forwarded.

I’ve already cleaned out my Gmail to better protect my sources.

Finally, for the sake of transparency, I will be uploading this shortly to HEUBC.ca so followers who aren’t on Facebook can access it as well. I will also be sending a copy to the not-so-ethical HEU Ethics Commissioner — because it’s almost Christmas, and I’m doing this for goodness’ sake, because Santa Claus is coming to town.

Shining a Light on HEU’s Double Standards

Barb Nederpel and Lynn Bueckert gave themselves a 28% raise before HEU bargaining started, meaning they knew something. Seems like these two are excellent at bargaining—just not for the members, only for themselves.

HEU leadership exempted themselves and all 250 staff members from the Public Health Orders. So those who criticize the members for not getting vaccinated need to ask the HEU leadership: why the hypocrisy? This is not hearsay but factual.

The Public Health Orders were used by the public sector unions, especially HEU, to enrich themselves and had nothing to do with the core issue, which was safety. The flush of cash from the PHOs has allowed Barb Nederpel to take corruption to the next level and buy loyalty by handing out perks to certain members of the PE and locals, thus consolidating power.

HEU Leadership gave this to the over 250 HEU staff last year:

April 1, 2024: $1.00/hour + 6.75% (retroactive)
April 1, 2025: 4.25%
April 1, 2026: 3.00%

(Notice it’s a 3-year deal and the 1st year is stacked with the highest figure so the compounding is even greater in the remaining years. The 3rd year is actually way more than just 3% because the 3% is based on the over 10% already received.)Now Barb and Lynn want the members locked in for 4 years at 3% a year and found no reason to fight for even an extra one percent in the first year (no creative bone in their bodies to help the membership).

SOME OF THE HEU STAFF BENEFITS (FOR OVER 250 HEU STAFF AND LEADERSHIP)
• Clothing Allowance: $1,110 (as of Jan 2021, increasing with CPI)
• Dental: 100% for basic services; 70% extended (including implants)
• Extended Health: $600 vision; $3,000 hearing aids; unlimited medical coverage
• Group Life Insurance: $125,000 fully paid
• Early Retirement Fund: 1% of payroll to retire early without vacation/CTO
• Enhanced Gender Affirmation: $10,000
• Fertility Drugs: $3,000 lifetime
• Education & Career Development: full support and leave
• Plus per diems, overtime, travel, and more

Staff reps work 50% from home but get a full vehicle allowance which includes all gas and insurance (for personal and business use), $1,000 winter tires every 3 years, $55 a month for maintenance (no receipt required), and yes, the vehicle allowance is valid even when the staff reps are away on vacation, sick, or on leave.

Every HEU staff member gets $1,100 a year in clothing allowance which increases based on the consumer price index, but there is no need to provide the members with Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA).

I am showing the hypocrisy of this union leadership and staff reps, where many came from our ranks to earn the executive lifestyles of the few, yet provide very little or in many cases bad-faith representation. You would think they would be grateful where every member counts, but perhaps we need to remind them what block that Jenny came from.

Corruption in HEU — Backed by the NDP

In a nutshell, this is what every member needs to see

WAGES AT THE TOP

Director: $73.74/hour
Co-Coordinator: $81.11/hour (10% above Directors)
President & Financial Secretary: $85.16/hour (5% above Coordinators)
- That’s what Barb Nederpel and Betty Valenzuela are making.
Housing: $1,850/month tax-free ($22,000/year)

PERKS ON TOP OF BASE WAGES (FOR OVER 250 HEU STAFF AND LEADERSHIP)

Clothing Allowance: $1,110 (as of Jan 2021, increasing with CPI)
Dental: 100% for basic services; 70% extended (including implants)
Extended Health: $600 vision; $3,000 hearing aids; unlimited medical coverage
Group Life Insurance: $125,000 fully paid
Early Retirement Fund: 1% of payroll to retire early without vacation/CTO
Enhanced Gender Affirmation: $10,000
Fertility Drugs: $3,000 lifetime
Education & Career Development: full support and leave
Plus per diems, overtime, travel, and more

FUTURE RAISES ALREADY LOCKED IN (250 HEU STAFF)

April 1, 2024: $1.00/hour + 6.75% (retroactive)
April 1, 2025: 4.25%
April 1, 2026: 3.00%

MEANWHILE…

Staff reps: $70.30/hour, work 50% from home, and receive a full vehicle allowance for both business and personal use.
Coordinators like Chris Dorais: $81.11/hour with only a two-year trades program.
His spouse Ruby: $70.30/hour as a staff rep after just a six-month Pharmacy Tech course.
- Together, their household earns $151.40/hour.

THE LOWEST PAID JOB OF 250 EMPLOYEES (HEU STAFF, NOT DUES-PAYING MEMBERS)

Mailroom Assistant at Head Office: $36.96/hour (~$70,000 annually).

That’s proof the system is rigged.

THE REAL PROBLEM

Let’s be clear: I am not against staff or leadership earning good wages — but only if they provide proper representation. In my case, and in the case of many others, that has not — and still does not — happen.HEU leadership represents the employer at the bargaining table against its own staff.
That is not only unethical, it’s a blatant conflict of interest.Their wages and benefits are tied to what staff receive.

In other words, they are bargaining against themselves.

You couldn’t make this stuff up.

HEU - Lending Money to Community Savings Credit Union

We Need Answers About Executive Conflict of Interest

The Provincial Executive of the Hospital Employees’ Union approved a loan to Community Savings Credit Union, where:

HEU President Barb Nederpel and
Secretary-Business Manager Lynn Bueckert

both serve as paid directors, receiving compensation for attending meetings plus other possible financial benefits.

Why This Looks Like a Conflict of Interest

How is this not a conflict of interest, considering:

Barb and Lynn make $250,000+ in salary and compensation at HEU,
while approving a loan to a credit union that pays them personally?

Here’s What We Know

HEU leadership voted to approve a loan from HEU to Community Savings Credit Union?
Barb and Lynn are paid as Community Savings directors ($395–$505 per meeting, plus possible shares and other considerations).
They’re using union money to fund an organization that pays them directly.
HEU leadership also uses and encourages locals to use Community Savings Credit Union.

Questions Every Member Should Be Asking

Did they disclose their financial interests before voting?
Did they recuse themselves from this decision?
How much of our union money is involved?
What other financial relationships exist that we don’t know about?

Why This Matters for Members

Our union dues may be funding their personal financial gain.
Executives are supposed to act solely in members’ interests, not their own.
We deserve transparency about how our money is being used.
Union resources should go toward member representation, not executive side businesses.

What We Need

Full disclosure of the loan amount and terms.
An independent investigation of this conflict.
Clear policies to prevent future conflicts of interest.
Accountability from executives who are supposed to work for us.

Final Point

When our executives profit from both sides of a transaction using union money, that’s not representation — that’s self-dealing.We pay union dues expecting our leaders to fight for us, not to use our resources for their personal benefit.I would file a complaint with the ethics commissioner. I personally filed a complaint with the BC Financial Services Authority.

Message to All HEU Members

The Hospital Employees’ Union (HEU) does not exist today to represent its members. It exists to protect itself, its leadership, and its political ties. For (most) of those at the top, it’s not about accountability — it’s about careers, perks, and “elite” incomes without the skills, education, or professional ethics to back them up.

The few who speak out are punished or ignored. The many who stay silent are compliant, waiting to reap the benefits of someone else’s fight. That silence is why the leadership keeps getting away with it. There’s no roar left, only whispers — and that’s exactly how they like it.

Who Does HEU Serve?

The truth is hard but clear: HEU leadership has aligned itself with the NDP government and the BC Labour Board to shield itself from its own members.

You cannot serve two masters. So whose interests does HEU leadership really serve — the members, or themselves and the government?

HEU Leadership is the NDP Government:

Barb Nederpel – failed NDP candidate in 2017 and sat on the BC NDP Provincial Executive in 2022 (and may still be there).
Bal Sandhu – member of the HEU Provincial Executive, married to NDP MLA Harwinder Sandhu.
Jennifer Whiteside – current Labour Minister, formerly HEU Secretary-Business Manager before being elected.
Jessie Sunner – Minister of Post-Secondary Education, formerly a lawyer in HEU’s legal department.
HEU gives 100% of its Political Action Fund — roughly $375,000 every two years — exclusively to the NDP.

How is that not a profound conflict of interest?

Are there other pro-labour candidates outside the NDP who could represent working people? And what about the Green Party — are they anti-labour?

The revolving door is undeniable. HEU leadership and the NDP are not separate — they are one and the same.

The Labour Board: A Rigged System

HEU’s protection doesn’t stop with politics. The BC Labour Relations Board (BCLRB) — the only place members can file complaints — has become a shield for unions, not a safeguard for workers.

Fewer than 3% of Section 12 complaints filed by union members succeed. This staggering failure rate exposes a system structurally biased in favour of the very unions it is meant to regulate.
Nearly every BCLRB vice-chair and adjudicator has a direct union background. Many will seek future employment from those same unions. This is a textbook conflict of interest.

The “Family Firm” in Action:

Jonathan Hanvelt, Vice-Chair – 14 years at a union-side labour law firm; frequent work for the Canadian Labour Congress, Lancaster House, and the VDLC.
René-John Nicolas, Vice-Chair – formerly lawyer for the BCGEU.
Andres Barker, Vice-Chair – articled at the BCGEU Legal Department.
Gurleen Sahota, Vice-Chair – represented the Health Sciences Association of BC.
Stephanie Ann Drake, Vice-Chair – came from Victory Square Law Office LLP, a firm notorious for union-side advocacy.
Robyn Trask, Vice-Chair – served as General Counsel to the BCTF.

With this level of entrenchment, impartiality is a farce. It’s no wonder members terminated for refusing to comply with PHO mandates received no protection — the fix was already in.

This is why unions whisper among themselves and call the Labour Board “the family firm.” They don’t fear it. In many ways, they own it.

The Bottom Line

HEU leadership is not your voice. It is not your shield. It has become a political arm of the NDP, reinforced by a compromised Labour Board that exists to protect unions from their own members.

The question every HEU member must now ask is simple: Whose interests are being protected — yours, or theirs?

A Path Forward

For HEU to reclaim its purpose as a true member-driven organization, we need:

Genuine transparency in all financial and political decisions
Democratic reform that gives members meaningful input on major decisions
Independent oversight mechanisms that aren’t compromised by political connections
Clear separation between union leadership and partisan politics

The strength of any union lies in its ability to represent its members without fear or favor. When that mission becomes secondary to political alliances or institutional self-preservation, the very purpose of collective representation is undermined.

As members who fund this organization through our dues, we deserve leadership that puts our interests first — always and without exception.

Exempted themselves from Public HeaLth Orders

HEU’s Leadership and 244 Staff were Exempt from Dr. Henry’s PUbliC Health orders

HEU President Barb Nederpel told an unvaccinated member: “The HEU policy is to support the immunization of all healthcare workers.” Yet she and the Provincial Executive—who are themselves healthcare workers—excluded themselves and all 244 staff members from the Public Health Orders. Meanwhile, 60,000 members were forced to either get vaccinated or face termination.HEU never took a single grievance to full arbitration.

HEU never advocated for lifting the PHOs, even when every other province had already done so. BC remained under PHOs 28 months longer than the rest of Canada, with PEI being the second last to lift theirs in March 2022.During this period, HEU prioritized advocacy for foreign healthcare workers while long-term members, who built the union, were being terminated. Member funds were used for a media campaign supporting foreign workers, but not a single campaign was launched to fight the PHOs.

HEU spent $470,401 on advertising to get the NDP elected—the same government responsible for the termination of HEU members.

HEU also conspired with other public sector unions and their NDP allies to prolong the PHOs, saving tens of millions for themselves while circulating money within their political circle. If the BC Liberals used duffel bags in casinos, the NDP used the blood of workers to achieve the same ends.I am unsure about BCNU and HSA, but this information has been confirmed by both former and current members of the HEU Provincial Executive.

This is the very definition of hypocrisy.

The Not-So-HEU Ethical Commissioner’s Convenient Exit

Ritu Mahil is now appointed Vice-Chair at LRB

It seems Ritu Mahil, HEU Ethics Commissioner, left her position after only 10 months of her 2-year contract. Ritu dragged on the investigation into Barb Nederpel – President, Bill McMullan – 1st Vice-President, Talitha Dekker – 2nd Vice-President, Bonnie Hammermeister – RVP Fraser Region, and other members of the Provincial Executive.
During the October 2024 HEU Convention, these individuals used a group chat to manipulate the election in real time and secure their own positions. The attached group texts—believed to have been created by Barb Nederpel herself—prove this.
Ritu Mahil, who was hired by the same individuals she was later asked to investigate, previously worked at an NDP-dominated law firm where Rachel Notley, former Premier of Alberta, also works.

That Ritu cleared all of them of wrongdoing is beyond imagination. I had already named her the Not-So-Ethical HEU Commissioner.

At the end of the day, there weren’t enough showers she could take to wipe away the yuck—or cleanse the soul—for doing the dirty work of HEU leadership.
The evidence is clear in the attached texts:

Real-time vote manipulation: “President Barb Nederpel: Everyone must vote Jovito!” and “President Barb Nederpel: I tried to tell people to switch.” This happened during a live tie-breaker.
Coordinated voting strategy: “We need to organize our team this round. Who do we vote for? All agree Ranjit and then send texts out to the group.”
Awareness of wrongdoing: “Madame Pres is it allowed to tell somebody to vote for a certain candidate here while voting? Yesssssss.” Campaigning in the voting hall is strictly prohibited.
Identity-politics manipulation: “Okay, for people who are messaging who to vote for, please let me know ethnic diversity.” Diversity was used as a political tool, not genuine equity.
Acknowledgment of improper influence: “I’m with the other commenter about not appropriate for either Barb or Louella to interfere or influence regional elections due to their position.”

The chats also reveal racism and dangerous attitudes. Leadership used diversity as a checkbox for votes while ignoring real concerns about racism. In one exchange, Bill McMullan used foul language: “No to Maria. Ever.” Certi replied, “Maria got in already.” Bill responded, “F** me.”* Certi then added, “The racial game is up front.” Bill answered, “Of course it is.” To which Certi said, “I’m Filipino but I don’t believe in that shit.” This exchange involved Jovito Espinoza (Certi) – Disabilities DVP.
The Ethics Commissioner overseeing Vancouver City Council found that Ken Sim and his party breached ethics guidelines by using a group chat for city business. What happened at HEU was worse. Their group chat wasn’t just for back-channeling—it was used to tamper with elections while members were voting. That isn’t just unethical; it’s fraud.
Read the texts for yourself under the Election Tampering tab—don’t just take my word for it. The proof is in their own words: tampering, racism, and misconduct in the middle of voting. And yet, despite all this, Ritu Mahil signed off on a clean slate for the very people who appointed her.
HEU has not one but six equity groups, which have proven themselves to be useless when they can’t even educate the leadership.

HEU Membership Feedback

"I received a response through the website from a shop steward at a care home in Langley. She told me the members she represents have given up on HEU. Their staff rep lives in Harrison Hot Springs, is impossible to get a hold of, and insists on emails instead of phone calls. Every issue gets brushed off with the same line: “The employer has the right to manage."

Her excuse? She has too many job sites to cover."

"We have the same problem at RJH Victoria. I went to the last meeting via zoom and again they can't meet quorum Why? Because no one has Any Faith in our Union. They are Done with never getting any help. There's talk of walking away from the Union and joining another (if that's possible?) it's not good in Victoria and getting worse. "

SOLUTION:

It's time HEU stops wasting money on political action and starts using those resources to actually serve its members.

Group Objective

The objective of this group is to demand transparency and accountability from HEU leadership to the members who pay union dues. This group exists to provide a voice for all members—whether they are heterosexual white males, minorities, transgender, disabled, or any other group—and to focus on the membership as a whole, not select interests.

This group is not about politics. It is about representation and the well-being of every dues-paying member. It is time to remove political agendas and political action from the union’s priorities and return HEU to its core purpose: representing its members.

Since its inception, HEU has played an important role as a social justice union. However, in recent years, the union has shifted away from serving members and toward serving itself—its leadership and staff. The real work of protecting minorities and underrepresented members is now embedded in the Collective Bargaining Agreement and employer policies, where it belongs.

Identity politics and political action are being used by union leadership to divide members and distract from the real issue: representation. Representation is the only thing dues-paying members are asking for, and it is the mandate of this group to demand it.

This group stands for unity, accountability, transparency, and equal representation for all HEU members—without exception.

Advocating for Transparency & Accountability

https://gofund.me/18f9082a8

HEU Response to election disclosure: